Podcast appearances and mentions of mitchell center

In this talk hosted by the University of Maine's Mitchell Center in Orono, Cat Biddle and Zeke Kimball explore the relationship between Maine's schools, rural communities, and future. Their talk,"Education as a Rural, Public Good: Preparing Maine's People, Families, Schools, & Communities for the Opportunities of Tomorrow" was recorded on November 25th, 2024.

The Delaware Historical Society named Hannah Grantham the new Director of the Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage.The Mitchell Center works to promote the history of Delaware's African Americans and Grantham comes to the Center with an extensive background in musicology and museum work; most recently at the Smithsonian Institution's National Museum of African American History and Culture in Washington, D.C.In this edition of History Matters, Delaware Public Media's Kyle McKinnon is joined by Grantham to discuss her new role.

When we think of development, we often conjure images of aid budgets and financial assistance to lower-income nations. While aid is undoubtedly a vital part of the development landscape, it's just the tip of the iceberg. In this episode, Ian Mitchell, Co-Director, Europe and Senior Policy Fellow at Center for Global Development (CDI) sits down with Christian Meyer zu Natrup, Managing Director of MzN. Together, they unravel the recently published CDI's Commitment to Development Index, revealing a comprehensive assessment of what governments are doing for development beyond aid. This podcast episode explores the Commitment to Development Index, which looks at a spectrum of policies that influence the pace of growth for developing countries such as investment, migration, trade, environment, technology, health, and security. By expanding the dialogue to include these factors, we can shape more comprehensive strategies that lead to sustainable development. Using quantitative measures, this index compiles a ranking of the countries in their commitment to development across various dimensions.During this podcast, we'll explore real-world examples from countries such as Sweden, the UK, the United States and explore the deliberate policy choices that have contributed to their consistent successes or shortcomings.The conversation won't stop there. We'll transition into the realm of climate and development overlap, highlighting the urgent need to integrate climate considerations into development strategies. Climate finance, a substantial component of global aid, is poised to undergo the rigorous evaluation that development finance has experienced. This knowledge gap is of critical concern as it could affect the argument for climate action within development efforts.As we wrap up, we'll touch on the essence of trust in global efforts to reduce emissions and tackle climate change. Trust among countries is integral to forging collective commitments to emission reduction. Without it, nations might opt for cheaper, less sustainable technologies, creating economic advantages without sufficient accountability. We'll also discuss the pivotal role of carbon taxes in addressing climate change, offering a realistic alternative to subsidies and bans.Join us in this podcast as we journey through the multifaceted world of development, exploring how the Commitment to Development Index and climate considerations are shaping the future of global growth. This episode promises fresh insights and perspectives that will encourage you to reevaluate what development truly means.Explore the CDI 

Dianne Kopec is a Research Fellow at the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability at the University of Maine. Her biological research documents toxic contaminants in wildlife, such as mercury in fish (and the animals that eat them, like birds and harbor seals). Because of mercury contamination in Maine's waters, the Maine Department of Inland Fisheries and Wildlife has a posted fish consumption health advisory. Since all 50 states have such advisories, the EPA also offers safe eating guidelines for fish consumption, especially for pregnant women, as exposure can cause behavioral problems and decreased cognitive performance. For decades, mercury contamination in Maine freshwater fish has denied members of the Penobscot Nation their legally protected sustenance fishing rights. Currently, Dr. Kopec's research is helping to minimize mercury exposure to tribal members. With an eye on the future, Dianne Kopec says, "We don't have to accept mercury pollution as a given." She discusses how legislation today can protect all of us from toxic exposures tomorrow, so that we might be able to fish with our grandchildren...and eat the catch. https://www.whatmamawants.org/archived-episodes/dianne-kopec

Series: Democracy and Emergent Technology. Interviewer: ZACHARY LOEB. Even as awareness has risen of disinformation deliberately spread by authoritarian regimes, the forms it takes have become more subtle and insidious, warns digital and foreign policy specialist JESSICA BRANDT. The Russian government, for instance, has shifted away from troll farms and toward amplifying conspiracy theories originating in Western countries themselves; and away from obviously fake news toward misleading half-truths. In her discussion with historian of science and technology Zachary Loeb, she outlines what the U.S. government can do to counter these new strategies, but emphasizes that it is civil society groups – journalists in particular – who must take the lead in fighting against the post-truth world authoritarian leaders would like to create. Brandt was the inaugural speaker in the Mitchell Center's Democracy and Emergent Technology series. A video of her talk is available here.

