Podcast appearances and mentions of Michael Tilson Thomas

How has the classical music industry approached representation and how has the new music community forged new paths to embrace diverse musics? On tonight's episode of Obbligato on APEX Express, Isabel Li is joined by violinist Shalini Vijayan, who discusses her vibrant career and reflects upon the ways contemporary classical music can build community.  Violinist Shalini Vijayan, deemed “a vibrant violinist” by Mark Swed of the Los Angeles Times is an established performer and collaborator on both coasts. Always an advocate for modern music, Shalini was a founding member and Principal Second Violin of Kristjan Jarvi's Absolute Ensemble, having recorded several albums with them including 2001 Grammy nominee, Absolution. Shalini was also a founding member of the Lyris Quartet, one of Los Angeles' most beloved chamber ensembles. With Lyris, she has performed regularly at Walt Disney Concert Hall on the Green Umbrella series, for Jacaranda Music and helped to found the Hear Now Music Festival in Venice, California, a festival dedicated to the music of living composers in Los Angeles.  Shalini performed for over a decade with Southwest Chamber Music and can be heard on their Grammy nominated Complete Chamber Works of Carlos Chávez, Vol. 3. She has been a featured soloist with the Los Angeles Master Chorale in Chinary Ung's Spiral XII and Tan Dun's Water Passion, including performances at the Ravinia Festival. As a chamber musician, Shalini has collaborated with such luminaries as Billy Childs, Chinary Ung, Gabriela Ortiz, and Wadada Leo Smith on whose Ten Freedom Summers she was a soloist. Shalini joined acclaimed LA ensemble, Brightwork New Music in 2019 and also serves as the curator for Brightwork's Tuesdays@Monkspace series, a home for contemporary music and performance in Los Angeles. As a teacher, she has been on the faculty of the Nirmita Composers Workshop in both Siem Reap and Bangkok and coaches composition students through the Impulse New Music Festival.  Shalini received her B.M. and M.M. degrees from Manhattan School of Music as a student of Lucie Robert and Ariana Bronne. As a member of the New World Symphony in Miami Beach, Florida, Shalini served as concertmaster for Michael Tilson Thomas, John Adams, Reinbert de Leeuw and Oliver Knussen. She was also concertmaster for the world premiere performances and recording of Steven Mackey's Tuck and Roll for RCA records in 2000. Shalini was a member of the Pacific Symphony Orchestra for ten seasons and also served as Principal Second Violin of Opera Pacific. She lives in Los Angeles with her son, husband and two dogs and spends her free time cooking Indian food and exploring the culinary landscape of Southern California.  Check out more of her work at:  https://brightworknewmusic.com/tuesdays-at-monk-space/  https://www.lyrisquartet.com/    Transcript  Opening: [00:00:00] Apex Express Asian Pacific expression. Community and cultural coverage, music and calendar, new visions and voices, coming to you with an Asian Pacific Islander point of view. It's time to get on board the APEX Express.    00:01:03 Isabel Li  You're listening to Obbligato, which is a segment about the Asian American Pacific Islander community, specifically in classical music.  00:01:11 Isabel Li  I'm your host, Isabel Li, and today joining me is Shalini Vijayan, who is a violinist, established performer, and always an advocate for modern music.  00:01:21 Isabel Li  Shalini is also a founding member of the Lyris Quartet, one of Los Angeles most beloved chamber ensembles. With Lyris, she has performed regularly at Walt Disney Concert Hall on the Green Umbrella series for Jacaranda Music, and helped to found the Here and Now Music Festival in Venice, California, a festival dedicated to the music of living composers in Los Angeles. She joined acclaimed LA ensemble Brightwork New Music in 2019, and also serves as the curator for Brightwork's Tuesdays at Monk Space series. She currently lives in Los Angeles with her son, husband and two dogs, and spends her free time cooking Indian food and exploring the culinary landscape of Southern California.  00:02:04 Isabel Li  Well, Shalini, thank you so much for joining me in this conversation today.  00:02:09 Shalini Vijayan  I'm so happy to be with you.  00:02:11 Isabel Li  Awesome. I'd like to just get to know you and your story. How do you identify and what communities do you consider yourself a part of?  00:02:18 Shalini Vijayan  I use the pronouns she, her, and I. Um, I identify as South Asian. I grew up in an Indian family. My parents immigrated to the US in the sixties to teach at medical school. And I grew up with a great deal of Indian culture. And I've spent a lot of time going back and forth to India from the time that I was very young. You know, it's interesting because I feel like in LA, where I live and work specifically, there is so much overlap between all of our different musical communities. You know, I went to school in New York, and I feel like there I was much more, I'm very connected to the new music community in New York and felt really kind of entrenched in that at the time I was there. And after coming to LA, I realized that, um, there are a lot of musicians doing so many different things. That's one of the things I love about Los Angeles, actually. And, you know, I'm definitely very, very rooted in the new music community in LA. And that was where I made my first sort of connections when I first moved to Los Angeles. But I also, you know, worked in an orchestra when I first came to LA. I played in the Pacific Symphony for almost ten seasons, and so I became a part of that community as well. And you know, as the years went on, I also became much more involved in the studio music community of LA studio musicians playing on movie scores, playing on television shows, records, what have you, Awards shows, all sorts of things. And these are all very distinct communities in LA in music. But I see a ton of overlap between all of them. There are so many incredibly versatile musicians in Los Angeles that people are able to really very easily move from one of these groups to the other and, you know, with a great deal of success. And I feel like it gives us so much variety in our lives as musicians in LA, you don't feel like you're ever just in one lane. You can really occupy all these different kinds of spaces.  00:04:23 Isabel Li  Right, yeah. So you're classically trained, from what I know, and you describe yourself as an advocate for modern music. So why modern music?  00:04:33 Shalini Vijayan  That's a great question. I have have had to answer this question quite a bit over the years, especially to non-musicians. And it's always an interesting story for me. You know, as a violinist in particular, you know, we have such a storied history of repertoire and pedagogy, and there is such an incredible, um, library of music that we have access to from the very standard classical repertoire. And there is a great deal to be learned about the instrument and about music from playing all that repertoire. I think at some point when I was in high school, I started to become interested in more modern music. And actually I grew up in Davis in Northern California.   My parents both taught at the university there, at the medical school and in Sacramento. Nearby there was a festival of modern American music that I think still goes on to this day at Cal State University, Sacramento. And it was really a great festival. And at that time, you know, they would bring professional artists, they'd have composers, they'd have commissions, all sorts of things. But at the time that I was like in high school, they also had a junior division to the festival, and I was asked to play a couple pieces in the Festival of, um, Modern Works, and I can't remember at this time what the pieces were, but it left such a huge impression on me. And I think what I really took away from that experience as a kid is that in my studies as a violinist, I was always being asked to sort of live up to this history and this legacy of violin music and violin playing in Western classical music. And it's a very high bar. And it's, um, you know, of course, there's so much great stuff there. But there was something so freeing about playing this music that had either never been played or not been recorded. So there was nothing to reference in terms of listening to a recording, um, and listening to how you, you know, quote, should be playing it that it made me feel, uh, you know, all this, this freedom to really interpret the music, how I felt, rather than feeling like I had to live up to a standard that had been set for me, you know, decades or centuries before. And I think that really something really clicked for me with that, that I wanted to have that kind of freedom when I, when I was playing. And so from there on out, um, you know, when I went to college and I really sought out opportunities in new music as much as I could.  00:07:00 Isabel Li  So you were first exposed to new music when you were in high school. Did that influence your decision to become a musician at all? Or were you already set on becoming a musician and that was just part of what shaped your works over the years.  00:07:15 Shalini Vijayan  I think by that time, I had already decided that I wanted to be a musician. I mean, as you know, so many of us as musicians and I think particularly string players, we decide so young because we start our instruments at such a young age and we start studying so early. Um, that I think by that time I, I had decided I wanted to do music, but this sort of opened another door for me that made me realize that it wasn't just one path in music necessarily. I think it's very easy as a, as a kid and as a violinist to think you admire these great soloists that you see and, you know, people like Perlman and, you know, Isaac Stern, who were the stars of the time when I was growing up. But, you know, you get to be in high school and you realize that hasn't happened yet. It's probably not going to happen. And so, you know, what's then then what's your path forward? How do you find a life in music if you're not going to be one of these stars? And I think, you know, new music really opened up that opportunity for me. And yeah, made me look at things a little differently for sure.  00:08:18 Isabel Li  And currently you're in the contemporary classical music ensemble, Brightwork newmusic, and you curate the ensemble's concert series, Tuesdays @ Monk Space. So how do you go about curating concerts with music by contemporary or living composers? What do you look for?  00:08:33 Shalini Vijayan  Well, right now I'm really focused on trying to represent our new music community in LA at Monk Space, which is such, you know, we have such a diverse community of musicians, not just in the makeup of who the people are making the music or writing the music, but also in just the styles of music. And so I think I try to really represent a very diverse set of aesthetics in our season. Um, you know, everything from, you know, last season we had, uh, Niloufar Shiri, who is a traditional Persian kamancheh player, but she also she can play very in a very traditional way, but she also plays with a jazz pianist. And, you know, it does all this very improvisatory stuff. And, you know, then we would have other programs where everything is very much written out and very through, composed and you know, it's been a very wide variety. And, you know, when I try to build the season, I try to make sure that it's really balanced in terms of, you know, the different types of things you'll be hearing because not every audience member is going to want to engage with every type of music. Um, or, you know, if we if we really stuck to one style and it was just in that language for the whole season, then I feel like we would, you know, alienate potential audience members. But with this, I feel like if we can bring people in for one concert and they're really into it, then hopefully they'll come to something else that is new and different for them and be exposed to something that they may really get into after that. So yeah, I think diversity and variety is really where I try to start from.  00:10:09 Isabel Li  How does that engage the community? Have you observed audience reception to this type of new music when there are composers from all different types of backgrounds?  00:10:20 Shalini Vijayan  Yeah, definitely. I mean, I think that each composer and each artist brings their own community into the space, which and so that's another. I feel like another strong reason why I try to make things very different from concert to concert. And, you know, we have some younger players who come in and bring in, you know, everyone from college students to, you know, their friends and family. And then, you know, really established composers. Like this season we have Bill Roper, who is kind of a legend in the music community in LA. Mult instrumentalist and composer who has been around for decades. And, you know, I think people will come out just because they want to see him and he's such a draw. And, um, you know, I, I also would love to be able to incorporate more world music into the series. Like I said, we did do Niloufar concert, which I felt like I really hoped would like engage with the Persian community in LA as well. And a couple seasons ago we had Rajna Swaminathan, who is, I just think, an incredible artist. Um, she plays mridangam, which is a South Indian percussion instrument, but she also writes for Western instruments, uh, and herself. And we had her and a pianist and then Ganavya, who's a vocalist who's amazing. And, you know, Ganavya had her own following. So we had and Rajna has her own following. So we had a whole full audience that night of people who I had never seen in the space before. And that was for me. That's a success because we're bringing in new friends and new engagement. And, um, I was really excited about that. When I'm able to make those kinds of connections with new people, then that feels like a success to me.  00:12:05 Isabel Li  Certainly.  00:12:06 Isabel Li  Let's hear one of Shalini's performances. This is an excerpt from the 10th of William Kraft's “Encounters”, a duologue for violin and marimba, performed here by Shalini Vijayan with Southwest Chamber Music.  00:12:20 [MUSIC – Encounters X: Duologue for Violin & Marimba]  00:17:18 Isabel Li  An excerpt from William Kraft's Encounters, the 10th of which is called Duologue for Violin and Marimba, that was performed by Shalini Vijayan, the violinist, with Southwest Chamber Music.  00:17:31 Isabel Li  And Shalini is here with me in conversation today. We've been discussing contemporary music and her involvement in the new music scene, specifically in Los Angeles.  00:17:40 Isabel Li  Music is all about community, drawing people together. So going back to how you describe yourself as an advocate for modern music, what are other ways that you have advocated for modern music besides curating the concert series?  00:17:53 Shalini Vijayan  Well, over the years, um, you know, I feel like in all the ensembles I've been in, there's been a real focus on commissioning composers and on performing works that have not been, uh, either performed or recorded before. And I feel like the only way to really get the music out there is to, obviously, is to play it and hopefully to be able to record it. We've worked especially with the lyrics quartet. We've worked with so many young composers in LA either just strictly, you know, contemporary classical composers or even film composers who, um, have works that they'd like to have recorded. And, you know, it's been great to see a lot of those people go on to really amazing things and to be a part of their journey, uh, and to help support them. And, uh, the other thing that the quartet has been heavily involved in and now Bright Work Ensemble has been involved in as well, is the Here Now music festival, which has been going on in LA for well over a decade now. We were involved in the first, um, seasons of that festival. We've been one of the resident ensembles since the very beginning, and that festival is dedicated to the music of LA and Southern California composers. And, um, we have a call for scores every year that we, the four of us in the quartet, are part of the panel that reviews all the scores, along with a lot of our other colleagues, um, who are involved with the festival, and Hugh Levick, who is the artistic director of the festival and has we've worked side by side with him on this for a very long time. And that's also been a fantastic avenue for, um, meeting new composers, hearing new works, having them performed. And the thing I always say about that festival every time it comes around, usually in the spring we have at least three concerts. It's this incredible coming together of the new music community in Southern California, where all these great composers and all these amazing players come together and play these series of concerts, because there's such a vast number of pieces that end up getting programmed. They can't rely on just like one group or one or two groups to play them. So it really pulls in a lot of players from all over town. And I don't know, it always just feels like a really fun time, a fun weekend for all of us to see each other and connect. And, um, and again, just build our community to be even stronger.  00:20:20 Isabel Li  That's really cool. How do you ignite interest in new music? Because this is a genre that I think is slightly underrepresented or just underrepresented in general in both the classical music community and the music industry as a whole.  00:20:35 Shalini Vijayan  That's a great question, and I think it's a really important question for our whole industry and community. How do you engage people in new music and get them into a concert? Um, you know, I think one of the biggest hurdles for classical music in general, I will say, um, when I talk to people about why they don't want to come to a concert or why they don't want to, you know, let's say, go see the LA Phil or, you know, wherever, whatever city they're in, the major cultural music institution. I think there is a misconception generally that, oh, it's, you know, I have to be dressed a certain way or I it's going to be really stuffy. And, um, I, you know, I don't know what to wear or I don't know how I'm supposed to dress or how I'm supposed to act when I'm in the concert. Am I going to clap at the wrong time? You know, is it going to be really long? And, you know, and I and I get it, you know, I mean, I understand why that would be uncomfortable for a lot of people.   And it's not, um, it's something that necessarily everyone has grown up with or that it's been a part of their life. So I think it's really up to us, as you know, when we're on the side of programming concerts or putting together festivals or whatever, um, that we make things more accessible in terms of, um, concert length and interaction with audience. And, um, you know, I think it's I know I've been told so many times and I really think it's important that I think audiences love it when performers talk to them, when they talk about the music and, and set things up for a listener. I think that puts a kind of context on things that makes it so much easier for perhaps a new audience member, someone who's never come to a concert before to feel at ease and feel like, okay, I know what I'm getting into.   One of our, actually our former executive director at Brightwork, Sarah Wass, who was fantastic, and I was very happy to work with when I was just starting out programming, Monk Space had the idea of putting on the program the running time of the pieces, and I think even that is just something that, like, can prepare people for what they're getting into when they're about to listen to something new. And in terms of the music itself, I think that if someone, especially a younger person, doesn't feel like they have any connection to Beethoven or Brahms or Mozart, they might actually feel more connected to someone who is their age or a little older.   Someone who has had similar life experiences to them, or grown up in the same era as them, rather than someone who grew up, you know, in the seventeen hundreds. You know, there can be more of a real connection there, and that that person is writing this music and reflection of their life and their experiences. And, um, you know, again, I think that kind of context is important for a listener. And yeah. And then just lastly, I would say also, I feel like our space at Monk space is very inviting. It's very low key. It's, um, you know, it's casual, it's comfortable. Role. Um, we have, you know, snacks and a bar and, you know, everyone is very relaxed at intermission and has a good time. And I mean, for me, every time we host one of those concerts, I feel like I'm hosting a little party, you know? That's what it feels like for me. And that's what I want it to feel like for the audience as well.  00:23:52 Isabel Li  That brings up a really good point in that new music can make classical music or a new classical music, contemporary music, more accessible to different audiences. And certainly I've definitely heard the complaint from people over the years about classical music being a little too uptight. Would you say that these are two different genres?  00:24:11 Shalini Vijayan  I think that there is overlap, and I think, you know, for an ensemble like ours, like Brightwork, we have chosen to make our focus new music. So that's our thing. That's what we do. Um, and, uh, all of our concerts and our programming reflect that. Very rarely do we do anything that's not considered a contemporary piece. Um, but, you know, if you do look at some of our major institutions, like I think the LA Phil and I think the San Francisco Symphony, um, earlier, you know, like in the nineties under MTT, really started to pave the way for incorporating contemporary music into a standard classical format. And, you know, I think that's been very important. And I think it's really changed the way that orchestras have programmed across the country. And there has been such a nurturing of contemporary music in larger spaces. Now that I think that kind of overlap has started to happen much more frequently. I think that in more conservative settings, sometimes there's pushback against that. And even even, you know, in some of the places that I play, you know, sometimes with with the lyrics quartet, um, we are asked to just purely program standard classical repertoire, and we will occasionally throw in a little short piece, you know, just to try and put something in there, you know, something that's very accessible. Um, and, uh, you know that we know the audience will like so that we can help them, you know, kind of get over that fear of connecting to a newer piece. And I, I think in some ways, that's where the path forward lies, is that we have to integrate those things, you know, in order to keep kind of the old traditions of classical music alive. I think we have to keep the newer tradition alive as well, and find a way to put them in the same space.  