Teagan Faran is a remarkable violinist known for her versatility as a performer, composer, and improviser. In this episode, you’ll hear selections from her album Middle Child—a compelling and genre-spanning musical journey featuring works by acclaimed contemporary composers, as well as Tegan’s own reimagining of Brahms’ beloved Intermezzo.

A Fulbright grant recipient, Tegan spent nine months in Argentina delving into the rich traditions of tango and regional folk music. She shared insights about her time there, along with stories of collaboration and mentorship, including her work with the Grammy-nominated ensemble Palaver Strings and the electroacoustic duo Persephone & the Phoenix.

Tegan has also built a dynamic career as an educator and has studied under renowned teachers like Danielle Belen. In our conversation, we touched on her diverse teaching experiences, the importance of injury prevention, and her parallel path as a certified personal trainer. My website link takes you to the video and transcript.

Teagan Faran Website

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Other episodes you may enjoy: Julie Lyonn Lieberman

Meg Okura

Martha Mooke, bad snacks, and Margaret Maria among so many!

photo: Naomi Vand

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(01:53) album Middle Child with clip of Brahms Intermezzo

(05:42) Davis West, with clip of Outermezzo, Deedee Bridgewater

(08:44) Palaver Strings

(15:58) FARAHMS Misha Vayman with clip

(17:59) Persephone & the Phoenix Duo Nicole Brancato

(22:51) Casimiro by Julián Granciano with clip, tango, learning in Argentina

(28:31) Little Things album, sheet music with clip of El Silbador

(34:22) other linked episodes and ways to support this series

(35:11) stir crazy by Carlos Simon with clip, Leo Sussman

(37:01) mentor Matt Albert

(40:41) musical and personal identity

(44:24) mentor Danielle Belen, concert presentation, teaching, Ithica, Sphinx

(53:06) career advice, exploring instruments

(56:29) Temptress Jens Ibsen with clip

(59:37) personal trainer, avoiding injury

I’m joined by the extraordinary Olcay Bayir, a British singer-songwriter of Kurdish Alevi origin, originally from Turkey. Olcay opens up about the challenges of immigrating as a teenager, her classical training in opera, and how she has forged her own unique musical path.

You’ll hear clips from her 2024 album Tu Gulî, along with selections from her earlier projects, featuring songs in several languages. Her rich voice and evocative arrangements breathe new life into Anatolian folk traditions, offering a vibrant and powerful reimagining of this timeless music.

In our conversation, Olcay shares:

• Insights into Alevi culture and spirituality
• How she honours the strength and stories of Anatolian women
• her creative process and inspiration from masterful collaborators

As always, you can watch this episode on my YouTube channel or listen on your favourite podcast platform. A full transcript is also available, all linked on my website

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Other episodes I suggest: Omo Bello

Sophie Lukacs

Gilad Weiss

Shahriyar Jamshidi

Ali Omar El-Farouk

Shirley Kazuyo Muramoto

(00:00) Intro

(01:54) Songline Music Festival, BBC project, Babel Music Expo inspiration

(04:05) album Tu Gul î

(07:32) clip of Edlê with Olcay’s intro, from Tu Gul î

(08:15) Songwriting, performing in 4 languages, diversity of Anatolian cultures

(12:15) Alevi culture

(15:12) clip of Ötme Bülbül with Olcay’s intro, poet Pir Sultan Abdal

(17:18) choices in instrumentation and arrangements, Ignacio Monteverde

(19:46) clip of Ay Dilberê with Olcay’s intro, poet Feqiyê Teyran

(21:27) the sad story of Husna, with clip

(25:56) childhood in Turkey, how music helped her with the challenges of immigration

(29:09) clips of Daha Senden Gayrı Aşık Mı Yoktur? and Nare, Nare with Olcay’s commentary

(32:46) Other epiosdes you’ll enjoy and ways to help this series

(33:49) opera studies, early musical experiences, coaching vocal technique

(36:51) performance skills

(40:10) 2nd album Rüya, clip of Yar Dedi, creative process

(42:21) içerde EP, Help Musicians UK, clip of Lost Child

(46:15) newfound joy in baking and cooking as a creative pursuit, buying the albums on Bandcamp

Joel Styzens is a composer and multi-instrumentalist whose career as a drummer was transformed due to sudden hearing damage. He talked to me about dealing with the physical and psychological effets of hyper acusis and tinnitus, the beauty of hammered dulcimer, and you’ll hear clips from his first 2 albums Relax Your Ears and Resonance. He’s a music educator who loves to help students to make discoveries on their own and we spoke about Joel’s passion for all kinds of artistic expression, and his positive recent experience at the Ragdale Artist residency. Joel’s personal story is so inspiring, and his music is so beautiful; please check out his albums .