In conversation with Neuroscientist, Shrinath Kadamangudi, who for the last 8+years has been dwelling into the science of the brain. He went on to complete a B.S. in Neuroscience from UT Dallas and an MPhil in Neuroscience from the University of Queensland in Brisbane, Australia. Shrinath is currently in the MD-PhD dual degree program at the University of Texas Medical Branch. He just finished his pre-clinical training and has recently commenced his Ph.D. in Neuroscience under the mentorship of Dr. Giulio Taglialatela, Director of the Mitchell Center of Neurodegenerative Disease Research, exploring therapeutic strategies for Alzheimer's and age-related dementias. Shrinath is an avid fan of philosophy and metaphysics as well and is curious to explore the divergence and intersection of the brain and the spirit. 0:00 Intro and background 3:55 Why the pursuit of NeuroScience 6:29 What is NeuroScience 10:02 What is mapping 14:01 What is the time element in brain function 18:27 Why do we remember only somethings 21:57 Can bain frequencies communicate across bodies 23:20 What is Love 27:46 The main parts of the brain 31:32 The evolutionary organization of the brain 39:15 How to keep Brain healthy 44:51 Impact of stress on brain health 49:29 Why do Neurons die

 SOCIAL CHANGE AND THE GLOBAL MIDDLE EAST  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. There are some countries which, by dint of geography or incompatible national interests, seem destined for perpetual conflict and antagonism. This is not true, however, in the case of Iran and the United States, insists Iranian-American journalist and historian JOHN GHAZVINIAN. His book, America and Iran: A History, 1720 to the Present, outlines the series of bad choices – often made for short-term goals without clear regard for long-term consequences – that have formed the basis for a politics of mutual grievance. In his discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, Ghazvinian argues that there are strong reasons for the two nations to cooperate, as Ronald Reagan recognized, but that hardliners on both sides, as well as regional interests, are able to exploit a troubled history to maintain a disastrous status quo. John Ghazvinian is also the Executive Director of The Middle East Center at Penn, The Mitchell Center's partner in this year's “Social Change and the Global Middle East” series of panels.

Interview with Kobe Baker Outreach Coordinator of The Mitchell Center for African American Heritage with the Delaware Historical Society in Wilmington, Delaware. We discuss how history bis deeply engraved in our communities. ❤️

Rendering Unconscious welcomes Drs Avgi Saketopoulou & Jonathan House to the Podcast! Be sure to check out their event Laplanche in the States, happening October 2 & 3, 2021 online: https://www.laplancheinthestates.com Avgi Saketopoulou, PsyD is a Greek and Greek-Cypriot psychoanalyst. She trained and now teaches at the NYU Postdoctoral Program, and is also on faculty at the William Allanson White Institute, the New York Psychoanalytic Institute, the Mitchell Center, the National Institute for the Psychotherapies, and the Psychoanalytic Center of Philadelphia. Her just-completed book project is provisionally entitled: Risking Sexuality Beyond Consent: Race, Traumatophilia, and the Draw to Overwhelm. The book puts psychoanalysis into conversation with queer of color critique, and its second part critically engages Jeremy O. Harris's Slave Play. https://www.avgisaketopoulou.com Jonathan House, MD practices psychiatry and psychoanalysis in New York City. Dr. House teaches at Columbia University at the Institute for Comparative Literature and Society and at the Center for Psychoanalytic Training and Research. He is a member of the Conseil Scientifique of the Fondation Laplanche. He is the founder and general editor of The Unconscious in Translation. https://uitbooks.com Support the podcast at Patreon: https://www.patreon.com/vanessa23carl Rendering Unconscious the book available from Trapart: https://store.trapart.net/details/00000 This episode also available to view at YouTube: https://youtu.be/NKsiG8T63rs For links to everything visit: www.renderingunconscious.org http://www.drvanessasinclair.net Follow me at Instagram: https://www.instagram.com Twitter: https://twitter.com/home Sign up for my newsletter: http://www.drvanessasinclair.net/contact/ The song at the end of the episode is S/HE IS HER/E by Genesis Breyer P-Orridge and Carl Abrahamsson from the album "Loyalty Does Not End With Death" available from Ideal Recordings. https://idealrecordings.tumblr.com Many thanks to Carl Abrahamsson for providing the intro and outro music for Rendering Unconscious Podcast. https://www.carlabrahamsson.com Image: Laplanche in the States

