Backstage at The Enharmonic

October 9, 2017 My next guest is often referred to as The Stage Manager to The Stars: Eddie Luisi.  Eddie has been the stage manager on "Good Morning America" in Times Square, NYC since 1987.  The list of musicians, actors, comedians, and personalities that he has worked with is a real who's-who list in popular culture.   Eddie is just a blast to be around and to talk to.  In this episode he shares sage advice for young people and some great behind the scenes stories about Nathan East, Prince, Amy Grant, Jim Henson, Frank Oz, Big Bird, James Brown and even recounts being on set for Elmo's Sesame Street debut. When not working in television Eddie is an active church musician and mentors scores of high school musicians.

Eddie currently works at "Good Morning America" and gives motivational & inspiring talks to high school & college students from around the U.S. who come and visit NYC and the set of GMA.

September 28, 2017 The words from my next guest are both articulate and brimming with the shimmering nuances, much like his trademark tambourines and triangles; a living legend in the percussion community, Neil Grover.  Neil shares memories of some his most memorable performances with collaborators like John Williams, Leonard Bernstein, Seiji Ozawa, Vic Firth and Aaron Copland, relates the similarities of being a musician and entrepreneur, recalls his terrible drum major skills in high school and provides some great advice for aspiring musicians.

Neil W. Grover holds the distinction of performing with one of the world’s foremost orchestras (Boston Symphony) on the soundtrack for one of the most successful blockbuster movies of all time (Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom) and with the iconic rock band, Aerosmith. Neil is a renowned percussionist, accomplished music educator, imaginative product innovator, and successful entrepreneur. He is the founder and president of Grover Pro Percussion Inc., a market leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of world-class percussion instruments.

June 13, 2017 My next guest and I have known each other since 1996! Right after graduating from music school in addition to performing, I began teaching drums and percussion in suburban Philadelphia.  One of my very first private drum students was my guest, Andrew Torre.  I have very fond memories of driving to his parents' house, to teach a lesson, and being greeted by his mother and father, his grandfather and their dachshunds.  I knew from the beginning that this kid was going places in the music business.  His knowledge of drums and drummers, as an 11 year old, rivaled many pros that I knew.  His strong family bonds, coupled with his love of drumming has gotten him to the top of the music business. Andrew is currently the drum tech and audio playback technician with the world-wide pop sensation, Panic! at the Disco, an avid drum collector/historian and freelance audio technician.

NAMM GenNext Round-table 

NAMM GenNext Session:  "Knocking Down Walls to Strengthen Your Foundation"

Presented on, Thursday, January 19 — 10:30 am to 11:25 am 
Anaheim Hilton, Level 4, Capistrano A&B 

An all-star panel explores and discusses the reasons that we build mental walls and roadblocks—and how to remove them to achieve success, develop professional relationships, and enhance performance and educational opportunities. 

Moderator: Sean J. Kennedy    Panelists:  Gordon Goodwin, Clayton Cameron  and Mark Amentt. 

March 27, 2017 In December of 2016 while at a rehearsal with The Philadelphia Boys Choir and Chorale for their holiday concert series, from my seat at the drumset, I was blown away by the beautiful trombone sound coming from three rows behind me in the orchestra. During the break, I told the conductor that the trombone player he hired really sounded great; he said, 'no wonder, he's the principal trombonist with the Philadelphia Orchestra!'. Ha!  During that concert series Nitzan and I had a great time chatting backstage about jazz, composing, the music biz, the internet, etc... which naturally led to him being my next guest on Backstage at The Enharmonic.  In this episode Nitzan discusses the importance of his family in his career trajectory, what drew him to the trombone, putting your ego aside, winning his job in the NY Phil, memorable performances, and much more!

