Classical Conversations

Composer Scott Wollschleger talks about his new album from New Focus Recordings called Between Breath. The album contains four works for different duo and solo combinations that are presented here as a multi-movement complete work. Wollschleger's music balances exuberance and intimacy with characteristic sensitivity to timbre and structural proportions.

Celebrate the centennial of the “Rhapsody in Blue” with the album Norman Krieger Plays Gershwin. Norman joins Mary Claire Murphy on Classical Conversations for more details on the Rhapsody, Gershwin’s preludes, and his Piano Concerto in F.

In this Classical Conversation with Mary Claire Murphy, pianist/composer Chad Lawson speaks on his meditative approach to music composition and invites us into his album of piano solo music, “Where We Are.”

Violinist Elizabeth Chang speaks to Mary Claire Murphy about her unique album Sonatas and Myths, featuring seminal works by early 20th century composers Bela Bartok, Karol Szymanowski, and Ernst von Dohnanyi.

In her poetic Six Pieces for Solo Violin, composer Sophia Jani unfolds a series of targeted techniques to celebrate the solo violin and its place as a sweetheart of music history and modern times. In collaboration with violinist Teresa Allgaier, she foreshadows the set with an introductory prelude and then proceeds with great intentionality through a variety of musical characters; she shares the details with Mary Claire Murphy.

Through their album, Project Earth: The Blue Chapter, the Iris Trio takes a multi-disciplinary approach to celebrate the environment and the beauty of biodiversity. Anna Petrova, pianist of the Iris Trio, speaks with Mary Claire Murphy on the nuances within the poetry and accompanying compositions, crafted by Don McKay and Florian Hoefner, respectively.

We're joined by two members of the cast and two of the creatives behind Toledo Opera's production of Ragtime. Soprano Raquel Suarez Groen (Mother) and baritone Derrick Davis (Coalhouse Walker, Jr.) sing their big showpieces in the WGTE studios (with pianist Kevin Bylsma). Also, we hear from director James Norman, and the conductor of Ragtime, J. Ernest Green.

Grammy Award-winning organist Paul Jacobs is helping the King of Instruments retake its rightful place in classical music. The acclaimed musician joins Mary Claire Murphy and Brad Cresswell for a conversation about his return appearance at the Peristyle with the Toledo Symphony.

Dr. Chaerin Kim joins us to talk about her substantial career as a multi-instrumentalist, composer, conductor and professor, and gives advice for young musicians hoping to find success in the many competitions she has judged. We also hear her piano version of "Rendezvous" - a piece by Dr. Kim which has 100 versions (including many different languages).

In her sophomore album, "I Long and Seek After," violist and composer Jessica Meyer contemplates the question, "Am I doing all that I am supposed to be doing?" Themes of love, heartbreak, and self-discovery pervade the texts, which she set as intimate art songs. And on this, her 50th birthday year, she shares with Mary Claire Murphy her reflections on how to embrace the passage of time to age with utmost grace.