00:26:00 Isabel Li  I certainly agree with that.  00:26:01 Isabel Li  Let's hear more of Shalini's work in new music. This is a performance of the first movement of Atlas Pumas by Gabriela Ortiz. Violinist Shalini Vijayan is joined by percussionist Lynn Vartan.  00:26:18 [MUSIC – Atlas Pumas, mvt 1 by Gabriela Ortiz]  00:29:21 Isabel Li  The first movement of Gabriela Ortiz's Atlas Pumas played here by violinist Shalini Vijian, and Lynn Vartan plays the marimba.  00:29:30 Isabel Li  And Shalini is actually joining us here for a conversation about new music, performances, identity, and representation.  00:29:38 Isabel Li  Many Asian American Pacific Islander artists in music have varying relationships between their art and their identity. I was wondering, to what extent do you feel that perhaps your South Asian identity intersects or influences the work that you do with music?  00:29:54 Shalini Vijayan  Growing up, um, you know, I grew up in a in a university town in Northern California and, you know, a lot of highly educated and, you know, kids of professors and, you know, but still not the most terribly diverse place. And then going into classical music. And this was, you know, in the early nineties when I went to college, um, it still was not a particularly it was very much not a diverse place at all. And, um, there certainly were a lot of Asian students at, um, Manhattan School of Music where I did my my studies.   But I would say it was a solid decade before I was ever in any sort of classical music situation where there was another South Asian musician. I very, very rarely met any South Asian musicians, and it wasn't until I went to the New World Symphony in the early late nineties, early two thousand, and I was a musician there. I was a fellow in that program there for three years that I walked into the first rehearsal, and there were three other South Asian, I think, of Indian descent musicians in the orchestra, and I was absolutely blown away because I literally had not, um, other than here and there at some festivals, I had not met any other South Asian classical musicians.   So it was really like that was the hallmark moment for me. It was a really big deal. And coming with my family, coming from India, you know, there is such a strong tradition of Indian classical music, of Carnatic music and Hindustani music. And, um, it's such a long, long tradition. And, you know, the people who have studied it and lived with it are, you know, they study it their whole lives to be proficient in it. And it's such an incredible, incredible art form and something that I admire so much. And I did as a kid. Take a few lessons here and there. I took some Carnatic singing lessons, um, and a little bit of tabla lessons when I was very young. Um, but I think somewhere in middle school or high school, I kind of realized that it was, for me at least, I wasn't, um, able to put enough time into both because both of them, you know, playing the violin in a Western classical style and then studying Indian classical music require a tremendous amount of effort and a tremendous amount of study. And I at that point chose to go with Western classical music, because that's what I'd been doing since I was five years old. But there has always kind of been this longing for me to be more connected to Indian classical music. Um, I'll go back again to Rajna. When I presented Rajna Swaminathan on Monk Space a couple of years ago, it was a really meaningful thing for me, because that's kind of what I'd always wanted to see was a joining together of that tradition, the Indian tradition with the Western tradition. And, um, I'm so happy that I'm starting to see that more and more with a lot of the artists that are coming up now. But at the time when I was young, it just it felt almost insurmountable that to to find a way to bring the two together. And, um, I remember very clearly as a kid listening to this, um, there was an album that Philip Glass did with Ravi Shankar, and I thought that was so cool at the time. And I used to listen to it over and over again because I just again, I was so amazed that these things could come together and in a, in a kind of successful way. Um, but yeah, there is, you know, there there's a part of me that would still love to go back and explore that more that, that side of it. Um, and but I will say also, I'm very happy now to see a lot more South Asian faces when I, you know, go to concerts on stage and in the audience. And, you know, a lot of composers that I've worked with now, um, of South Asian descent, it's been, you know, I've worked with Reena Esmail and Anuj Bhutani and Rajna and, um, there's so many more, and I'm so glad to see how they're all incorporating their connection to their culture to, to this, you know, Western kind of format of classical music. And they're all doing it in different ways. And it's it's really amazing.  00:34:22 Isabel Li  That's fantastic.  00:34:24 Isabel Li  I was wondering if you could maybe describe what this merging or combination of different styles entails. Do you think this makes it more accessible to audiences of two different cultures?  00:34:36 Shalini Vijayan  For me, one example, before I started running the series at Tuesdays at Monk Space, Aron Kallay, who is our Bright Work artistic director, had asked me to come and do a solo show on Monk Space, which I did in November of 2019.  00:34:52 Shalini Vijayan  And at the time, I wanted to commission a piece that did exactly that, that, that, um, involved some sort of Indian classical instrument or kind of the language of Indian classical music. And so I actually did reach out to Reena Esmail, and she wrote me a very cool piece called blaze that was for tabla and violin. Um, and I really had so much fun doing that. And Reena, Reena really has a very fluid way of writing for the violin, which she actually was a violinist, too. So she's she's really good at doing that. But being able to write for any melodic instrument or for the voice, which she does quite a bit as well, and incorporating sort of the tonality of Indian classical music, which obviously has its own scales and, um, has its own harmonic, harmonic world that is different from the Western world, um, but finds a way to translate that into the written note notation that we require as, uh, Western classical musicians. And, you know, I think that's the biggest gap to bridge, is that in Indian classical music, nothing is notated. Everything is handed down in an oral tradition, um, over the generations. And for us, everything is notated. And in Indian classical music, you know, there's much more improvisation. And now, of course, with modern classical music, there now is a lot more improvisation involved. But in our old standard tradition, obviously there isn't. And in the way that we're trained, mostly we're not trained to be improvisers. And um, so it's it was great. She has a great way of writing so that it kind of sounds like things are being tossed off and sounding sounds like they're being improvised, but they are actually fully notated, um, which I really appreciated.  00:36:50 Isabel Li  Yeah.  00:36:51 Isabel Li  So your career has spanned orchestras, recording ensembles, chamber music. Having had so much experience in these types of performance, what does representation in classical music mean to you?  00:37:04 Shalini Vijayan  Well, representation is is very important because we're talking about a tradition that was built on white men from centuries ago, European white men. And and it's again, it's an incredible tradition and there's so much great repertoire. But I'm going to circle back to what you were saying or what you asked me about connecting to audiences and, you know, connecting to audiences with new music. It's I think people like to see themselves reflected in the art that they choose. They choose to consume. And, you know, whether that's movies or television or music, I think that's how you connect with your audience is by being a bit of a mirror.  I think the only way that we can really continue to connect with a diverse audience is by having that type of diverse representation on our stages and on our recordings. And again, also not just the people, but the types of music, too. You know, musical tastes run wide, genres run wide as well. And it's I think It's good for all of us to be exposed to a lot of different kinds of music, to figure out what we connect with the most. And, um, yeah, the only way we can do that is by really, you know, opening our arms to a, a much wider variety of styles of music. And so I, you know, I mentioned improvisation, improvisation earlier. And I think that is something that's now starting to happen so much more in modern classical music. And, you know, I think there's something about the energy that a player has when they're improvising that is maybe not something that an audience member could quantify verbally, but there's a looseness and a freedom there that I think, you know, for a lot of audience members, they probably really can connect to. And, you know, that's a lot of why people go and listen to jazz is because there's so much freedom and there's so much improvisation.   I've been very lucky to be able to work with, um, Wadada Leo Smith, who's a trumpet player and composer. I've worked with him for probably almost ten years now. And um, through Wadada, actually, I have learned to become much more comfortable with improvising on stage and not within a jazz language of any kind or any kind of harmonic structure necessarily, but within the language of his music, which is very unique and very open and very free and, um, but also has a really strong core in its connection to history. And, um, you know, he's written a lot of amazing works about the civil rights movement and about a lot of, you know, important moments in history for our country. And, um, that's been a real learning experience for me to connect with him in that, in that way and learn from him and learn to be more comfortable with improvisation. Because I think growing up, improvisation for me always meant jazz, and that was not a language I was comfortable in. And um, or even, you know, jazz or rock music or folk music or whatever, you know, it was just not something that came naturally to me as a kid to, I mean, I listened to all of it. I listened to everything when I was a kid, but I never played in any of those styles. And I think the older you get, the scarier it gets to start branching out in those ways. But, um, I think, uh, that's been a an incredible, like, new branch of my life in the last decade has been working with Wadada.  [MUSIC – “Dred Scott, 1857,” from Ten Freedom Summers, by Wadada Leo Smith]  00:42:23 Isabel Li  An excerpt of Wadada Leo Smith's music to give you a sense of the jazz influences in these types of contemporary new music pieces that also touch on pieces of history. This was an excerpt from his album, Ten Freedom Summers, which also consists of compositions based on pieces of American history. For example, what we just heard was from a piece called Dred Scott, 1857.  00:42:49 Isabel Li  Now that I realize that we've been having a conversation about new music, I realize that, hmm, when does new music really start? So if you take a look at maybe music history, when does new music really become new music?  00:43:07 Shalini Vijayan  I guess it depends on who you ask, probably. Um, it's it's pretty recent. You know, it has to be really legitimately pretty new. And, um, again, you know, if you ask an audience member, um, and I think of some of my friends or family who are maybe who are not musicians who come to concerts, and I'm always so interested in talking to them and hearing their opinions about things. Um, you know, they will listen to Bartok and say, oh, that sounds like new music to me. But, you know, Bartok, Bartok passed away a long time ago, and it's, you know, and for me, that's more like canon now. You know, that's like now for me, part of the the standard repertoire. But there was a time when Bartok was new music. And I think for, you know, maybe the listeners who are more comfortable with the very diatonic, you know, world of Beethoven, Brahms, Mozart, then something like Bartok really does sound so modern for me. Boy, maybe around the time that minimalism started, you know, John Adams and Steve Reich, Terry Riley, Philip Glass, all of that for me feels like maybe that's the older like the The edge of new music now even though that was that would be the eighties, probably seventies 80s, you know, but that we're talking about like, you know, fifty years ago. So yeah, I mean, it's not that new, but those are all still living composers. So maybe, maybe that's part of what it is for me is that it's the composers of our era, the composers who are alive, who we can communicate with and ask questions of. And, um, you know, at the very least, if you can't talk to John Adams, you can talk to somebody who has worked directly with him and get their impressions of how something should be played, um, as opposed to composers who have been gone for hundreds of years. And you can't have that level of communication with them. I think that, for me is what new music, new music is about. It's about working with living composers and, um, having that type of interaction.  00:45:15 Isabel Li  Yeah. So would the word or the phrase contemporary classical music, be a little oxymoronic in a sense?  00:45:26 Shalini Vijayan  No, I don't think so. I think it's still part of the same tradition. Um, yeah. I really do think it is, because I think there is a lineage there. Um, for a lot of composers, not all of them, um, that I mean, I think particularly if you're writing for, let's say, an orchestra or a string quartet or sort of one of these very standard classical ensembles. Um, even if you're writing in a very new language and you're writing in a very different way, I think there is still a through line to the canon of classical music. I guess for me, new music and classical music are not mutually exclusive. I think they can be the same. So I don't I don't think they're totally different. I think that there is a lot of a lot of overlap.  00:46:16 Isabel Li  For sure, considering how new music fits into the classical music or the classical music industry as a whole. Have you noticed any sorts of shifts in the classical music industry in the past several decades in regards to diversity, equity, inclusion? And have you just noticed any changes?  00:46:35 Shalini Vijayan  I have noticed some changes. I mean, I think that most organizations in this country are making an effort to be more inclusive in their programming now. And, um, you know, another another South Asian composer who I just think is fantastic is Nina Shekhar. And, um, she has had pieces played by the New York Phil for the last couple seasons. I mean, you know, so on on major, major stages, I feel like now I'm seeing more representation and that is definitely Encouraging and, um, you know, uh, same for Anuj and Rajna and Reena. They've all, you know, had their works done by major ensembles. And, um, I think I think there is definitely movement in that direction, for sure. I think it could always be more.   I think also for women and women composers, women performers, I think that has also always been a struggle to find enough representation of women composers and you know, especially if like as I mentioned before, when you're in a situation where an organization asks you to program a concert, like, let's say, for our quartet and wants much more standard repertoire than it does limit you, you know, how because there isn't much from the older canon. You know, there is. You know, there's Fanny Mendelssohn and Clara Schumann and, um, you know, I think in the last five to ten years they've both been played a lot more, which is great. But, you know, I think, uh, there's so many amazing female composers right now that I think are starting to get much more recognition. And I think that just needs to be more, more and more, um, but, uh, you know, that is why, again, like on those programs, sometimes we try to just sneak one modern piece in because it's important for those voices to be heard as well. But yes, I do see some forward movement in that direction with, um, classical programming. And, you know, you just have to hope that the intent is always genuine in those situations. And I think, um, you know, I think that's the most important thing. And giving a platform to those voices is really important.  00:48:59 Isabel Li  How would you go about arts advocacy during this current time when, well, the arts are being defunded and devalued by our current administration and how everything is going on right now?  00:49:10 Shalini Vijayan  Yeah, it's really, really difficult right now. And, um, you know, I think a lot of arts organizations are losing a lot of government funding. Obviously, I know of a couple projects that lost their NEA funding because of DEI, and which is so disheartening. And, um, I think, you know, there's going to be a lot of leaning on private donors to try and, uh, make up that difference or, you know, private foundations to make up the difference in funding, hopefully. And, um, uh, you know, it's yeah, it's scary. It's  a scary time. And I think, you know, even for private funding and, um, private donors, it's, you know, everyone is feeling stressed and feeling concerned about our future right now, just as a country. and there's so much uncertainty. And, um, but I think people who really rely on the arts for all the things that it can provide, you know, an escape and pleasure and, you know, stimulation of a different kind. And especially in a time like this, when you want to be able to get away from maybe what's going on around you, you know, I'm hoping we can find a way to really come together and, um, kind of, you know, rally around each other and find a way to support each other. But, um, I think it is going to be hard for the next few years if we can't find ways to replace that funding that so many people have lost. And I certainly don't think that anyone wants to back away from the progress that's been made with inclusion and representation, you know, just to get funding. So I know we have to be very creative with our path ahead and find a way to, to keep doing what we're doing in this current environment.  00:51:07 Isabel Li  Yeah, on a brighter note, I read about your work with Lyris Quartet earlier this year when you presented a concert with Melodia Mariposa called Altadena Strong with the Lyris Quartet, raising funds for those who have been affected by the LA fires. Can you talk a bit about the power of music? And we're going to end on a stronger note here about the power of music in bringing communities together and accelerating community healing.  00:51:31 Shalini Vijayan  Well, I have to say that concert was really a special one for us. You know, um, so many musicians were affected by the fires in LA. And, you know, I, I've lived in LA for over twenty years now, almost twenty five years and, um, certainly seen my share of wildfires and disasters, but this one hit so much more close to home than any of the other ones have. And, you know, I know at least twenty five people who lost their homes in between the Palisades and Altadena and Altadena in particular.   When I moved to LA, it was a place where a lot of musicians were moving to because you could it was cheaper and you could get a lot of space, and it's beautiful. And, you know, they really built a beautiful community there among all the musicians out there. And it's just heartbreaking, um, to see how many of them have lost everything. And I have to say, Irina Voloshina, who is the woman who runs Melodia Mariposa, and just an amazing violinist and an amazing, wonderful, warm, generous person. You know, she started that series in her driveway during COVID as a way to just keep music going during the pandemic, and it really turned into something so great. And she's, you know, got a whole organization with her now and puts on multiple concerts a year. And when she asked us if we would play that concert for the community in Altadena is, you know, there's no question that we were going to do it. I mean, we absolutely jumped at the chance to support her and support the organization and that community. And people really came out for that concert and were so excited to be there and were so warm and, um, you know, and and she talked to the crowd and really connected with everybody on a very personal level, because she also lost her home in Altadena and, um, you know, it was it was a really meaningful show for all of us. And again, those are the moments where you realize that you can use this art to really connect with people that you may have never met before and show your your love for them, you know, through music, as corny as that may sound, but it's true.  00:53:54 Isabel Li  Yeah, definitely. Well, thank you so much, Shalini, for sharing your visions, your knowledge with new music and community building with us today. Thank you so much for being on Obbligato.  00:54:07 Shalini Vijayan  Thank you so much for having me, Isabel. It was really a pleasure.  00:54:10 Isabel Li  What a wonderful conversation that was with LA-based violinist Shalini Vijayan. If you go to kpfa.org, you can check out more of her work. I put the links to two of her ensembles, Brightwork New Music and Lyris Quartet up on kpfa.org. And thank you for listening to our conversation here on Obbligato on Apex Express.  00:54:32 Isabel Li  We thank all of you listeners out there. Keep resisting, keep organizing, keep creating, and sharing your visions with the world. Your voices are important.  00:54:42 Isabel Li  APEX Express is produced by Miko Lee, Jalena Keane-Lee, Preeti Mangala Shekar, Anuj Vaidya, Swati Rayasam, and Cheryl Truong. Tonight's show was produced by Isabel Li. Thanks to the team at KPFA for their support. Have a great night.  [OUTRO MUSIC]  The post APEX Express – 11.13.25 – Obbligato with Violinist Shalini Vijayan appeared first on KPFA.