Nitzan Haroz, a native of Israel, rejoined The Philadelphia Orchestra as principal trombone in 2014 after holding the same position with the Los Angeles Philharmonic since 2012. Previously he was principal trombone of The Philadelphia Orchestra starting in 1995 after serving as assistant principal trombone of the New York Philharmonic and principal trombone of the Israel Symphony and Opera Orchestra. He was also first trombone of the Israel Defense Forces Orchestra and performed with the Jerusalem Symphony.

January 14, 2017 Happy New Year!  The first episode of Backstage at The Enharmonic for 2017 features bass player and Director of Sales for Casio America: Mark Amentt.  

Mark gives a lot of valuable advice to young folks that want to have a career in the music industry.  He also talks about growing up as a self-taught drummer,  the unique position of being a left handed bass player, his switch from the pharmaceutical industry to the music business, living and working with passion, and much more!

October 31, 2016 In this episode I speak to a gentleman with a highly specialized job, librarian for The Philadelphia Orchestra, Steve Glanzmann.   Roughly only 350 folks in the entire world hold a similar job, our discussion sheds light on the inner workings of this unique job, the basic requirements, and advice on pursuing this line of work.

In January 2003, Steve was hired as a full-time librarian for The Philadelphia Orchestra.  Since The PO’s 2007-08 Season, Steve has presented many pre-concert discussions. Steve regularly plays trumpet for community theatres, high school musicals, and local big bands.  He maintains a trumpet and music theory studio teaching young musicians.  He graduated from Penn State University with a BA in Integrative Arts., and later attended West Chester University for graduate studies in Music Theory.

October 24, 2016: Hot off Broadway's Phantom of The Opera playing the part of 'Christine Daaé', my next guest Rachel Zatcoff chats with me about her early influences, a failed attempt at trying out for The Al Abert's Showcase television show, trepidations about going into theater, getting 'the call' for her role in Phantom, the relationship between performing and teaching, and the great organization Fit For Broadway.

Born and raised in Philadelphia, Rachel is a Broadway actress and classically trained soprano passionately devoted to both musical theater and opera. Rachel recently made her Broadway debut as Christine Daaé in The Phantom of the Opera.  She also recently played the role of 'Khanele' in the Drama Desk nominated The Golden Bride Off-Broadway.

October 17, 2016 Live from the Chicagoland area I had a chance to chat with Rich Daniels, saxophonist, conductor and composer.  Rich is the founder and leader of The City Lights Orchestra, and is the conductor for the Jerry Garcia Symphonic Celebration tours, which is where I first met Rich two years ago, working as a percussionist in the east coast leg of the tour.   In this edition of Backstage at The Enharmonic Rich talks about the lasting influence of orchestral LP's that he listened to as a child, his time leading the Woody Herman orchestra, the necessity of being a multifaceted entrepreneur in today's market, his work at Cinespace, and specifically his contribution to the blockbuster TV show Empire.  He also shares an incredible story about meeting Sir Paul McCartney.

Rich Daniels is the musical director of The City Lights Orchestra in Chicago. The orchestra is a highly sought after entertainment attraction for corporate and association events, as well as non-for-profit charitable galas. Since 1974 Daniels has been making music professionally and appearing across the country at private events and concerts. Over the years Daniels and the orchestra have appeared with some of the greatest names in show business.

October 10, 2016: This is a MUST "listen to" for folks trying to break into the freelance scene!  Digital marketing consultant and musician Seth Hanes shares stories and advice on building your brand, to get more gigs.  He talks about his rise from parking attendant to marketing director for the Philly Pops.  He also give us some previews about his new book, Break into the Scene, which is now available on Amazon.

Marketing specialist Seth Hanes is a private consultant who works with businesses, non-profit organizations and individuals in digital marketing and website development, bringing public attention to where it is deserved. As a musician, Seth has an acute understanding of the mechanics of self-promotion. He willingly shares his expertise on his blog, The Musicians Guide to Hustling. He also speaks publicly on his techniques, having spoken most recently at Kutztown University and the Philadelphia International Music Festival in partnership with Project 440.