This week's Eye on Travel Podcast with Peter Greenberg covers how Covid-19 has accelerated change for some, African American history in Delaware and antique collector Henry Francis du Pont's staggering 90,000+ piece collection with Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage Director Stephanie M. Lampkin and Winterthur Museum Garden & Library Executive Director Chris Strand. Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

This week's Eye on Travel Podcast with Peter Greenberg covers how Covid-19 has accelerated change for some, African American history in Delaware and antique collector Henry Francis du Pont's staggering 90,000+ piece collection with Wilmington Mayor Mike Purzycki, Jane and Littleton Mitchell Center for African American Heritage Director Stephanie M. Lampkin and Winterthur Museum Garden & Library Executive Director Chris Strand. Privacy Policy and California Privacy Notice.

-We talk with harvesters, wardens, marine resource committee members, and residents in Gouldsboro, Harpswell, and Brunswick, about their work restoring shellfish populations and intertidal mudflats to protect the future of shellfish harvesting as a livelihood. -Methods to grow shellfish (including upwellers and floating nurseries deployed in the water, and a new learning lab dedicated to growing shellfish) and long term plans for reseeding mudflats. -How communities are working together for the shared goal of mudflat repatriation in the face of climate change, predation from green crabs and ribbon worms, ocean acidification and water quality issues. Part one of a three-part Coastal Conversations series featuring portions of webinars hosted by the Maine Fishermen's Forum in lieu of their annual in person event. Guests : David Wilson, Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell; Scott Moody Jr., Vice Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell; Dan Devereaux, Coastal Resource Manager, Brunswick; Mike Pinkham, Shellfish Warden, Gouldsboro; Sarah Hooper, Education Specialist, Schoodic Institute; Bill Zoellick, Education Research Director Emeritus, Schoodic Institute. Dr. Bridie McGreavy, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Communication and Journalism and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine About the host: Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation's since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland's Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio. The post Coastal Conversations 2/26/21 Maine Fishermen's Forum, Part 1: Shellfish Harvesting for the Future first appeared on WERU 89.9 FM Blue Hill, Maine Local News and Public Affairs Archives.

-We talk with harvesters, wardens, marine resource committee members, and residents in Gouldsboro, Harpswell, and Brunswick, about their work restoring shellfish populations and intertidal mudflats to protect the future of shellfish harvesting as a livelihood. -Methods to grow shellfish (including upwellers and floating nurseries deployed in the water, and a new learning lab dedicated to growing shellfish) and long term plans for reseeding mudflats. -How communities are working together for the shared goal of mudflat repatriation in the face of climate change, predation from green crabs and ribbon worms, ocean acidification and water quality issues. Part one of a three-part Coastal Conversations series featuring portions of webinars hosted by the Maine Fishermen’s Forum in lieu of their annual in person event. Guests : David Wilson, Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell; Scott Moody Jr., Vice Chair, Marine Resources Committee, Harpswell; Dan Devereaux, Coastal Resource Manager, Brunswick; Mike Pinkham, Shellfish Warden, Gouldsboro; Sarah Hooper, Education Specialist, Schoodic Institute; Bill Zoellick, Education Research Director Emeritus, Schoodic Institute. Dr. Bridie McGreavy, Associate Professor in the Dept. of Communication and Journalism and the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions at the University of Maine About the host: Natalie Springuel has hosted Coastal Conversation’s since 2015, with support from the University of Maine Sea Grant where she has served as a marine extension associate for 20 years. In 2019, Springuel received an award for Public Affairs programming from the Maine Association of Broadcasters for the Coastal Conversations show called “Portland’s Working Waterfront.” Springuel is passionate about translating science, sharing stories, and offering a platform for multiple voices to weigh in on complex coastal and ocean issues. She has recently enrolled in audio production training at Maine Media Workshop to dive deeper into making great community radio.