You can also watch this on YouTube and the Transcript is also linked to my website

Support this series! It’s a joy to bring these inspiring episodes to you every week, and I do all the many jobs of research, production and publicity. Would you like to know about upcoming guests? Newsletter sign-up

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Other episodes you'll like: Jack Hui Litster Kirsten Agresta Copely Margaret Maria

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Photo of Joel: Sarah Boudreau

(00:00) Intro (02:49) Joel’s sudden hearing problems (09:47) meeting his wife through his music with clip of Viv (17:51) inspired from the Botanic Gardens in Chicago (20:28) video clip from Waterfall Garden featuring hammered dulcimer (20:32) clip from Burijji (24:51) David’s Dulcimers (28:52) dealing with tinnitus and hyperacusis (34:39) support from family, clips of Lifeline and Memento M (38:34) Other episodes you’ll like and ways to support this series (39:26) cellists Sophie Webber, Katinka Kleijn, ATLYS string quartet, Rob Clearfield (41:41) teaching multi-instrumentalist approach (53:32) Ragdale residency, exploring different forms of creative expression

Amanda Martinez writes and records mostly in Spanish, the language of her Mexican dad who biked all the way from Mexico to Canada, and you’ll learn how Amanda’s recent album Recuerdo helped her process her grief going through the illness and death of her father. Amanda is also an actor, and you’ll hear about some of her experiences acting, including My Little Pony, Kim’s Convenience and Rosie’s Rules for which she has composed songs. Amanda came to her acting and music career after pursuing science and business, and you’ll be inspired to hear how she navigated serious personal challenges to following her true path. She shares great wisdom about the importance of talking about mental health and also some of her personal tips for living a full and fullfilled life. You’ll be hearing clips from a few songs from the album Recuerdo, as well as Libérame from Libre featuring Kellylee Evans. You’ll also find Martinez’s music on several Putamayo world music compilation albums. Please check out the links to other episodes you'll like below. Transcript and video on my website

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Libérame video

Other episodes you'll like:

Kellylee Evans

Jean Rohe

Fern Lindzon

Jah’Mila

Kavisha Mazzella

Shakura S’aida

(00:00) Intro

(02:33) album Recuerdo, Amanda’s dad Gustavo

(10:55) the band

(12:36) clip of Sol de Ayer

(13:30) Afro-Cuban influence, long-time collaborators

(14:59) identity as a musician, mentors

(18:55) grief, song with Aviva Chernick

(21:22) clip of No te vayas

(22:42) performing in South Africa

(25:56) Amanda’s teen years

(28:17) Other episodes you’ll like and ways to support this series!

(29:11) love of dance

(31:21) writing lyrics in Spanish

(33:16) clip of Release Me

(34:00) mental health challenges and background in business

(46:01) Libérame with Kellylee Evans (link to video in show notes)

(49:40) Namibia SOS Children’s Villages

(53:38) Acting career, Rosie’s Rules, My Little Pony, Ari Posner, Carl the Collecctor

(59:33) typecasting, Kim’s Convenience, memorizing lines

(01:04:40) personal routines and mental health, family

Heather Taves is an acclaimed Canadian pianist, also a composer, improviser, educator and writer.

She spoke to me about her unique and inspiring Beethoven Journey, her popular weekly blog which she started in 2023 , paired with performances of all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. We talked about getting to know Beethoven as a person and her fascinating research about many women that are part of this history. We also talked about Heather’s work as an educator, developing creativity and approaching teaching music from different angles. She spoke about her mentors including pianist Gil Kalish and writer Diane Shoemperlen, and her experiences travelling around the world by herself.

You can also watch this on my YouTube channel, transcript and complete show notes with suggested episodes too on my website!

