Classical Post

Our guest today on the Classical Post podcast is the conductor Luke Frazier. He is the founder and music director of The American Pops Orchestra, which is now heard regularly on PBS around the country. He’s done 12 major PBS concert specials that have all been filmed and broadcast during the pandemic. And, they’ve reached 40 million viewers with these concerts. It’s an incredible feat.

We speak with Luke on what it’s like to collaborate with some of the biggest names in music and what it’s like to prepare for their next PBS special, premiering on March 6th: “An Evening with Lerner and Lowe — Broadway in Concert”.

We also speak of his passion for antique portraits, some favorite New York restaurants, and how he maintains highly-focused energy while leading a busy life.

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French conductor Chloé van Soeterstède is one of the very prestigious Dudamel Fellows this season with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. She’s working with Gustavo Dudamel, but also with other conducting legends like Michael Tilson Thomas and Zubin Mehta. It’s quite an honor for a young conductor to have this experience and really helps set them up for future success as a music director of a major orchestra.

I spoke with Chloé on the Classical Post podcast where we explore her new experience as a Dudamel Fellow, but also how she created her own London-based orchestra—Arch Sinfonia—which celebrates their 10th anniversary this year.

Comprised of excellent players from other London ensembles like the great Philharmonia and the London Philharmonic, this dynamic organization is named after the idea of building metaphorical bridges—like an “arch” connecting things. In this case, Arch Sinfonia is building unique connections between the audience and the orchestra—even having audience members sit amidst the players, such as right in front of the timpani. The audience even votes at the end of each concert to shape the next concert program. This type of real dialogue has bode well for Chloé and her team, and provides an interesting idea for future discussion.

We also speak of how female conductors among the top 25 American orchestras are extremely rare. And, how she just might be on the cusp of something great now that she’s working at the highest level.

For some fun lifestyle recommendations in this podcast, you’ll hear of Chloé’s love of silky sleeping masks, Pad Thai in London restaurants, and a propensity for modern art.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

I had the pleasure of speaking with violinist Sean Lee and pianist Peter Dugan about their new digital EP featuring nine of the Paganini Caprices, each with accompanying music videos. It’s a really fantastic project and I hope you listen to it.

For context, here’s a bit of background on these two guests.

Sean Lee is one of few violinists who dare to perform the complete 24 Caprices of Paganini in concert, but he’s just done this in New York at Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. It’s the first time this happened in that organization’s 52-year history.

Our other guest on the show today is pianist Peter Dugan. You probably know his voice as the radio host on NPR’s From the Top. Also, he’s collaborating with Joshua Bell this month on a recital tour.

On this episode of the podcast, we explore how finding energy from past rejection propels you forward, but equally anticipating the future can do the same. We also hear of their mutual interest for bird watching in Central Park, which I really found to be unique. Plus, we discuss their new Paganini X Schumann album and how they created it. There’s also a special section of really great products they recommend such as aged gin from Bootlegger in Upstate New York and the benefits of a Screaming Meanie alarm clock.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

Cellist Laura van der Heijden won the BBC Young Musician competition at just 15 years old. She’s gone on to make a name for herself, graduating from Cambridge University, and now on to releasing her second album called Pohádka: Tales from Prague to Budapest, which ******explores the rich folk melodies of Janáček, Kodály and Dvořák.

Here’s our chat about her aesthetic inspiration outside of the music world, her love for NPR’s Tiny Desk concerts, and why she chose to record this album, which comes out later this month.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

Multi-Grammy Award nominee, violinist Philippe Quint is internationally recognized for his unique and insightful approach to standard repertoire, championing and rediscovering neglected repertoire and embarking on imaginative, exciting journeys of explorations and collaborations with artists of different genres.

I had the pleasure of speaking with Philippe on this episode of the Classical Post podcast. We discuss his fabulous album, Chaplin’s Smile, that commemorates the 130th anniversary of Charlie Chaplin’s birth. The recording now has over 600K plays on Spotify.

We talk about how he finds deep inspiration to create his art, where to find the best sushi in New York, and his keen interest in the metaverse. Finally, learn about his fascinating new project, Astor Piazzolla at 100: Between Angels and Demons.

Follow the Classical Post podcast on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or other platforms.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

My guest today on the Classical Post podcast is singer, cellist, and composer Ayanna Witter-Johnson who makes her debut at Madison Square Garden as part of Andrea Bocelli's US tour this December. I'm sure you realize the significance of someone debuting in front of a crowd that could be upwards of 20,000 people. It's an incredible feat.

One of the really beautiful things that Bocelli has done for other artists is brought them on tour with him, which gives them enormous levels of recognition they might not get otherwise simply because of the vast amount of people that crowd into these stadiums to hear him sing.