Interviewer: KATIE RADER. For decades, University of Pennsylvania student activists have demanded that Penn pay PILOTs (Payments in Lieu of Taxes) to help fund Philadelphia public schools. The movement intensified in 2020, with over 1,100 faculty and staff joining a pro-PILOTs petition. Among them was Social Policy and Practice Professor DENNIS CULHANE, who in September joined a panel discussion on PILOTs sponsored by the Mitchell Center. In his discussion with political scientist Katie Rader, he revisits the topic in the wake of Penn’s donation of $100-million over ten years for environmental remediation of Philadelphia schools. He addresses whether this amount is the fair share that PILOTs activists have demanded, but also whether unilateral, voluntary donations are a path to true equity. He suggests that the Pennsylvania legislature make revisions to the state’s tax code to ensure a more reliable source of funds for public education.

 FREE SPEECH BATTLES  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. Growing up within the white nationalist movement as the son of one its leaders, Don Black, and the godson of its most famous political figure, David Duke, DEREK BLACK was a true believer – until he wasn’t. He very publicly renounced his beliefs in an open letter to the Southern Poverty Law Center. In his discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, Black draws from his own experience renouncing a hateful ideology to suggest the types of strategies that might change the minds of others in the movement. He does not offer quick or easy answers, however, emphasizing the emotional difficulty of leaving behind a close-knit community of adherents. Black’s life story has also been featured in the New York Times, NPR, in an interview at the Holocaust Memorial Center, and in his appearance in the Mitchell Center’s Free Speech Battles series.

 FREE SPEECH BATTLES  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. As the political climate and the prevalence of social media have combined to raise the incidents and visibility of hateful speech, there have been growing calls to enact bans on such expression. NADINE STROSSEN, author of the new book, HATE: Why We Should Resist it With Free Speech, Not Censorship, argues against such policies as counterproductive and ultimately harmful. In her discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, she defends the line the First Amendment draws against dangerous speech and urges that social media companies adhere to international standards of free speech, even as she calls for resistance to hate speech and prosecutions of bias crimes. President of the American Civil Liberties Association (ACLU) from 1991 to 2008, she recounts the Supreme Court case that established the internet as we know it, as well as the legacy of Bush v. Gore and the role the ACLU might play in a contested election this year. Strossen recently spoke at the Mitchell Center’s Campus Free Speech Conference.