Heather Taves website

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Waves Play from East Coast Suite

Arabesque in C major by R. Schumann

photo: Terry Manzo

(00:00) Intro

(02:25) Beethoven Journey, Nanette Streicher, sonata cycle

(08:32) Jan and Jean Narveson, Anton Kuerti, women interpreters research

(17:52) clip of R. Schumann Arabesque in C major (album linked in show notes)

(19:30) Heather’s childhood

(22:11) East Coast Suite, Toccata based on Fibonacci series

(23:14) Waves Play Toccata by Heather Taves from East Coast Suite

(25:49)Creative Projects, helping students to find their voice

(32:44) getting to know Beethoven the person

(38:39) performing from memory

(41:20) Gil Kalish

(45:48) other episodes you’ll like and ways to support this series

(46:42) Beethoven journey blog

(59:18) writing mentor Diane Schoemperlen

(01:043:23) Dame Myra Hess

(01:07:54) Heather’s life as a composer, her father

(01:11:35) world trip, questioning identity

(01:16:48) final reflections on the life of a performer

Archive highlight, originally released in 2023: Renée Yoxon is a trans non-binary singer, songwriter, jazz musician, and trans voice teacher.

Renee shares some beautiful and inspiring performances from their albums, as well as stories from life as a disabled person and how their disability and chronic pain has guided the direction of their career. We talk about their musical development, and their experiences both bad and good as they navigated their musical education (after finishing a degree in physics!). Renée explains the kind of work they do with trans vocal exploration and we dive into all kinds of topics in the usual tangential style of this series.

The transcript and video are linked here on my website

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Renée Yoxon website

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photo: Laurence Philomène

podcast theme music: Nick Kold

Timestamps:

(00:00:00) Intro

(00:01:21) Renée’s physics degree, start in school band, Jazz Works camp

(00:04:19) free improv group, intergenerational friendships

(00:06:38) intro to “Willow Weep for Me” by Ann Ronell

(00:08:53) “Willow Weep for Me” with René Gely

(00:13:57) piano, ukulele

(00:15:26) “Beautiful Alchemy”, film with Teagan Lance and album

(00:17:14) “Terrible Alchemy”

(00:23:19) Blossom Dearie

(00:23:52) worldless improv

(00:24:37) studies in New York, living as a disabled person, vocal technique

(00:29:33) singing in rock band “Gorgeous George”, care of the voice and endurance training

(00:32:20) trans voice aleration, TikTok success, pitch lowering, taking risks and learning to be silly

(00:40:14) gender presentation and gender identity

(00:42:35) ways we can alter the voice

(00:45:09) different languages in terms of vocal alteration, vocal fry and gendered cutural coding for vocal characteristics

(00:47:52) TikTok

(00:49:22) teaching Trans Voice Alteration to other teachers

(00:51:45) the importance of teaching business skills to musicians, University of Limerick, Edel Meade

(00:55:58) Banff, McGill, growing up in Ottawa, the importance of mentors, Mark Ferguson, René Gely

(01:00:29) social anxiety, speaking in public with a different voice or new language

(01:02:38) different people who take Renée’s courses on voice alteration

(01:03:18) songwriting, Aoife McAtamney Pink Breath

(01:04:27) “Drinking Coffee”

(01:08:58) songs “The Bad Years” about their chronic illness

(01:10:27) Kazaa music sharing, learning jazz repertoire

(01:12:53) Renée’s perspective on the music industry as a disabled person, and experiences at McGill university with lack of accessibility

(01:17:46) Mx non-binary honorific, the importance of pronouns

(01:20:32) disability rights, more about their McGill experience

(01:22:45) Montreal

This was originally aired in 2023. Ceara Conway is an Irish contemporary vocalist and visual artist, and this episode features music from her album CAOIN as well as excerpts from some of her other projects. I find Ceara’s curiosity about so many important topics around arts and culture really inspiring and this conversation circled around to her explorations of different languages and cultures as well as her rootedness as an Irish speaker. She has had many interesting commissions dealing with history, illness, grief, and the natural world. She also spoke to me about some of her roles working with the Clare Arts office with artists with disabilities, how she started her career as a glassblower in Rome and how her upbringing has helped her navigate the world as a freelance artist. The video and transcript are linked here to my website

Ceara Conway website

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(02:36) Ceara’s background,

(17:03) the album CAOIN, Anach Cuain singing in different languages, (27:56) Ceara’s childhood (28:35) glassblowing, start in art and music,