This week on The Sound Kitchen, you'll hear the answer to the question about the Duplomb law. There's “On This Day”, “The Listener's Corner” with Paul Myers, Ollia Horton's “Happy Moment”, and a lovely musical dessert to finish it all off. All that and the new quiz and bonus questions too, so click the “Play” button above and enjoy!  Hello everyone! Welcome to The Sound Kitchen weekly podcast, published every Saturday here on our website, or wherever you get your podcasts. You'll hear the winner's names announced and the week's quiz question, along with all the other ingredients you've grown accustomed to: your letters and essays, “On This Day”, quirky facts and news, interviews, and great music … so be sure and listen every week. Erwan and I are busy cooking up special shows with your music requests, so get them in! Send your music requests to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr  Tell us why you like the piece of music, too – it makes it more interesting for us all! Facebook: Be sure to send your photos for the RFI English Listeners Forum banner to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr More tech news: Did you know we have a YouTube channel? Just go to YouTube and write RFI English in the search bar, and there we are! Be sure to subscribe to see all our videos. Would you like to learn French? RFI is here to help you! Our website “Le Français facile avec rfi” has news broadcasts in slow, simple French, as well as bilingual radio dramas (with real actors!) and exercises to practice what you have heard. Go to our website and get started! At the top of the page, click on “Test level”, and you'll be counseled on the best-suited activities for your level according to your score. Do not give up! As Lidwien van Dixhoorn, the head of “Le Français facile” service, told me: “Bathe your ears in the sound of the language, and eventually, you'll get it”. She should know – Lidwien is Dutch and came to France hardly able to say “bonjour” and now she heads this key RFI department – so stick with it! Be sure you check out our wonderful podcasts! In addition to the breaking news articles on our site, with in-depth analysis of current affairs in France and across the globe, we have several podcasts that will leave you hungry for more. There's Spotlight on France, Spotlight on Africa, the International Report, and of course, The Sound Kitchen. We also have an award-winning bilingual series - an old-time radio show, with actors (!) to help you learn French, called Les voisins du 12 bis. Remember, podcasts are radio, too! As you see, sound is still quite present in the RFI English service.  Please keep checking our website for updates on the latest from our excellent staff of journalists. You never know what we'll surprise you with! To listen to our podcasts from your PC, go to our website; you'll see “Podcasts” at the top of the page. You can either listen directly or subscribe and receive them directly on your mobile phone. To listen to our podcasts from your mobile phone, slide through the tabs just under the lead article (the first tab is “Headline News”) until you see “Podcasts”, and choose your show.   Teachers take note!  I save postcards and stamps from all over the world to send to you for your students. If you would like stamps and postcards for your students, just write and let me know. The address is english.service@rfi.fr  If you would like to donate stamps and postcards, feel free! Our address is listed below.  Independent RFI English Clubs: Be sure to always include Audrey Iattoni (audrey.iattoni@rfi.fr) from our Listener Relations department in all your RFI Club correspondence. Remember to copy me (thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr) when you write to her so that I know what is going on, too. N.B.: You do not need to send her your quiz answers! Email overload! This week's quiz: On 26 July, I asked you a question about Paul Myers' article “Petition seeking repeal of new French farming law passes one million signatures”. It was about the Duplomb law, which was passed by the French parliament on 8 July. The law would allow the pesticide acetamiprid to be used, after a ban since 2018. French farmers protested the ban because it is allowed at the European level; they say it puts them at a disadvantage with their European counterparts. But two weeks after the bill passed, Eléonore Pattery, a young student from Bordeaux, launched a petition calling for a recall. And that was your question: you were to write in with the number of signatures on that petition as of 20 July, and also how many signatures French law requires before the lower house of Parliament, the Assemblée Nationale, has the right to hold a public debate on the contents of the petition. The answer is, to quote Paul's article: “Late on Sunday, the 20th of July, the number of signatures had risen to 1,159,000. Under French rules, once a petition crosses that threshold and has verified signatures from throughout the country, the Assemblée Nationale has the right to hold a public debate on the contents of the petition. The regulations also state that even if a petition gathers 500,000 names, it does not mean that the legislation will be reviewed or repealed.” In addition to the quiz question, there was the bonus question, suggested by RFI Listeners Club member Jocelyne D'Errico from New Zealand. She wanted to know how you feel and what you think about soulmates. Do you have a bonus question idea? Send it to us! The winners are: RFI English listener Kalyani Basak from West Bengal, India. Kalyani is also the winner of this week's bonus quiz. Congratulations, Kalyani, on your double win. Also on the list of lucky winners this week are Akbar Waseem, a member of the RFI Seven Stars Listeners Club in District Chiniot, Pakistan; RFI Listeners Club member Rasel Sikder from Madaripur, Bangladesh, and RFI English listeners Sadman Shihab Khondaker from Naogaon and Momo Jahan Moumita, the co-secretary of the Sonali Badhan Female Listeners Club in Bogura, both in Bangladesh. Congratulations winners! Here's the music you heard on this week's program: España by Emmanuel Chabrier, performed by the London Symphony Orchestra conducted by Ataúlfo Argenta; “Hoe-Down” from the ballet Rodeo by Aaron Copland, performed by the San Francisco Symphony conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas; “The Flight of the Bumblebee” by Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov; “The Cakewalk” from Children's Corner by Claude Debussy, performed by the composer; “Happy” by Pharrell Williams, and “Mama Used to Say” by Junior Giscomb and Bob Carter, sung by Junior Giscomb. Do you have a music request? Send it to thesoundkitchen@rfi.fr This week's question ... you must listen to the show to participate. After you've listened to the show, re-read our article "Moldova's pro-EU ruling party wins majority in parliamentary elections", which will help you with the answer. You have until 27 October to enter this week's quiz; the winners will be announced on the 4 November podcast. When you enter, be sure to send your postal address with your answer, and if you have one, your RFI Listeners Club membership number. Send your answers to: english.service@rfi.fr or Susan Owensby RFI – The Sound Kitchen 80, rue Camille Desmoulins 92130 Issy-les-Moulineaux France Click here to find out how you can win a special Sound Kitchen prize. Click here to find out how you can become a member of the RFI Listeners Club, or form your own official RFI Club. 