Sharon Klein is an Associate  Professor in the School of Economics at the University of Maine. Sharon's research and teaching are multi-disciplinary in nature, centering on the technical, economic, environmental and social trade-offs inherent in the production, distribution, and use of energy. With her research team, she has created a database of U.S. community-based renewable energy projects.Prior to her career in higher education, Sharon worked as a high school environmental systems teacher in Quito, Ecuador; a middle school science teacher in San Diego, CA; an environmental technician in San Diego; and an Americorps National Civilian Community Corps volunteer in the Southeast region of the USSharon was a part of the 2015, 2018, and 2019 Maine Science Festivals, and presented at the MSF Showcase Event 5 Minute Genius in 2018. You can see her video at the MSF YouTube channel.You can learn more about Sharon's work at her University of Maine website. If you'd like to see the graph that Sharon mentioned comparing renewable energy to fossil fuels, it can be found in the paper Comparing the sustainability of U.S. electricity options through multi-criteria decision analysis at  https://bit.ly/33jkGd5. Sharon also noted "I am very grateful for the support I have received from these funding sources for my community solar and window insert research: 2 Community Energy grants (2016 and 2017) from the Senator George J. Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions and ongoing support from the US Department of Agriculture National Institute of Food and Agriculture, Hatch projects 0230040 and 1013178."To learn more about Window Dressers, visit their website.~~~~~~~The Maine Science Podcast is a production of the Maine Science Festival. It was recorded at Discovery Studios, at the Maine Discovery Museum, in Bangor, ME. Edited and produced by Kate Dickerson; production support by Maranda Bouchard. The Discover Maine theme was composed and performed by Nick Parker. Support provided by Maine Technology Institute.Maine Science Festival:   Facebook    Twitter     InstagramMaine Science Podcast:  Facebook    Twitter     Instagram 

 REVERBERATIONS OF INEQUALITY  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. Even in the United Kingdom, with its longstanding reputation for rigid class distinctions, the common presumption in the twenty-first century is that people progress in their careers according to talent and hard work. In his interviews with members of elite occupations, however, SAM FRIEDMAN discovered that getting ahead in these careers often has much to do with the advantages of a privileged class origin. These advantages range from the “bank of mum and dad,” enabling greater career risks (and rewards), to the less tangible behavioral markers of accent and manners that make it easier to fit into elite workplace cultures or find favor with well-placed mentors. In his discussion with political scientist Matthew Berkman, Friedman weighs whether efforts should be directed to achieving equality of opportunity or, rather, to reducing the outsized rewards of success. He argues that either way, the first step is to puncture the myth of meritocracy. Note: This interview was recorded way back in September 2019, when Friedman presented his work at the Mitchell Center’s “Reverberations of Inequality” Conference – long before the current coronavirus crisis was on the horizon.

In this episode, Michael & Jonathan have a discussion about the macro-economics of the current Covid-19 situation at a national policy level with guest, Dan Mitchell, libertarian Austrian school economist and former senior fellow at the Cato Institute.. He is a proponent of the flat tax and tax competition, financial privacy, and fiscal sovereignty. Mitchell's career as an economist began in the United States Senate, working for Oregon Senator Bob Packwood and the Senate Finance Committee. He also served on the transition team of President-Elect Bush and Vice President-Elect Quayle in 1988. In 1990, he began work at the Heritage Foundation. At Heritage, Mitchell worked on tax policy issues and began advocating for income tax reform. In 2007, Mitchell left the Heritage Foundation, and joined the Cato Institute as a Senior Fellow. Mitchell continues to work in tax policy, and deals with issues such as the flat tax and international tax competition. In addition to his Cato Institute responsibilities, Mitchell co-founded the Center for Freedom and Prosperity, an organization formed to protect international tax competition. Mitchell is a frequent commentator on television and has appeared on all the major networks, including CBS, NBC, ABC, FOX, CNN, CNBC, and C-SPAN. He was also formerly a weekly guest on CNBC's "Street Signs". https://danieljmitchell.wordpress.com/ https://twitter.com/danieljmitchell SUBSCRIBE TO THE EMAIL INBOX UPDATES! https://10xts.substack.com For more information visit https://10xts.com --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/digitaldollar/message

The focus of Maine Policy Matters is the exploration of policy matters at the local, regional, and national levels as well as to highlight how policy decisions in Maine matter at the local, regional, and national levels. The double play on the title reinforces the mission, vision, and values of the Margaret Chase Smith Policy Center to inform public policy processes and promote civil discourse, integrity, and societal decision-making to solve the critical issues facing Maine and the nation. The podcast facilitates open and inclusive communication to advance relationships between policymakers, community leaders, students, faculty, and staff in the University of Maine System. In the first episode of the podcast, Dr. Linda Silka, the executive editor of Maine Policy Review and Senior Fellow at the Mitchell Center for Sustainability Solutions discusses the emerging and innovative policy research featured in the journal. She emphasizes MPR’s essential role in policymaking and policy education in Maine and discusses the scope and impact of the publication which has been downloaded over 260,000 times in over 203 different countries. This highlights that Maine policy matters to individuals across the globe.

