Kirsten Zemke

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about how the flute can be used to maximum effect within songs. Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke asks the question - why do people write songs about food? It's a surprising phenomenon, and once you start looking you find so many Audio

Music correspondent Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to share some songs that are having a big birthday this year - including some massive power ballads and songs that became an instant classic. Audio

Wellington chamber choir Nota Bene sing Chrismas songs, and - Te Radar, Irene Pink, Kennedy Warne, Sam Ackerman and Kirsten Zemke bid farewell to 2024. Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about Hawaiian music and how it emphasizes the voice. She'll talk about why many songs feature falsetto or leo ki'eki'e (high voice) and where the… Audio

Music correspondent Kirsten Zemke looks at the phenomenon of the "11 o'clock number" - the theatre term for a big, show-stopping song. Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke goes out of this world with some songs that are not only about space, but have been broadcast from there too.  Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke shares some tunes that celebrate the rain, from Eddie Rabbitt's I Love a Rainy Night to Prince's Purple Rain. Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the University of… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about the popularity of vocal harmony in the 50s and 60s. Audio

Autonomous Sensory Meridian Response or ASMR is a perception phenomenon that generates a bioelectric current through auditory, visual, tactile, olfactory or perceptive stimuli. When it passes through… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about what makes K-Pop so popular - and a $5 billion industry. She'll look at the phenomenal rise of the band BTS, known for its positive… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to rewind 50 years to a time when black action stars were all but non-existent to the public eye. But as the real life-heroes of the civil rights movement… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke gives us a flavour of Italy with some classic songs by musicians from that country, including some that have been remixed into even bigger hits, covered by well-known… Audio

Kirsten joins Kathryn to look at skiffle, a type of "folk music" performed with a mixture of manufactured and handmade instruments. Originating in the United States in the first half of the 20th… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about songs over the decades that have whistling at their heart. How do they make you feel? Kirsten Zemke is an ethnomusicologist at the… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke joins Kathryn to talk about the ingredients to an "epic" playlist in an era where technology makes it easier than ever to compile options for you. What makes a song… Audio

Music commentator Kirsten Zemke takes us through the ages with songs that have ended up become dance hits - from the 'Twist' and the 'Hustle' to the 'Macarena' and 'Jerusalema'. What turns a hit song… Audio