SynopsisOn today's date in 1996, Michael Tilson Thomas conducted the San Francisco Symphony in the first performance of Lost and Found, a five-minute toccata for orchestra. Its composer was Steve Mackey, an American whose music Tilson Thomas championed and recorded.Mackey wrote: “On more than one occasion Michael has used the word ‘wacky' to describe my music. Composers usually blanch at such attributions — nobody wants to be captured in a single word — but I can live with ‘wacky'. It is not a common adjective, does not end with ‘ism,' and clearly the rhyme with my last name personalizes it. My music tends to explore fringe modes of consciousness rather than brand name emotion or logical thought.”He also avoids conventional titles. His Concerto for Electric Guitar is titled Tuck and Roll, and among his other works can be found Banana/Dump Truck and Eating Greens.Mackey said, “I think a lot about momentum, inertia, and even gravity, allowing the music to get stuck and tip over, lurch headlong, tumble with limbs akimbo as well as to move fluidly gives it a ‘road runner' cartoon kind of physicality, a fantasy, but not completely unhinged from the physical world.”Music Played in Today's ProgramSteven Mackey (b. 1956): Lost and Found; New World Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor; BMG 63826

Conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas sits down with CBS News' Lesley Stahl to discuss his family history of show business; mentoring and directing young musicians; and the competitive element of his relationship with Leonard Bernstein. He also gives Stahl a lesson in conducting, including how to "mix it up," and explains why D♯ and E♭ – which share the same key on a piano – can represent two different notes. To learn more about listener data and our privacy practices visit: https://www.audacyinc.com/privacy-policy Learn more about your ad choices. Visit https://podcastchoices.com/adchoices

In this episode, Dave and Andrew explore the first experimental composer to win the Pulitzer since Charles E. Ives. With that pedigree, what will they think of Henry Brant's Ice Field? And why is this piece called a "spatial" composition? If you'd like to learn more about Henry Brant and Ice Field, we recommend: This video of the work with commentary from Michael Tilson Thomas and organist Cameron Carpenter Maria Anna Harley's article “An American in Space: Henry Brant's ‘Spatial Music.'” American Music 15, no. 1 (1997): 70–92. Frank Oteri's 2002 interview with Henry Brant in New Music Box

The Horn Signal is proudly brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. Join hosts John Snell and Preston Shepard as they interview horn players around the world.  Today's episode features Robert Watt, former Assistant Principal Horn of the Los Angeles Philharmonic.   Robert Lee Watt was born in Neptune, New Jersey the 4th child of seven. His father, Edward Watt Jr. played trumpet professionally in a Jazz ensemble, “The New Jersey Squires of Rhythm.” When Robert was eight years old he got curious about his father's trumpet, kept high on a shelf. Too short to reach it, Robert conscripted his little brother Tony to help. But with Tony on his shoulders he lost his balance, causing both of them to fall to the floor, trumpet in hand.  Robert then attempted to fix the dents in the instrument by using a hammer. The badly damaged trumpet was the way Robert's father discovered his interest in horns. After a serious reproach, Robert's father tried to teach him trumpet. However, it wasn't until years later that Robert discovered the instrument he really wanted to play.    While helping his father clean out a room in the basement Robert discovered some old 78 recordings. The curious Robert gave the old recordings a spin. It was the “William Tell Overture” on hearing the French horns on that recording he asked his father what instrument came in after the trumpet. His father informed him that it was a “French horn” “A middle instrument that never gets to play the melody like the trumpet…why, do you like that horn?” His father asked. Robert replied, “It gives me chills when I hear it, I love it. That's what I want to play.” His father informed the young Robert that it really wasn't the instrument for him. Explaining that it was an instrument for thin-lipped white boys. “Your lips are too thick to play that small, thin, mouthpiece. You'd be better suited for the trumpet like you father.”  Upon reaching high school Robert seriously pursued the French horn. Approaching the band director of his high school in Asbury Park, Robert was again told that his lips were too thick to play the French horn. After being persistent, the band director gave Robert an old French horn that barely worked.  Nevertheless, Robert advanced quickly and was soon winning auditions for honor bands and orchestras throughout the state of New Jersey, bringing great honor to his high school. After high school Robert was accepted to the New England Conservatory of Music in Boston where he majored in music and studied French horn with Harry Shapiro of the Boston Symphony. Mr. Shapiro took great interest in Robert pushing him hard. At the end of his first year Mr. Watt was asked to perform the Strauss Horn Concerto No. 1, with the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler. The following summer he received a fellowship to the Berkshire Music Festival at Tanglewood. Returning to the Conservatory for his third year Mr. Watt was informed by the president's office that the Conservatory had financial problems and that all scholarships would be canceled for the coming year. At the end of his junior year at the Conservatory Mr. Watt was informed by his French horn teacher that it was time for him to audition for a position in a major symphony orchestra. On the advice of his teacher, Mr. Watt chose Los Angeles and Chicago. When Mr. Watt returned from his audition journey, he had made the finals at both auditions. Two months later The Los Angeles Philharmonic offered him the position of Assistant First Horn. Making him the first African American French horn player hired by a major symphony orchestra in the United States. Mr. Watt joined the ranks of only a handful of African Americans playing in symphony orchestras in these United States. According to the American Symphony Orchestra League, that represented less than 2% of the total, out of twenty-six top orchestras. Mr. Watt held his position until 2007, a career spanning 37 years.  Mr. Watt performed several times as soloist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under Zubin Mehta and several orchestras in the Los Angeles area as well as the Oakland Symphony performing the Richard Strauss Second Horn Concerto While a member of the Los Angeles Philharmonic Mr. Watt has performed with principal and guest conductors that included: Leonard Bernstein, Eugene Ormandy, Eric Leinsdrof, Carla Maria Giulini, Pierre Boulez, Zubin Mehta, Henry Lewis, James De Priest, Michael Tilson Thomas, Herbert Blumstedt, Andre Previn, Marin Alsop, Esa-Pekka Salonen and Christoph Von Dohnányi. Included among the many world renown artists he has performed with were:     Yo-Yo Ma, Luciano Pavarotti, Placido Domingo, Jose Carreras, Wynton Marsalias, Henry Mancini, Gladys Night, Isaac Hayes, Quincy Jones, Stevie Wonder, Ray Charles, Barry White, Rihanna, Paula Abdul, Herbie Hancock, Lalo Schifrin, The Carpenters, Benny Carter, Quincy Jones, Bon Jovi, Elton John and film composer, John Williams. He has played on film scores of: Spiderman II, Rush Hour, Mission Impossible, Spike Lee's “Miracle at St. Anna, Golf and many others.  Mr. Watt has played the music for the Twentieth Century Fox cartoons, The Simpsons, American Dad, Family Guy and King of the Hill for the past three years. He played on the five hour TV special “The Jacksons, an American Family” under Harold Wheeler, and played for several years for the TV program “Startrek Voyager.” In the late 80's Mr. Watt helped organize an African American Brass Quintet, “The New Brass Ensemble” which performed throughout the United States and abroad.  Mr. Watt has done public speaking lecturing on music and African history in the Los Angeles area. He was hired as guest professor at Los Angele City College teaching the course, “Music of Black Americans”. Recently Mr. Watt executive produced a short film in memory of his friend Miles Davis. The film is based on the musical composition “Missing Miles” by Todd Cochran, commissioned by Mr. Watt, for French horn and piano. The short film was chosen by the Pan African Film Festival and the Garden State Film Festival.  Mr. Watt is a licensed airplane pilot with an instrument rating. He is a saber fencer and he speaks German and Italian.

Itamar Zorman is a sensational Israeli Classical Violinist. He's a Winner of the International Tchaikovsky Competition and the Borletti-Buitoni Award, and an Avery Fisher Grant. He's been called “a young badass”. He's performed with Symphony Orchestras worldwide with Conductors including Zubin Mehta and Michael Tilson-Thomas. His new project is called “Music Of the Spheres” together with the U.S. Space and Rocket Center.My featured song is called “Fire All Of Your Rockets”, an unreleased song. ---------------------------------------------The Follow Your Dream Podcast:Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries!For more information and other episodes of the podcast click here. To subscribe to the podcast click here.To subscribe to our weekly Follow Your Dream Podcast email click here.To Rate and Review the podcast click here.“Dream With Robert”. Click here.—----------------------------------------Connect with Itamar:www.itamarzorman.com__________________________ROBERT'S SINGLES:“LOVELY GIRLIE” is Robert's new single. It's a fun, Old School, rock/pop tune with 3-part harmony. It's been called “Supremely excellent!”, “Another Homerun for Robert!”, and “Love that Lovely Girlie!”Click HERE for All Links—----------------------------------“THE RICH ONES ALL STARS” is Robert's single featuring the following 8 World Class musicians: Billy Cobham (Drums), Randy Brecker (Flugelhorn), John Helliwell (Sax), Pat Coil (Piano), Peter Tiehuis (Guitar), Antonio Farao (Keys), Elliott Randall (Guitar) and David Amram (Pennywhistle).Click HERE for the Official VideoClick HERE for All Links—----------------------------------------“SOSTICE” is Robert's single with a rockin' Old School vibe. Called “Stunning!”, “A Gem!”, “Magnificent!” and “5 Stars!”.Click HERE for all links.—---------------------------------“THE GIFT” is Robert's ballad arranged by Grammy winning arranger Michael Abene and turned into a horn-driven Samba. Praised by David Amram, John Helliwell, Joe La Barbera, Tony Carey, Fay Claassen, Antonio Farao, Danny Gottlieb and Leslie Mandoki.Click HERE for all links.—-------------------------------------“LOU'S BLUES”. Robert's Jazz Fusion “Tone Poem”. Called “Fantastic! Great playing and production!” (Mark Egan - Pat Metheny Group/Elements) and “Digging it!” (Peter Erskine - Weather Report)!Click HERE for all links.—----------------------------------------“THE RICH ONES”. Robert's sublime, atmospheric Jazz Fusion tune. Featuring guest artist Randy Brecker (Blood Sweat & Tears) on flugelhorn. Click HERE for all links.—---------------------------------------Audio production:Jimmy RavenscroftKymera Films Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast:Website - www.followyourdreampodcast.comEmail Robert - robert@followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert's band, Project Grand Slam, and his music:Website - www.projectgrandslam.comYouTubeSpotify MusicApple MusicEmail - pgs@projectgrandslam.com