Interviewer: AUDREY JAQUISS. The 43rd Governor of Florida and presidential candidate JEB BUSH is currently a Penn Presidential Professor of Practice affiliated with the Mitchell Center, and we appreciate his engagement with our programs: debating students on immigration policy at the Penn Political Union, joining Togolese activist Farida Nabourema for a discussion on authoritarian rule for our “Democracy in Trouble?” Series, and now sitting down with political theorist Audrey Jaquiss for a discussion of our political moment. In topics ranging from climate change, immigration, the labor movement, and political polarization, Governor Bush speaks in terms that are recognizably conservative — and Republican, in the traditional sense — but which are, in their temperate tone and willingness to grapple with complicated facts, increasingly unfamiliar in today’s combative, Twitter-fueled political environment.

 REVERBERATIONS OF INEQUALITY  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. Union membership in the United States has experienced a long decline. From a peak of over 30 percent of the labor force in 1945, it now hovers around 11 percent. Legal scholar BRISHEN ROGERS (Temple University and a Visiting Fellow at the Roosevelt Institute, Georgetown Law) argues that, more than the ineluctable forces of automation and globalization, it is this decline that is responsible for the high levels of income inequality in the U.S. While these processes are intertwined, Rogers uses a comparative approach to tease them apart. To redress inequality, he advocates that we adopt systems of sectoral bargaining that have succeeded in other countries to keep more income in the hands of working people. His discussion with Matthew Berkman, Visiting Assistant Professor at Oberlin College, followed his presentation at the Mitchell Center’s REVERBERATIONS OF INEQUALITY Opening Conference.

 DEMOCRACY IN TROUBLE?  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. The ways in which Facebook pollutes public discourse are inherent and inescapable features of its business model, argues SIVA VAIDHYANATHAN, author of Antisocial Media: How Facebook Disconnects Us and Undermines Democracy. In his discussion with political scientist and Mitchell Center interviewer Matthew Berkman, he attributes the platform’s malign effects to its scale, which encompasses 2.2 billion users; the perverse logic of its algorithms, by which attempts to confront hateful messages only serves to amplify them; and its advertising system, which can target and segment audiences in unprecedented ways. Above all, he points to the ways in which Facebook has crowded out other venues of expression more suitable for democratic deliberation, from public libraries to the brief flourishing of blogs on the Internet in the early 2000s. For Vaidhyanathan, the best way to deal with Facebook would be to break it up – and to do everything we can to take back our deliberative spaces.

 DEMOCRACY IN TROUBLE?  Interviewer: MATTHEW BERKMAN. The United States, and Western democracies more generally, currently view Russia through the lens of their own internal crises, argues MARLENE LARUELLE, expert on Russian politics and author of Understanding Russia: The Challenges of Transformation. In her discussion with political scientists and Mitchell Center interviewer Matthew Berkman, Laruelle describes how the focus on election interference distorts our vision of Russia, portraying it as a closed-off society under monolithic authoritarian rule, guided by an implacable opposition to free democracies rather than geopolitical interests. By placing Russia outside of “international norms,” Western democracies are also able to deflect the way in which they have progressively undermined many of those norms themselves, especially as anti-liberal and anti-democratic movements gain steam. Ultimately, Laruelle counsels against anti-Russian hysteria and for a more clear-eyed view of the world.

Little different editing today. As in very little has been done to filter thoughts or make Blue be quiet. Check out the sponsor of today's episode at Anchor.fm or download the anchor app on your smart device today. --- Send in a voice message: https://anchor.fm/WallNoodles/message Support this podcast: https://anchor.fm/WallNoodles/support

Head Coach Tony Jasick talks after Jacksonville defeated Chattanooga 74-66 in the Ungar Classic at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala. on Sunday Nov. 18, 2018.