Ayanna, who joins me today in the Classical Post studio, finds herself with that exciting opportunity—on stage with Bocelli, making a very important splash in New York's iconic venue, Madison Square Garden.

I personally find her artistry so vibrant, exuding a light that is just exciting to be around. We discuss her musical origins that are very much grounded in numerous genres—coupled with her education as being a seriously trained classical musician at Manhattan School of Music—and producing a sound that is uniquely hers, flavored with alternative R&B.

This sound world is particularly evident on a new single called "Flow My Tears", recently arranged by John Aram, but originally, the music was written by John Dowland in 1596. Yes, you heard that correctly. It's over 400 years old. Ayanna brings to life Mr. Aram's arrangement of an atmospheric, beat-driven ancient song, now built for streaming online.

I hope you enjoy this conversation with Ayanna Witter-Johnson and that it inspires you to explore this artist who will certainly light up Madison Square Garden this month.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

I know many of you have seen Breaking Bad, the globally popular show. Today's guest has some tracks that are featured on it. He's also got music on Netflix's reboot of the anime series Cowboy Bebop that was just released.

From the beautiful European city of Copenhagen, composer, pianist, and producer Asger Baden joins us on the Classical Post podcast. Also with us in the same virtual studio, the famous Danish Illustrator, John Kenn Mortensen. The two artists actually collaborated on a recent album of Asger's music, released on the Neue Meister label. John did the cover art illustration.

I thought it would be fascinating to have a discussion on creativity and making space for it in our lives. Too often our physical space (at home or at the office) is not conducive to the type of work we do -- that is, to maximize our quality output.

Many in the corporate world have now realized this working from home. But having a comfortable work space is part of how people in the arts have functioned for years. My guests today speak to carving out a zone that helps you produce your best work.

We also speak on how John and Asger view success and their differing viewpoints, as well as their collaboration on this new album.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

We all remember the royal wedding of Prince Harry to the American actress, Meghan Markle, in 2018. I remember getting up early to watch it streamed live as I know many Americans did. Serendipitously, a classical cellist performed in the ceremony that day to a global audience of 2 billion people, in St. George's Chapel at Windsor Castle.

That cellist, Sheku Kanneh-Mason, has since charted a meteoric rise to prominence. This month, he makes his New York Philharmonic debut. He's also just released an album with his sister, the brilliant pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason.

Both Sheku and Isata join me on the Classical Post podcast today to discuss this new album called Muse, released on the Decca Classics label, featuring gorgeous works by Rachmaninoff and Barber.

Listen to this discussion about how these siblings create art together. But also, hear a brief snapshot into Sheku's New York Philharmonic debut and what it was like for him performing at the royal wedding.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

Mark Ainley has become quite an authority in historic recordings of classical pianists. His highly-regarded Facebook page, The Piano Files with Mark Ainley, delves into how pianists in the late 19th and early 20th centuries played the instrument.  Concurrently, he is a consultant in the Chinese art of Feng Shui and has been helping people integrate principles of nature to create a sense of balance in their homes and businesses.

I spoke with Mark specifically on how you could draw parallels between these two worlds -- the Western art of classical music and the Eastern art of Feng Shui. To my surprise, there are more related ideas than you might think.

Mark articulates both art forms in a way that is digestible, and I hope it stimulates your own thoughts as you approach your work. I know I personally find value in being able to look at something that might seem disparate, but draw parallels. That drive for curiosity keeps me fresh and I hope it will for you, too.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.

Grammy Award-winning baritone Lucas Meachem just released his first-ever solo album called Shall We Gather. It's a collection of American art songs that celebrate resilience and togetherness. His wife, Irina, the dynamic collaborative pianist, joins him on this album.

For those of you who might not know, Lucas Meachem is one of the most in-demand opera singers right now. He opens this season at LA Opera in Tannhaüser, then later appears at the Metropolitan Opera in La Bohème, followed by London's Royal Opera House in Madama Butterfly. It's certainly one of those high-gloss, jet-set lives, but he's so down to earth.

Both Irina and Lucas join me on the Classical Post podcast today where we discuss the profound questions that their album poses. For example, it makes you question: Should we connect? Should we physically be together? Should we be distanced?

As Irina points out, music is here to heal and to inspire. As the performing arts continue to return and gain traction again with larger audiences around the world, this album is a poignant milestone to contemplate. It's a type of cathartic unpacking of the turbulent period we all just experienced.

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Classical Post® is created and produced by ⁠Gold Sound Media⁠® LLC, a New York-based marketing agency for the performing arts industry. Explore how we can ⁠grow your audience⁠ to make a lasting impact in your community.