Ian Maksin holds a special place in the hearts of his fans worldwide,  with his unique concerts of cello and songs in over 37 languages. It was really interesting to learn about how he has forged a unique path as a solo touring performer, and he shared his insights on finding commonalities between cultures, mindfulness practice and how he stays healthy with such an intense touring schedule. You'll hear about his childhood, his need to break out of a strict classical music career, how his love of languages started and some suprises, including how he became a pilot as a teenager.  Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I've also linked the transcript to my website Ian Maksin website Gelino video Buy me a coffee? Merchandise store to support this series Newsletter sign-up I've linked some episodes to this one that you'll enjoy, with Margaret Maria Kelly Thoma Raphael Weinroth-Browne Colin Aguiar Bad Snacks Dorothy Lawson Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:23)Ian's touring (05:55) Ian's childhood, Georgian culture (13:45) singing in 37 languages, favourite song Gelino (15:38) “Gelina” Georgian song (video link in show notes) (20:44) Georgian food Shkmeruli, Phkali, sulguni (24:41) Ian's love of languages, his dad's wedding band (29:58) Ian's albums and influences (35:48) excerpt from Amor Renatus (link in show notes) (38:42) music for peace and raising money to help Ukrainian refugees (42:16) other episodes linked to this one and ways to help this series (43:09) classical music education, and decision to follow a different path (44:52) mentors Suren Bagratuni, Michael Tilson Thomas (47:05) finding his musical voice, commonalities between traditional music worldwide (52:37) using pedals (55:58) how the internet has helped his career (01:02:29) Airplane Home, Ian's love of aviation and how he became a pilot (01:09:36) social media marketing, finding your relevant audience (01:14:07) staying healthy mentally and physically (01:21:58) memorization

M

Ben Jones is an award-winning singer, comedian, storyteller and actor who has appeared in front of audiences worldwide. He's shared the spotlight with the likes of Rita Moreno, Michael Tilson Thomas, Frederica von Stade, Nathan Gunn, Isabel Leonard, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Morgan, Val Diamond and the Bang on a Can All-Stars. Ben's versatile voice has been featured on recordings on the Albany, Naxos and Delos labels, on A Prairie Home Companion, on the soundtracks for the best-selling video game franchises Halo and Civilization, and on commercials for Coors Light and Meow Mix. Ben made his Carnegie Hall debut virtually in 2021, performing a selection from Greg Pliska and Charles Moorey's new Musical A Most Dangerous Man in Carnegie Hall's Voices of Hope festival. He was most recently seen in Off-Broadway productions of Twist of Fate and Brooklyn's Bridge at The York Theatre. Ben received the Bay Area Theatre Critics Circle Award for Best Performance in a Musical for his portrayal of Sid Sorokin in The Pajama Game. Two of his solo shows–I Think I'm in Love and I Think We Should See Other People–were featured in BroadwayWorld's Best of 2022.

durée : 01:28:36 - En pistes ! du mercredi 25 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Coiffez-vous de votre plus beau bonnet rouge et blanc ! En pistes fête Noël avec la musique Schubert, Zelenka, un opéra espagnol à redécouvrir et les enregistrements légendaires de Michael Tilson Thomas - réalisé par : Philippe Petit

durée : 01:28:36 - En pistes ! du mercredi 25 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Coiffez-vous de votre plus beau bonnet rouge et blanc ! En pistes fête Noël avec la musique Schubert, Zelenka, un opéra espagnol à redécouvrir et les enregistrements légendaires de Michael Tilson Thomas - réalisé par : Philippe Petit

durée : 01:28:43 - En pistes ! du mardi 24 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Un réveillon avec Tchaïkovski dirigé par Santtu-Matias Rouvali, mais aussi les coups de coeur de l'année 2024 et toujours les meilleurs enregistrements de Michael Tilson Thomas - réalisé par : Philippe Petit

durée : 01:28:43 - En pistes ! du mardi 24 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Un réveillon avec Tchaïkovski dirigé par Santtu-Matias Rouvali, mais aussi les coups de coeur de l'année 2024 et toujours les meilleurs enregistrements de Michael Tilson Thomas - réalisé par : Philippe Petit

durée : 01:27:32 - En pistes ! du lundi 23 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Au programme de cette semaine, l'anniversaire du chef Michael Tilson Thomas, retour sur une carrière exceptionnelle ! Mais aussi le pianiste Jorge Bolet, la musique de Hjalmar Borgstrøm ou l'album Mozart de Ran Jia

durée : 01:27:32 - En pistes ! du lundi 23 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera, Rodolphe Bruneau Boulmier - Au programme de cette semaine, l'anniversaire du chef Michael Tilson Thomas, retour sur une carrière exceptionnelle ! Mais aussi le pianiste Jorge Bolet, la musique de Hjalmar Borgstrøm ou l'album Mozart de Ran Jia

durée : 00:15:08 - Grace : The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas - Une collection complète et de luxe en l'honneur de cinq décennies d'accomplissement en matière de composition de Michael Tilson Thomas.

durée : 00:43:58 - En pistes, contemporains ! du dimanche 22 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera - Michael Tilson Thomas, chef américain, compositeur, fête ses 80 ans ce weekend, de quoi mettre à l'honneur l'homme qui, sur les pas de Bernstein, a bouleversé la musique américaine. - réalisé par : Céline Parfenoff

durée : 00:10:02 - Coptic Light : Feldman - Michael Tilson Thomas - L'écoute de Coptic Light de Morton Feldman est une entreprise puissante ; il s'agit d'une composition pleine de tension, où des vagues de sonorités orchestrales entrent et sortent à un rythme glacial (et avec puissance).

durée : 00:43:58 - En pistes, contemporains ! du dimanche 22 décembre 2024 - par : Emilie Munera - Michael Tilson Thomas, chef américain, compositeur, fête ses 80 ans ce weekend, de quoi mettre à l'honneur l'homme qui, sur les pas de Bernstein, a bouleversé la musique américaine. - réalisé par : Céline Parfenoff

durée : 00:10:02 - Coptic Light : Feldman - Michael Tilson Thomas - L'écoute de Coptic Light de Morton Feldman est une entreprise puissante ; il s'agit d'une composition pleine de tension, où des vagues de sonorités orchestrales entrent et sortent à un rythme glacial (et avec puissance).

durée : 00:15:08 - Grace : The Music of Michael Tilson Thomas - Une collection complète et de luxe en l'honneur de cinq décennies d'accomplissement en matière de composition de Michael Tilson Thomas.

Ojai Talk of the Town welcomes Tom Morris, a titan of the classical music world, for a deep dive into his extraordinary memoir, Always the Music: How a Lifelong Passion Framed a Future for Orchestras." With decades of leadership at the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Cleveland Orchestra, Tom shaped the future of two of America's most revered symphonies. As artistic director of the Ojai Music Festival for 16 years, he brought bold programming and visionary collaborations to the forefront of contemporary music. In Always the Music, Tom shares behind-the-scenes stories of his friendships with legends like Pierre Boulez, Arthur Fiedler, and John Williams and Michael Tilson Thomas on iconic tours, his memoir brims with insights into the artistry, genius, and grit behind world-class symphonies and public arts organizations. Much more than a memoir, Tom's book contains insights and action plans for orchestras and arts organizations to refocus on providing transcendent experiences, to build audiences and connect communities through the transformative power of art. Join us as Tom reflects on his transformative career, the enduring power of live performance, and the lessons he's learned about music's role in connecting us all. Don't miss this candid and inspiring conversation with a master of his craft! We did not talk about John McPhee's meditation on shad runs in the Delaware River, Josh Allen's chances of winning an MVP or the opening of the El Roblar Hotel. Check out more about Tom at https://www.ojaifestival.org/about/leadership/thomas-w-morris-artistic-director/

As an active orchestral harpist, soloist, accompanist, teacher, reiki master and sound healer, with over 25 years experience, I enjoy every opportunity to share this sacred craft. Providing unique customized music of all genres for special occasions, individualized harp lessons, and Reiki-infused sound healings are especially gratifying for me as I experience a sense of shared joy with others. Orchestral experience spans over 20 years, having had the honor of performing under conductors such as Sir Simon Rattle, Michael Tilson Thomas, Edwin Outwater, and Charles Dutoit.Have had the privilege of accompanying singers, instrumentalists, and fellow harpists for various weddings, sound healing, chamber music recitals and concerts. Serves as the current President of our Phoenix Chapter of the American Harp Society. A happy participant/performer in several larger musical organizations as harp needs arise.Completed Usui Reiki training during covid, and have continued to pioneer utilizing harp in healing arts.I am a graduate of Arizona State University, San Francisco Conservatory of Music and Interlochen Arts Academy.https://www.eqharp.comhttps://www.instagram.com/eqharp/?hl=en

The 2023/24 season marked Chad Goodman's inaugural year as music director of the Elgin Symphony Orchestra—only the fifth leader in the orchestra's prestigious seven-decade history. Chad also serves as artistic director of IlluminArts, Miami's art song and chamber music concert series.  He curates site-specific classical music programs in collaboration with the leading museums, art galleries, and historic venues of Miami. From 2019 to 2023, he was the Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony, where he was the assistant conductor to Michael Tilson Thomas. In addition to leading the orchestra in more than fifty performances, Chad created the educational program “SPARK: How Composers Find Inspiration,” which blended engaging audience participation with captivating light design and videography.He has served as an assistant conductor to the San Francisco Symphony, working alongside Michael Tilson Thomas, Esa-Pekka Salonen, Manfred Honeck, Daniel Harding, Elim Chan, Simone Young, and James Gaffigan, among others.As you will hear, Chad also leads workshops that teach young musicians the business skills needed to navigate successfully the music world. Forbes praised his bold strides both on and off stage and hailed him as “An entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music.” Last year, he published the book, You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?

Since 1988, Joshua Kosman has been the leading critical voice on classical music in the Bay Area, covering everything from blockbuster Yo-Yo Ma concerts and Opera at the Ballpark to week-long Wagner cycles and contemporary music that only a mother (or a true connoisseur) could love. In his decades holding major institutions accountable and championing the offbeat, he's helped the Bay Area hear better, his lively prose inviting classical greenhorns and the cognoscenti alike to remember how much they love music or to love it more still.On April 30, Kosman will flip his critic's notebook closed for the final time, retiring from the newspaper at a crucial juncture for classical music in the Bay Area. His recent coverage of Esa-Pekka Salonen's planned departure from the San Francisco Symphony, as well as the San Francisco Opera's truncated offerings next year, has been essential reading for anyone with a stake in the cultural life of our city.Before he goes, Kosman will sit down with Chronicle Theater Critic Lily Janiak to share tales from his distinguished career. Join us for Chronicle Live at Manny's at 5:30 p.m. on April 30 for a retirement celebration and conversation.You'll hear how someone trains his ear enough to be a classical music critic and what it's like to cover Michael Tilson Thomas' every waking move, as well as Kosman's most memorable concerts and how he views the role of a critic. It will also be your last chance to pepper Kosman with questions before he leaves the Chronicle for a well-earned retirement doing crossword puzzles, making dad jokes and the occasional viral pun, and re-reading the complete works of Anthony Trollope. (Depending on how loosened up he's feeling on his last day, attendees might get some feisty opinions about EPS vs. SFS.) 