Head Coach Tony Jasick offers his thoughts after Jacksonville fell 77-71 to Southeast Missouri on Day One of the Ungar Classic on Friday, Nov. 16, 2018 at the Mitchell Center in Mobile, Ala.

That’s not a violin – it’s a woodbox! Daniel Bernard Roumain talks about creative appropriation in classical music. The Haitian-American composer’s creative world was cracked open when he realized that everything – including the definition of “violin” – was ripe for reinterpretation. As a kid in garage bands, he took the decidedly uncool violin and made it his own. As a classically trained musician, he brings classical music together with hip hop, rock, bluegrass, and other genres to create his signature sound. We talk about DBR’s creative journey and about how innovators like John Cage have changed classical music by adding an important ingredient to the genre: imagination. Audio production by Todd “T-Dawg” Hulslander with super disco breaking by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: Lots of woodbox improvisation by Daniel Bernard Roumain “Sonata No. 2” from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Piano by John Cage, played by Boris Berman “Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1” from Woodbox Beats & Balladryby Daniel Bernard Roumain To see DBR perform in our studios on Skyline Sessions, go here. Daniel Roumain is an artist in residence with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.

Diane Paulus is the Terrie and Bradley Bloom Artistic Director of the American Repertory Theater (A.R.T.) at Harvard University, and was selected for the 2014 TIME 100, TIME Magazine’s annual list of the 100 most influential people in the world. Paulus is the 2013 recipient of the Tony Award for Best Director of a Musical (Pippin). A.R.T.: Eve Ensler's In the Body of the World, Waitress (currently on Broadway at the Brooks Atkinson Theater), Crossing (a new American opera with music and libretto by Matt Aucoin), Finding Neverland (currently on Broadway at the Lunt-Fontanne Theatre), Witness Uganda, Pippin (Tony Award, Best Revival and Best Director), The Gershwins’ Porgy and Bess (Tony Award, Best Revival, NAACP Award, Best Direction), Prometheus Bound, Death and the Powers: The Robots’ Opera, Best of Both Worlds, Johnny Baseball, The Donkey Show. Her other recent work includes Cirque du Soleil’s Amaluna, currently on tour in Europe, Invisible Thread at Second Stage, The Public Theater’s Tony Award-winning revival of HAIR on Broadway and London’s West End. As an opera director, her credits include The Magic Flute, the complete Monteverdi cycle, and the trio of Mozart-Da Ponte operas, among others. Diane is Professor of the Practice of Theater in Harvard University’s English Department. She was selected as one of Variety’s “Trailblazing Women in Entertainment for 2014” and Boston Magazine’s “50 Thought Leaders of 2014.” Dr Sue Grand is faculty at the NYU Postdoctoral program in psychotherapy and psychoanalysis; faculty, trauma program at the National Institute for the Psychotherapies; faculty, Mitchell Center for Relational Psychoanalysis and Fellow at the Institute for the Psychology of the Other in Boston; author The Reproduction of Evil: A Clinical and Cultural Perspective and The Hero in the Mirror: From Fear to Fortitude. She is currently working on a book about race in America. She operates a private practice in New York City and Teaneck, NJ.

