Gail Williams has had a remarkable career as an orchestral musician, chamber musician, soloist and teacher. During the course of our conversation, we touch upon all of these creative aspects of her life and how her view of music and life is informed by these many experiences, both in music and in life.

In Part 1 of our conversation, I ask Gail about her life growing up on a farm and how that experience has influenced all aspects of her life. We then talk about her early experiences as a player, how she tries to think not only like a brass player, but like a string player and singer as well. We end Part 1 by talking about her first job, playing with the Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra.

In the Bonus Room, Rob Roy talks about his career as a trumpet player, beginning with his lessons with Clifford Llyla and ending with his position in the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra.

We begin Part 2 of our conversation with Rob Roy talking about how he transferred his company to Carl Fisher Publications. We then move on to how people and certain companies violate copyright laws, and finally Rob Roy tells how the best selling book on flexibility by Bai Lin came to be published.

Rob Roy was playing trumpet with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Orchestra when he founded Balquhidder Music, a music publishing firm that has brought out a number of very popular pieces and studies in the brass music genre.

In Part 1 of our conversation, Rob Roy talks about how and why he started Balquhidder Music and, since he wasn’t an entrepreneur before, how he set about learning to be a music publisher.

Every year, Kim flies to Kenya to be part of a teaching exchange program, and in the Bonus Room, she shares some of her experiences of working with students in Kenya.

In Part 2 of our conversation, Kim talks about her work with the Amity Trio and also how, as a teacher at Indiana University, she works with both the brass and vocal departments.

Simply put, Kim Carballo is a musician who uses her art to do good in the world, as an entrepreneur, performer, and teacher. She is the founder of Reimagining Opera for Kids (or ROK), a member of the Amity Trio, a teacher at the Jacobs School of Music at Indiana University, and is also involved in an exchange program in Kenya and the Dominican Republic.

In Part 1 of our conversation, I ask Kim to talk about Reimagining Opera for Kids, what it is, how it got started, and specifics such as the importance of grant writing.

In the Bonus Room, our focus moves to David and Sarah’s teaching ideas and philosophies.

In Part 2, David and Sarah speak about their playing careers, how they started, how they often bounce ideas back and forth and, among other topics, the difference between brass and string chamber music practice mentality.

Trumpeter David Collins and violinist Sarah Sew (pronounced See You) are a married couple who have done amazing work, both as players, teachers, and also entrepreneurs. The story of how and why they started the Dublin Brass Week with no previous experience is a story that is both inspiring and also informative.

In Part 1 of our conversation, we talk about why they founded the Dublin Brass Week, some challenges and hurdles they (sometimes unexpectedly) ran up against... yet overcame, and their process of gradually building the festival from the ground up.