Karen Birch Blundell is a New York City based performer and teaching artist. She is English horn of the Northeastern Pennsylvania Philharmonic and the Associate Principal Oboe/English horn of the Eastern Music Festival. She performs with ensembles throughout the Northeast including; the American Symphony Orchestra, Albany Symphony, Hartford Symphony, New Jersey Festival Orchestra, Norwalk Symphony and Springfield Symphony Orchestra.​Prior to her time in NY, Karen was Second Oboe/English horn with the Sarasota Orchestra. While in Florida, she regularly performed with neighboring orchestras including the Florida Orchestra and the Naples Philharmonic. She has been a guest musician with The Houston Symphony, The Houston Ballet Orchestra and the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. Beyond the Classical realm, Karen has toured the US with the New Sousa Band and performed with mega stars including Bernadette Peters, Idina Menzel, Mannheim Steamroller and The Who.Karen holds a Bachelor of Music from Oberlin Conservatory where she studied with James Caldwell. She completed her Master of Music at the Hartt School of Music with Humbert Lucarelli. She also studied with Robert Atherholt, Alex Klein and John Mack. She also held a fellowship at the New World Symphony under the direction of Michael Tilson Thomas. To learn more about Karen, and follow her journey, visit the link https://www.karenbirchblundell.com/ Visit the Self-Care Institute at https://www.selfcareinstitute.com/ Support the showVisit www.creativepeacemeal.com to leave a review, fan voicemail, and more!Insta @creative_peacemeal_podcastFB @creativepeacemealpodBonfire https://www.bonfire.com/store/creative-peacemeal/Redbubble CPPodcast.redbubble.comCreative Peacemeal READING list here Donate to AhHa!Broadway here! Donate Dachshund Rescue of Houston here Interested in the Self-Care Institute with Dr. Ami Kunimura? Click here Interested in Corrie Legge's content planner? Click here to order! Looking for custom orthotics? Foot and Shoe Solutions is your answer. Click here for more.

SynopsisOn today's date in 1943, at the height of World War II, Aaron Copland's Fanfare for the Common Man had its premiere performance in Cincinnati. The Cincinnati Symphony's conductor in those days, British-born Eugene Goosens, had commissioned 18 fanfares for brass and percussion. “It is my idea,” he wrote, “to make these fanfares stirring and significant contributions to the war effort.”Besides Copland, composers commissioned included Henry Cowell, Paul Creston, Morton Gould, Howard Hanson, William Grant Still and Virgil Thomson.Most of the composers dedicated their fanfares to a unit of the U.S. military or one of its wartime allies. But Copland's fanfare stood out, both musically and by virtue of its title.Among the titles Copland considered — and rejected — were Fanfare for the Spirit of Democracy and Fanfare for Four Freedoms, the latter in reference to President Franklin Roosevelt's 1941 State of the Union Address that called for the freedom of speech and religion, and from want and fear. He settled on Fanfare for the Common Man.“It was the common man, after all, who was doing all the dirty work in the war and the army,” Copland recalled. “He deserved a fanfare.”Music Played in Today's ProgramAaron Copland (1900-1990): ‘Fanfare for the Common Man'; San Francisco Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA/BMG 63888

  This episode of The Other Side of the Bell, featuring trumpeter and composer Anthony Plog, is brought to you by Bob Reeves Brass. Come visit John and the Bob Reeves crew at the National Trumpet Competition, March 8-11th! Anthony Plog has had a rich and varied international career in music—as a composer of operas, symphonic music, and chamber works; as an orchestral musician, soloist, and recording artist; and as a brass teacher and coach at some of the great music conservatories internationally and now online to students around the world. Composer The music of Anthony Plog has been performed in over 30 countries, and he has been the recipient of numerous grants and commissions. After beginning his career writing extensively for brass, he now works in many different musical forms. He has composed three children's operas, the first of which (How the Trumpet Got Its Toot) was premiered by the Utah Opera and Symphony. He completed a major tragic opera (Spirits) based on a Holocaust theme and recently finished a new opera about a drone operator suffering a nervous breakdown (The Sacrifice). Other new works include an oratorio about the first major environmental battle in the United States (God's First Temples), in versions for orchestra, symphonic band, and soprano song cycle; and a cantata using the stories of women who have recovered from sex trafficking, prostitution, and drug abuse (Magdalene). Musician Anthony Plog began studying music at the age of 10, and by 19 he was playing extra trumpet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic under conductors such as Zubin Mehta, James Levine, Michael Tilson Thomas, and Claudio Abbado. He has held positions with orchestras around the world, including the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra, the Malmo Symphony, and the Basel Symphony, and has performed on tour with the Stockholm Royal Philharmonic Orchestra and Buenos Aires Symphony. As a soloist he has toured throughout the United States, Europe, Australia, and Japan, and has numerous solo recordings to his credit. Brass Teacher and Coach Anthony Plog has taught at some of the greatest music institutions around the world, including the University of Southern California, the Music Academy of the West, and Indiana University (U.S.), as well as the Schola Cantorum (Basel, Switzerland), the Malmo Music Academy (Sweden), the Academia di Santa Cecilia (Rome, Italy), the Norwegian Music Academy, and the Freiburg Musik Hochschule (Germany). His experience teaching in a wide variety of musical cultures, in addition to his work as a composer and former player, allows him to approach teaching and coaching with a unique and fresh perspective. His Plog Program, published by Balquhidder Music, is a seven-volume method book that has been a valuable addition to trumpet methodology. His new online teaching and coaching program is creating a new paradigm for international teaching. The program allows students worldwide to study with Anthony Plog and is available to players at all levels. Besides working individually with students on every brass instrument, he coaches chamber music groups, larger brass sections and ensembles, and wind ensembles, and he guides composers in writing for brass instruments. Anthony Plog lives and works in Freiburg, Germany.

I speak about Charles Ives with the great Ives connoisseur Thomas Brodhead, whom I got to know when we worked on Ives' Fourth Symphony with the Concertgebouw Orchestra back in 2012. Ives is such a fascinating composer and has been a constant inspiration in my life as a musician. At the moment, I'm preparing his piece Three Places in New England, which I get to conduct for the first time.    Links to the pieces:    Charles Ives: Country Band March  President's Own United States Marine Band https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=avowzDI8uR0   Charles Ives (orch. T. Grahl, 2021): Walt Whitman - (1921) from 114 Songs Klangforum Wien, Thomas Hampson, Bas Wiegers  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IqnO8dJJPYs   Charles Ives: Fourth Symphony  Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra, Peter Eötvös, Bas Wiegers, Ralph van Raat Private recording    Charles Ives: March No. 6 for Piano, with Here's to Good Old Yale Charles Ives, piano  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=DMW0r_ZxFm8&list=OLAK5uy_lE6Eb6U39_HOe_juxz9dJukRFRewUz3xs&index=41   Charles Ives: Three Places In New England - 1. The "St. Gaudens" In Boston Common Boston Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=AhbutHpwEh8   Charles Ives: They Are There!, second take Charles Ives, piano  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Az0iNeRvNts&list=OLAK5uy_lE6Eb6U39_HOe_juxz9dJukRFRewUz3xs&index=39   Charles Ives: Four Transcriptions from Emerson: No. 1 (beg.) Charles Ives, piano https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3c8lNFR5xWw&list=OLAK5uy_lE6Eb6U39_HOe_juxz9dJukRFRewUz3xs&index=1   Charles Ives: Three Places In New England - 2. Putnam's Camp, Redding, Connecticut Boston Symphony Orchestra, Michael Tilson Thomas  https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=H-Ytm0l0FTU   Charles Ives: The Unanswered Question  Ricciotti Ensemble, Leonard van Goudoever Private Recording    

SynopsisLate in 1941, Russian composer Igor Stravinsky was living in Hollywood — at 1260 N. Wetherly Drive, to be precise.Notoriously unflappable, and eminently practical when it came to commissions, Stravinsky apparently did not even bat an eye when he received a phone call from choreographer Georges Balanchine with an offer from Barnum's Circus to write a short musical work for a ballet involving elephants. Again, to be precise, for Barnum's star elephant ballerina, Modoc, who would be accompanied by 50 other elephants and dancers, all in tutus.“For what?” Stravinsky said.“For elephants,” Balanchine said.“How many?” Stravinsky countered.“A lot,” Balanchine replied.“How old?” Stravinsky asked.“Young,” Balanchine assured.”Well, if they're young, I accept,” Stravinsky concluded.Stravinsky's work, Circus Polka, had its debut at Madison Square Garden in New York by the Barnum Circus and was performed by what Stravinsky once called Barnum's “respectable quadrupeds” some 400 times. Stravinsky then arranged his Circus Polka for symphony orchestra and conducted the premiere of that version (minus the elephants) with the Boston Symphony in Cambridge, Massachusetts, on today's date in 1944.Music Played in Today's ProgramIgor Stravinsky (1882-1971) Circus Polka; London Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA 68865

Andreas Neubronner is a record producer and engineer who has won 8 Grammy awards. He has recorded great orchestras around the world and is known for his recordings of the Mahler Symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, his work with Baroque and Renaissance ensembles, and piano soloists Murray Perahia and Igor Levit.Andreas begins Part 1 talking about how he first came to work with Michael Tilson Thomas in London and his recordings of the Mahler cycle with the San Francisco Symphony. Using those sessions, Andreas gives an overview of how recordings are made, from the initial shipping of equipment and set-up, how live concerts are recorded, what a patch session is and how they're run (...and how much money each minute of the session costs!) Andreas also mentions some background of recording tech specifics, including how the human mind perceives stereo sound (and the difficulty of implementing 5.1 surround sound in an orchestral setting.) We end Part 1 with a discussion of Baroque music, and how performance practice has changed over the last 30-40 years.Dorico Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today!Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase, I may receive a commission at no extra cost to you.Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, and a place to continue the conversations with other listeners? Visit anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com to learn more! As a Contributing Listener of "Anthony Plog on Music," you'll have access to extra premium content and benefits including: Extra Audio Content: Only available to Contributing Listeners. Podcast Reflections: Tony's written recaps and thoughts on past interviews, including valuable tips and suggestions for students. Ask Me Anything: Both as written messages and occasional member-only Zoom sessions. The Show's Discord Server: Where conversations about interviews, show suggestions, and questions happen. It's a great place to meet other listeners and chat about all things music! Can I just donate instead of subscribing? Absolutely! Cancel at anytime and easily resubscribe when you want all that extra content again. Learn more about becoming a Contributing Listener @ anthonyplog-on-music.supercast.com!

Esa-Pekka Salonen took over the helm of the San Francisco Symphony in 2020 from Michael Tilson Thomas. Both men have had a major impact on symphonic music in California, and Salonen is one of the three guiding figures – with the LA Phil's Gustavo Dudamel and the San Diego Symphony's Rafael Payare – behind the California Festival, a statewide celebration of music that launched in November. James Jolly spoke to Salonen at Davies Symphony Hall in San Francisco following an afternoon concert, as part of the California Festival, in November.

Michael Tilson Thomas lends his fresh insights to a compelling Austro-Germanic program. It includes Mozart's whirling Six German Dances as well as his expressive and intimate Piano Concerto No. 23, which features Orion Weiss, acclaimed for his “limpid touch, clean runs and purling legato phrasing” (Chicago Tribune). Schoenberg's lavishly imaginative orchestration of Brahms' Piano Quartet No. 1 completes the program. Learn more: cso.org/performances/23-24/cso-classical/mtt-conducts-mozart

SynopsisOn today's date in 1949, at Carnegie Hall, Leopold Stokowski conducted the New York Philharmonic in the first performance of the last major work of American composer Carl Ruggles.In a letter to his friend Charles Ives, or “Charlie” as he called him, Ruggles hinted that in this piece, he was perhaps, "stumbling on something new.” Another composer-friend, Edgard Varèse, agreed, but wrote: “The use [of intervals of] 5ths and 4ths is very remarkable, because that was done hundreds of years ago — let's call it Organum.” And so Organum, a word referring to an early medieval polyphony, became the title of Ruggles' final orchestral piece.After that, Ruggles, then already 73, pretty much gave up on the musical establishment and devoted himself to painting. In 1966, he moved to a nursing home, where he died in 1971 at 95.Shortly before his death, Ruggles was visited by Michael Tilson Thomas, who recalls the feisty old man saying, “Now don't go feeling sorry [for me]. I don't hang around this place, you know. Hell, each day I go out and make the universe anew — all over!”Music Played in Today's ProgramCarl Ruggles (1876-1971) Organum; Japan Philharmonic; Akeo Watanabe, cond. CRI 715

SynopsisOn today's date in 1994, Dennis Russell Davies conducted the Chicago Symphony in the premiere performance of a 23-minute orchestral work by American composer Steven Mackey. The new piece was titled Eating Greens, after a painting of the same name that the composer purchased at an African art store in the French Quarter of New Orleans.Mackey's Eating Greens is a colorful orchestral suite of seven movements. The fourth movement is only 46 seconds long and is playfully labeled “The Title Is Almost as Long as the Piece Itself.” Other movements' titles acknowledge the influence of the colorful and playful visual artist Henri Matisse and the quirky but brilliant jazz composer and pianist Thelonious Monk.In the liner notes for the recording of Eating Greens, conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, Mackey writes, “On more than one occasion, Michael has used the word ‘wacky' to describe my music. Composers usually blanch at such attributions — nobody wants to be captured in a single word — but I can live with ‘wacky.' It is not a common adjective, does not end with ‘ism' and clearly the rhyme with my last name personalizes it.”Music Played in Today's ProgramSteven Mackey (b. 1956) Eating Greens - New World Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond. RCA/BMG 63826