Today – that is April 18th 2016 – much of our fair city of Houston is underwater. There was a big scary flood, the power’s out, the roads are lakes, and we, the Classical Classroom team, literally can’t get to the station to access the files we need to post our new episode. We tried to cobble together an ark, but it turns out that’s a whole thing. However! Through sheer grit, determination and the power of the human spirit to use computers, we have unearthed this episode with Todd Reynolds, which we think – nay! – we know you will enjoy. Also, on a serious note, our city is in bad shape and a lot of folks are going to need some help after the floodwaters subside. If you can help, visit the Texas Red Cross Gulf Coast Region website and make a donation. That’s also a good place to go if you are in need of help.   What do we mean when we say “classical music”? Sure, sure: it refers to a period of music, like “Baroque” or “Romantic”. But we largely use the word as a sort of generic brand-name for a specific variety of sound. In this episode of Classical Classroom, genre-ignoring violinist Todd Reynolds attempts to define classical music. Does he succeed? Does he give up and just start talking about Prince instead? Maybe and maybe! Listen to this episode to find out. Audio production by Todd “Timbalander” Hulslander with at least 3 really good suggestions from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: Third Construction by John Cage Composition for Four Instruments by Milton Babbitt “Pulses” from Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich Symphony No. 41 (the “Jupiter Symphony”), Molto Allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart “Happy” from G I R L by Pharrell Williams “Let’s Go Crazy” from Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution “Crossroads” and “Taskforce: Farmlab” from Outerborough by Todd Reynolds Fantasia in G Major, BWV 571 by Johann Sebastian Bach Todd Reynolds was a special guest of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. ABOUT THE MITCHELL CENTER The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org. For more about Todd Reynolds check out his blog: www.toddreynolds.wordpress.com

What do we mean when we say “classical music”? Sure, sure: it refers to a period of music, like “Baroque” or “Romantic”. But we largely use the word as a sort of generic brand-name for a specific variety of sound. In this episode of Classical Classroom, genre-ignoring violinist Todd Reynolds attempts to define classical music. Does he succeed? Does he give up and just start talking about Prince instead? Maybe and maybe! Listen to this episode to find out. Audio production by Todd “Timbalander” Hulslander with at least 3 really good suggestions from Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: – Third Construction by John Cage – Composition for Four Instruments by Milton Babbitt – “Pulses” from Music for 18 Musicians by Steve Reich – Symphony No. 41 (the “Jupiter Symphony”), Molto Allegro by Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart – “Happy” from G I R L by Pharrell Williams – “Let’s Go Crazy” from Purple Rain by Prince and the Revolution – “Crossroads” and “Taskforce: Farmlab” from Outerborough by Todd Reynolds – Fantasia in G Major, BWV 571 by Johann Sebastian Bach Todd Reynolds was a special guest of the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts. ABOUT THE MITCHELL CENTER The Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org. For more about Todd Reynolds check out his blog: www.toddreynolds.wordpress.com

    That’s not a violin – it’s a woodbox! Daniel Bernard Roumain talks about creative appropriation in classical music. The Haitian-American composer’s creative world was cracked open when he realized that everything – including the definition of “violin” – was ripe for reinterpretation. As a kid in garage bands, he took the decidedly uncool violin and made it his own. As a classically trained musician, he brings classical music together with hip hop, rock, bluegrass, and other genres to create his signature sound. We talk about DBR’s creative journey and about how innovators like John Cage have changed classical music by adding an important ingredient to the genre: imagination. Audio production by Todd “T-Dawg” Hulslander with super disco breaking by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: Lots of woodbox improvisation by Daniel Bernard Roumain “Sonata No. 2” from Sonatas and Interludes for Prepared Pianoby John Cage, played by Boris Berman “Sonata for Violin and Turntables, Part 1” from Woodbox Beats & Balladry by Daniel Bernard Roumain To see DBR perform in our studios on Skyline Sessions, go here. Daniel Roumain is an artist in residence with the Cynthia Woods Mitchell Center for the Arts, which is dedicated to interdisciplinary collaboration across the performing, visual, and literary arts. Based at the University of Houston, the Mitchell Center commissions and produces new works, presents public performances and exhibitions, offers curriculum and scholarships, and hosts residencies with renowned visiting artists from throughout the world. The Center is home to the Mitchell Artist Lecture, an annual event featuring a pioneer in contemporary art-making, as well as CounterCurrent, an annual spring festival of new performance. The Mitchell Center forms an alliance among five departments at UH: the School of Art, Moores School of Music, School of Theatre & Dance, Creative Writing Program, and Blaffer Art Museum. For more information visit www.mitchellcenterforarts.org.