MÅNADENS DIKTARE (OKTOBER) UPPLÄSNING: Emil Almén Stig Dagerman publicerade aldrig någon diktsamling, men poesin var alltid en pulsåder i hans skrivande, ända från tonåren och fram till hans död endast 31 år gammal. Bland de tidigaste dikterna – tryckta i Södra latins skoltidning, på tidningen Arbetarens ungdomssida och i Syndikalistiska ungdomsförbundets månadstidning Storm – hittar man både Nils Ferlin-smäktande toner och uppfordrande krigskommentarer. Redan som 18-åring var Dagerman sommarvikarie på Arbetaren, och inte många är därefter blev han dess kulturredaktör. I Arbetaren publicerade Stig Dagerman under åren 1944-1954 sammanlagt omkring 1350 dagsverser. Till en början skrevs de under signaturen Qroll och rubriken ”Nidvisan”. 1952 bytte den poetiska dagskommentaren namn och blev ”Dagermans dagsedel”. Han var känd för att skriva dem förbluffande snabbt, och även när skrivkrampen satte in var han förmögen att producera sina dagliga bitskheter. Också en stor del av Dagermans övriga poesi var tillfällighetsvers och beställningsdikter. Hans största poetiska satsning var den sexdelade svårmodsdrypande kärleksdikten ”Birgitta svit” (publicerad i tidskriften Prisma 1950), som kom till medan han med svårighet försökte fullborda romanen ”Bröllopsbesvär”.Det sista Stig Dagerman skrev blev dagsedeln ”Varning för hunden!”. Han lämnade in dikten till Arbetarens redaktion dagen före självmordet. Den publicerades den 5 november 1954, samma dag som beskedet om hans död kom.DIKT: ”Varning för hunden!” av Stig DagermanDIKTSAMLING: Dagsedlar (Norstedts, 2017). Stig Dagermans sista dikt, publicerades 5/11 1954.MUSIK: Kurt Weill: Tango-ballade ur Kleine DreigroschenmusikEXEKUTÖR: Blåsare ur Londons symfoniorkester, Michael Tilson Thomas, dirigent

Jess Gillam and violinist Sumina Studer swap some of their favourite music. As well as picking up prizes for her playing in the Berliner International Music Competition and the Verbier Festival amongst others, and performing with various orchestras across the world, Sumina still finds the time to make hugely popular videos for social media where she demystifies the violin to try and bring classical music to the biggest possible audience. She brought along to the studio the incredible voice of Millie Jackson, one of Ravel's most beautiful pieces for piano and something nostalgic from the soundtrack to the anime Kiki's Delivery Service. Meanwhile Jess chose some banjo virtuosity by Bela Fleck, a homage to Piazzolla by violinist Gidon Kremer and an elegy by Yoshimatsu. Playlist: JOE HISAISHI: A Town with an Ocean View PIAZZOLLA: Soledad [Gidon Kremer (violin)] RAVEL: Piano Concerto in G – 2nd mvt Adagio [Martha Argerich (piano), Berlin Philharmonic, Claudio Abbado (conductor)] MILLIE JACKSON: If You're Not Back in Love by Monday BELA FLECK/EDGAR MEYER: The B Tune [Béla Fleck (banjo), Zakir Hussain (table), Edgar Meyer (double bass)] TAKASHI YOSHIMATSU: And Birds are Still…. Op.72 [Manchester Camerata, Sachio Fujioka (conductor)] COPLAND: Symphony No. 3 – 4th mvt [San Francisco Symphony, Michael Tilson Thomas (conductor)]

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Today's episode is the second half of my conversation with a long-time friend, Kevin Fitzgerald, current Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony.Last week we spoke about preparing for job applications and auditions, and today we will continue the conversation and hear all the behind the scene stories of navigating the business.As 2021 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow and four-time recipient of Career Assistance Grants from The Solti Foundation U.S., Kevin Fitzgerald is at the forefront of the next generation of conductors. Recently, Kevin was invited as one of the twenty conductors to participate live in the 2023 Mahler Competition with the Bamberg Symphony.In addition to his post as Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Fitzgerald has recently guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. In his commitment to uplifting communities through music, Fitzgerald conducted Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2017 with musicians from the Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids Symphonies to raise over $10,000 for the International Rescue Committee and Freedom House Detroit. In 2016, he also co-organized and conducted an impromptu performance called “Requiem for Orlando,” which featured over 400 volunteer musicians in a dedicated performance for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.Since then, he has participated in masterclasses with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Andris Nelsons and Alan Gilbert at Tanglewood among many others. Kevin is based in Raleigh, NC, with his husband, violist Kurt Tseng, and their two dogs Bennie and Chipper. Kevin also teaches and coaches conductors privately online and in person.All About Chaowen Ting & The Conductor's Podcast (Website)

In today's episode, you will hear the first half of my conversation with a long-time friend, Kevin Fitzgerald, current Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony. We went way back to my years at the Eastman School of Music, and it's such a pleasure to speak with him on the topic of preparing for job applications and auditions.As 2021 Tanglewood Music Center Conducting Fellow and four-time recipient of Career Assistance Grants from The Solti Foundation U.S., Kevin Fitzgerald is at the forefront of the next generation of conductors. Recently, Kevin was invited as one of the twenty conductors to participate live in the 2023 Mahler Competition with the Bamberg Symphony.In addition to his post as Associate Conductor of the Jacksonville Symphony, Fitzgerald has recently guest conducted the Rochester Philharmonic, North Carolina Symphony and the Chamber Orchestra of Pittsburgh. In his commitment to uplifting communities through music, Fitzgerald conducted Beethoven's Ninth Symphony in 2017 with musicians from the Detroit, Lansing and Grand Rapids Symphonies to raise over $10,000 for the International Rescue Committee and Freedom House Detroit. In 2016, he also co-organized and conducted an impromptu performance called “Requiem for Orlando,” which featured over 400 volunteer musicians in a dedicated performance for victims of the Pulse Nightclub shooting in Orlando, Florida.Since then, he has participated in masterclasses with Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Andris Nelsons and Alan Gilbert at Tanglewood among many others. Kevin is based in Raleigh, NC, with his husband, violist Kurt Tseng, and their two dogs Bennie and Chipper. Kevin also teaches and coaches conductors privately online and in person.All About Chaowen Ting & The Conductor's Podcast (Website)

Abraham Josue Bonilla, a Latin-American cellist, has appeared in recitals and concerts throughout the US, Latin America, Europe, and South America.  A recent graduate of the Eastman School of Music and a recipient of an Artist's Diploma from the University of Miami's Frost School of Music, Abraham has led sections and soloed under the batons of Michael Tilson Thomas, Gerard Schwarz, Keith Lockhart, David Zinmann, Joshua Gershen, Keith Lockhart, and others. He has collaborated with artists such as Joshua Bell, Yo-Yo Ma, Sarah Chang, and Noah Bendix-Balgley. --- Send in a voice message: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlpaoli/message Support this podcast: https://podcasters.spotify.com/pod/show/carlpaoli/support

Yuja Wang gives a dazzling solo performance in the world premiere recording of a major new work specially written for her by her friend Teddy Abrams. Although originally conceived as a short companion composition to Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue, Abrams' Piano Concerto blossomed to become a 35-minute standalone showpiece. Celebrating the richness of America's musical culture and the sheer depth and breadth of Yuja Wang's virtuosity, the work now features on Yuja Wang · The American Project. Also included on the album is You Come Here Often?, created for the star pianist by another close friend, Michael Tilson Thomas. Classical Music Discoveries is sponsored by Uber and Apple Classical. @CMDHedgecock#ClassicalMusicDiscoveries #KeepClassicalMusicAlive#LaMusicaFestival #CMDGrandOperaCompanyofVenice #CMDParisPhilharmonicinOrléans#CMDGermanOperaCompanyofBerlin#CMDGrandOperaCompanyofBarcelonaSpain#ClassicalMusicLivesOn#Uber Please consider supporting our show, thank you!Donate (classicalmusicdiscoveries.store) staff@classicalmusicdiscoveries.comThis album is broadcasted with the permission of Crossover Media Music Promotion (Zachary Swanson and Amanda Bloom).

In this episode, podcast host Sarah Willis welcomes pianist Yuja Wang. Join them for a lively and fun conversation to find out more about Yuja's new album "The American Project“, playing boogie woogie and jazz and also about her friendship with conductor and composer Michael Tilson Thomas.

"It's not about only 'what do you hear,' it's about how you hear. What is the color of the sound you hear? What do you hear in the vocal mechanism? What are some of the things that they are doing that maybe are reflected in my conducting? Is my conducting reflective of the music? Is my conducting causing the issues?"Jo-Michael Scheibe, a Southern California native, has spent years cultivating his passion for choral music and higher education. Mike, currently retired, recently chaired the Thornton School of Music's Department of Choral and Sacred Music at the University of Southern California, where he conducted the USC Chamber Singers, taught choral conducting and choral methods, and supervised the graduate and undergraduate choral program. Before his time at USC, he spent fifteen years in Miami directing Choral Studies at University of Miami's Frost School of Music.Dr. Scheibe has prepared many choruses at USC and around the world. These include works with Sir Colin Davis and the London Symphony Orchestra, Helmuth Rilling, Michael Tilson Thomas and the New World Symphony, Franz Welser-Möst and the Cleveland Orchestra, and the Formosa Singers in Taiwan. Under his leadership, ensembles have performed at National ACDA Conventions and National Conventions of the Music Educators National Conference. Walton, Albany, Colla Voce Music, and Naxos publish recordings of Scheibe's ensembles.Dr. Scheibe received his B.A. and M.M. degrees from California State University at Long Beach and D.M.A. from USC.A champion of contemporary music, Scheibe regularly commissions and performs new works of choral literature. He has helped to launch careers of promising young composers and to promote music by international composers largely unknown in the United States. Music publishers Walton, Colla Voce Music and Santa Barbara distribute the Jo-Michael Scheibe Choral Series internationally. Composers in his series include Eric Whitacre, Susan LaBarr, Stacey V. Gibbs, David Dickau, and many others.To get in touch with Mike, you can find him on Facebook (@drjomichaelscheibe) or send him an email at jscheibe@usc.edu.Choir Fam wants to hear from you! Check out the Minisode Intro episode from September 16, 2022, to hear how to share your story with us. Email choirfampodcast@gmail.com to contact our hosts.Podcast music from Podcast.coPhoto in episode artwork by Trace Hudson from Pexels

Season 3 focuses on Mahler's Third Symphony in D minor (1895-1896), exploring Mahler's unique perspective on the different orders of being, from lifeless matter to highest consciousness. Each episode is devoted to a movement of the symphony. Guests include conductors Kent Nagano and Michael Tilson Thomas; principal musicians of the New York Philharmonic, the Berlin Philharmonic, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, the Los Angeles Philharmonic, and the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra of Amsterdam; scholars from New York City and St. Louis in the United States, Oxford, England and Athens, Greece; and featuring James Lurie as the voice of Gustav Mahler, with Paul Hecht as the voice of Friedrich Nietzsche.

Heralded as "[one] of the most powerful voices of our time" by the Los Angeles Times, bass-baritone Davóne Tines has come to international attention as a path-breaking artist whose work not only encompasses a diverse repertoire but also explores the social issues of today. As a Black, gay, classically trained performer at the intersection of many histories, cultures, and aesthetics, Tines is engaged in work that blends opera, art song, contemporary classical music, spirituals, gospel, and songs of protest, as a means to tell a deeply personal story of perseverance that connects to all of humanity. Davóne Tines is Musical America's 2022 Vocalist of the Year. During the 2022-23 season, he continues his role as the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale's first-ever Creative Partner and, beginning in January 2023, he will serve as Brooklyn Academy of Music's first Artist in Residence in more than a decade. In addition to strategic planning, programming, and working within the community, this season Tines curates the “Artist as Human” program, exploring how each artist's subjectivity—be it their race, gender, sexuality, etc.—informs performance, and how these perspectives develop throughout their repertoire. In the fall of 2022, Tines makes a number of important debuts at prominent New York institutions, including the Park Avenue Armory, New York Philharmonic, BAM, and Carnegie Hall, continuing to establish a strong presence in the city's classical scene. He opens his season with the New York premiere of Tyshawn Sorey's Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) at the Park Avenue Armory, also doubling as Tines' Armory debut. Inspired by one of Sorey's most important influences, Morton Feldman and his work Rothko Chapel, Monochromatic Light (Afterlife) takes after Feldman's focus on expansive textures and enveloping sounds, aiming to create an all-immersive experience. Tine's solo part was written specifically for him by Sorey, marking a third collaboration between the pair; Sorey previously created arrangements for Tines' Recital No. 1: MASS and Concerto No. 2: ANTHEM. Peter Sellars directs, with whom Davóne collaborated in John Adam's opera Girls of the Golden West and Kaija Saariaho's Only the Sound Remains. Tines' engagements continue with Everything Rises, an original, evening length staged musical work he created with violinist Jennifer Koh, premiering in New York as part of the Brooklyn Academy of Music's Next Wave Festival. Everything Rises tells the story of Tines' and Koh's artistic journeys and family histories through music, projections, and recorded interviews. As a platform, it also centers the need for artists of color to be seen and heard. Everything Rises premiered in Santa Barbara and Los Angeles in April 2022, with the LA Times commenting, “Koh and Tines' stories have made them what they are, but their art needs to be—and is—great enough to tell us who they are.” This season also has Tines making his New York Philharmonic debut performing in Beethoven's Symphony No. 9, led by Jaap van Zweden. Tines returns to the New York Philharmonic in the spring to sing the Vox Christi in Bach's St. Matthew Passion, also under van Zweden. Tines is a musician who takes full agency of his work, devising performances from conception to performance. His Recital No. 1: MASS program reflects this ethos, combining traditional music with pieces by J.S. Bach, Margaret Bonds, Moses Hogan, Julius Eastman, Caroline Shaw, Tyshawn Sorey, and Tines. This season, he makes his Carnegie Hall recital debut performing MASS at Weill Hall, and later brings the program to the McCarter Theatre in Princeton, Baltimore's Shriver Hall, for the Philadelphia Chamber Music Society, and as part of Boston's Celebrity Series. Concerto No. 1: SERMON is a similar artistic endeavor, combining pieces including John Adams' El Niño; Vigil, written by Tines and Igée Dieudonné with orchestration by Matthew Aucoin; “You Want the Truth, but You Don't Want to Know,” from Anthony Davis' X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X; and poems from Langston Hughes, James Baldwin, and Maya Angelou into a concert performance. In May 2021, Tines performed Concerto No. 1: SERMON with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and the Philadelphia Orchestra, and with the BBC Symphony Orchestra. He recently premiered Concerto No. 2: ANTHEM—created by Tines with music by Michael Schachter, Caroline Shaw, Tyshawn Sorey, and text by Mahogany L. Browne—with the Los Angeles Philharmonic at the Hollywood Bowl. Also this season, Tines performs in El Niño with the Cleveland Orchestra, conducted by composer John Adams; a concert performance of Adams' Girls of the Golden West with the Los Angeles Philharmonic also led by Adams; and a chamber music recital with the New World Symphony.Going beyond the concert hall, Davóne Tines also creates short music films that use powerful visuals to accentuate the social and poetic dimensions of the music. In September 2020, Lincoln Center presented his music film VIGIL, which pays tribute to Breonna Taylor, the EMT and aspiring nurse who was shot and killed by police in her Louisville home, and whose tragic death has fueled an international outcry. Created in collaboration with Igée Dieudonné, and Conor Hanick, the work was subsequently arranged for orchestra by Matthew Aucoin and premiered in a live-stream by Tines and the Louisville Orchestra, conducted by Teddy Abrams. Aucoin's orchestration is also currently part of Tines' Concerto No. 1: SERMON. He also co-created Strange Fruit with Jennifer Koh, a film juxtaposing violence against Asian Americans with Ken Ueno's arrangement of “Strange Fruit” — which the duo perform in Everything Rises — directed by dramaturg Kee-Yoon Nahm. The work premiered virtually as part of Carnegie Hall's “Voices of Hope Series.” Additional music films include FREUDE, an acapella “mashup” of Beethoven with African-American hymns that was shot, produced, and edited by Davóne Tines at his hometown church in Warrenton, Virginia and presented virtually by the Philharmonia Baroque Orchestra & Chorale; EASTMAN, a micro-biographical film highlighting the life and work of composer Julius Eastman; and NATIVE SON, in which Tines sings the Black national anthem, “Lift Ev'ry Voice and Sing,” and pays homage to the '60s Civil Rights-era motto “I am a man.” The latter film was created for the fourth annual Native Son Awards, which celebrate Black, gay excellence. Further online highlights include appearances as part of Boston Lyric Opera's new miniseries, desert in, marking his company debut; LA Opera at Home's Living Room Recitals; and the 2020 NEA Human and Civil Rights Awards.Notable performances on the opera stage the world premiere performances of Kaija Saariaho's Only the Sound Remains directed by Peter Sellars at Dutch National Opera, Finnish National Opera, Opéra national de Paris, and Teatro Real (Madrid); the world and European premieres of John Adams and Peter Sellars' Girls of the Golden West at San Francisco Opera and Dutch National Opera, respectively; the title role in a new production of Anthony Davis' X: The Life and Times of Malcolm X with the Detroit Opera (where he was Artist in Residence during the 2021-22 season) and the Boston Modern Opera Project with Odyssey Opera in Boston where it was recorded for future release; the world premiere of Terence Blanchard and Kasi Lemmons' Fire Shut Up In My Bones at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis; the world premiere of Matthew Aucoin's Crossing, directed by Diane Paulus at the Brooklyn Academy of Music; a new production of Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex at Lisbon's Teatro Nacional de São Carlos led by Leo Hussain; and Handel's rarely staged Aci, Galatea, e Polifemo at National Sawdust, presented in a new production by Christopher Alden. As a member of the American Modern Opera Company (AMOC), Tines served as a co-music director of the 2022 Ojai Music Festival, and has performed in Hans Werner Henze's El Cimarrón, John Adams' Nativity Reconsidered, and Were You There in collaboration with composers Matthew Aucoin and Michael Schachter.Davóne Tines is co-creator and co-librettist of The Black Clown, a music theater experience inspired by Langston Hughes' poem of the same name. The work, which was created in collaboration with director Zack Winokur and composer Michael Schachter, expresses a Black man's resilience against America's legacy of oppression—fusing vaudeville, opera, jazz, and spirituals to bring Hughes' verse to life onstage. The world premiere was given by the American Repertory Theater in 2018, and The Black Clown was presented by Lincoln Center in summer 2019.Concert appearances have included John Adams' El Niño with the Rundfunk-Sinfonieorchester Berlin under Vladimir Jurowski, Schumann's Das Paradies und die Peri with Louis Langrée and the Cincinnati Symphony, Kaija Saariaho's True Fire with the Orchestre national de France conducted by Olari Elts, Beethoven's Ninth Symphony with Michael Tilson Thomas leading the San Francisco Symphony, Stravinsky's Oedipus Rex with Esa-Pekka Salonen and the Royal Swedish Orchestra, and a program spotlighting music of resistance by George Crumb, Julius Eastman, Dmitri Shostakovich, and Caroline Shaw with conductor Christian Reif and members of the San Francisco Symphony at SoundBox. He also sang works by Caroline Shaw and Kaija Saariaho alongside the Calder Quartet and International Contemporary Ensemble at the Ojai Music Festival. In May 2021, Tines sang in Tulsa Opera's concert Greenwood Overcomes, which honored the resilience of Black Tulsans and Black America one hundred years after the Tulsa Race Massacre. That event featured Tines premiering “There are Many Trails of Tears,” an aria from Anthony Davis' opera-in-progress Fire Across the Tracks: Tulsa 1921.Davóne Tines is a winner of the 2020 Sphinx Medal of Excellence, recognizing extraordinary classical musicians of color who, early in their career, demonstrate artistic excellence, outstanding work ethic, a spirit of determination, and an ongoing commitment to leadership and their communities. In 2019 he was named as one of Time Magazine's Next Generation Leaders. He is also the recipient of the 2018 Emerging Artists Award given by Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and is a graduate of The Juilliard School and Harvard University, where he teaches a semester-length course “How to be a Tool: Storytelling Across Disciplines” in collaboration with director Zack Winokur.The Truth In This ArtThe Truth In This Art is a podcast interview series supporting vibrancy and development of Baltimore & beyond's arts and culture. To find more amazing stories from the artist and entrepreneurial scenes in & around Baltimore, check out my episode directory. Stay in TouchNewsletter sign-upSupport my podcastShareable link to episode ★ Support this podcast ★

Synopsis On today's date in 1931, a short notice appeared in The San Francisco Chronicle, which began: “Music never before heard in San Francisco will make up the program of the New Music Society to be conducted by Nicolas Slonimsky of Boston tonight in the Community Playhouse.” In addition to new works by Stravinsky and Prokofiev, Slonimsky conducted pieces by three American composers, including the world premiere of “Washington's Birthday,” by Charles Ives. Ives had written “Washington's Birthday” in 1909, and the following year had talked some theater musicians into giving the work a run-through. “They made an awful fuss about playing it,” Ives recalled, “and only after some of the parts that seemed to me to be the best and strongest were cut.” About 10 years later, he asked some players of the New York Symphony to give the score a private reading at his home. Again, the musicians complained it was just too difficult. Slonimsky's 1931 performance in San Francisco presented the score complete and as originally written. Ives, who lived on the East Coast, was not present for the San Francisco premiere, but was delighted to learn – as he put it: “Neither the audience nor the critics were disturbed to the point of cussing. Music Played in Today's Program Charles Ives (1874-1954) –Washington's Birthday (Chicago Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.) CBS/Sony 42381

Synopsis On today's date in 1944, the Russian composer Igor Stravinsky completed an orchestral score he titled "Scenes de Ballet" or "Ballet Scenes." Now, considering Stravinsky had achieved international fame for his earlier ballet scores for "The Firebird," "Petroushka" and "The Rite of Spring," perhaps the generic title "Ballet Scenes" was not all that surprising. What was surprising was that the commission for this 1944 score came from an unusual source – Broadway. New York impresario and nightclub owner Billy Rose had achieved fame the previous year for his Broadway production of "Carmen Jones" – an updated American version of Bizet's opera "Carmen" with an all-black cast and a jazzed-up score. Rose decided to capitalize on this popular success with something more "upscale and highbrow." Rose conceived of a stage review titled "The Seven Lively Arts," and for the dance component decided to commission the most famous living composer of ballet scores, Igor Stravinsky, who was then living in Los Angeles. Rose liked the score when he heard it played on the piano, but he thought Stravinsky's orchestration a bit too far-out, and this led to a famous coast-to-coast telegraph exchange. After a preview performance in Philadelphia, Rose sent this telegram message to Stravinsky: "Great success, but could be sensational success if you would authorize Robert Russell Bennett to retouch orchestration." Stravinsky telegraphed this reply to Billy Rose: "Satisfied with great success." Music Played in Today's Program Igor Stravinsky (1882-1971) –Scènes de Ballet (London Symphony; Michael Tilson Thomas, cond.) RCA/BMG 68865

Coal + Ice, a powerful global exhibition of photographs, videos, and immersive imagery that focuses on the climate crisis and provokes action is now on display in Washington DC through April 22, 2022. Coal + Ice began in Beijing in 2011 with the unprecedented showing of images of Chinese coal miners taken by Chinese photographers. It has now now expanded to the work of 50 photographers from around the world, capturing images of the climate catastrophe as it unfolds around the globe. Photographers and video artists include:  Jimmy Chin, David Breashears, Song Chao, Camille Seaman, Gideon Mendel, Meredith Kohut, Jamey Stillings, Matt Black, Barbara Kopple, Dana Lixenberg and historical work from Robert Capa, Lewis Hine, Gordon Parks, Eugene Smith, Bruce Davidson and others. Coal + Ice also features installations, panels, music, conversations, cash awards to young artists weaving climate into their work and more. For over a decade the exhibit has traveled the world evolving and expanding as the climate crisis unfolds. First Beijing, then Delhi, then Paris, Shanghai, San Francisco and now in Washington DC at the Kennedy Center through April 22, 2022. Before the Pandemic, when Coal + Ice came to a massive exhibition hall on a pier in San Francisco, we traveled through the exhibit with our microphone. Special thanks to Susan Meiseles, Orville Schell, Geng Yunsheng, …. Michael Tilson Thomas,  Joshua Robison, Gideon Mendel and Jeroen de Vries. Coal + Ice was produced by The Kitchen Sisters (Davia Nelson & Nikki Silva) and Evan Jacoby with help from Brandi Howell and Nathan Dalton. Mixed by Jim McKee at Earwax Productions.