(35:28) books

(41:23) Veriditas project

(43:01) Plant Chant

(49:18) Clare Arts Office Embrace arts and disability program

(56:00) Seoithín Seothó

(01:01:40) Georgian song, choirs

(01:06:17) Dochas

(01:09:05) Hanna Tuulikki, corncrake

(01:13:14) Time to Say Goodbye

(01:16:50) Irish language

photo: Julia Dunin

This week's episode is a highlight from the archive, originally aired in 2023: I was so honoured to have this opportunity to talk with the inspiring Destiny Muhammad, who is a California-based jazz harpist and composer. You’ll get to hear inspiring stories from her life as well as her music. She had a dream to play the harp but didn’t have the opportunity until she was 30 years old. She speaks openly about the challenges in the 1980s due to the crack cocaine trade, her success as a barber, her determination and mentors including John Handy, and her unique perspectives in celebrating the legacies of Dorothy Ashby and Alice Coltrane. I’m sure you’ll be inspired by Destiny’s stories and music! The video and transcript are linked here

Destiny Muhammad website

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I’m excited to feature Bente Illevold, the internationally renowned Norwegian euphonium player who has carved out a unique career path as a euphonium virtuoso. During this podcast, you’ll be hearing clips from some of her albums and live performances, and in the complete show notes on my website you’ll find the links to these specific albums and videos. I first heard about Bente from Katherine Needleman, when she asked Bente to premiere a newly commissioned concert piece for euphonium and piano by Kyrese Washington. Bente will be playing the American premiere of this new work at the International Women’s Brass Conference right after the release of this podcast, and the clip you’re going to hear is from the world premiere performance earlier this spring. Bente talked to me about her exciting new Rendalen Low Brass Seminar and ways to address the problems around inclusivity in the low brass world. She also spoke more broadly about music pedagogy and the importance of careful listening and self-reflection, and she stressed the need for authencity in engaging with our listeners. Video and transcript and all suggested episodes

Bente Illevold website

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Other suggested episodes: Katherine Needleman

Hillary Simms (the rest in the show notes on my website linked above, since I ran out of allowed words here!)

(00:00) Intro

(02:11) Euphonium’s place in the brass world, Kyrese Washington commission from Katherine Needleman

(06:02) International Women’s Brass Conference

(07:57) clip of Sonatine de Larmes by Kyrese Washington from live performance in Oslo, with pianist Monica Tomescu-Rohd

(09:53) euphonium repertoire

(12:30) lack of inclusivity in the low brass world, taking risks

(15:45) collaborations with percussionist Anders Kregnes Hansen, Stig Nordhagen

(18:46) clip from 2nd movement of Baut by Stig Nordhagen

(20:14) problems with lack of community engagement with the arts

(27:29) Music education and advice

(36:58) why Bente loves Marcus Paus’ Notturno Lockdown Lullaby

(42:12) live performance of Marcus Paus’ Notturno Lockdown Lullaby

(45:16) Bente’s approach to writing music, perfectionism in Classical music

(56:48) other episodes linked, ways to support this series

(57:52) about Elbaus’ DSDHT Euphonium with fixed media, with audio clip

(01:00:22) touring, Northern Lights duo with David Earll, Rendalen Low Brass Seminar

(01:09:08) clip of live performance Northern Lights duo (link in show notes)

(01:10:59) lack of inclusion in low brass community, Katherine Needleman, commission from Kyrese Washington

(01:23:13) advice how to keep improving

Martha Anne Toll is a novelist and literary and cultural critic, also a violist whose classical music training informs her artistic practice. She recently published her second novel, Duet for One, a beautiful love story based on the lives of musicians.his book is also about the death of a mother, and releasing this conversation on Mother's Day (in our countries) has a particular resonance for those of us whose mothers have died, and Martha and I talked about processing our own grief. We focused on both this book and her novel Three Muses, which I also recommend. You’ll hear about her high and low points as a violist, different ways she has helped with programs related to social justice, and her involvement in the literary world including supporting less-represented authors. We also talked about the classical music world and living true to your values. Martha Toll comes to writing professionally after a career dedicated to social justice, and she shared some great perspectives on both pursuits.

I've linked Martha's list of book and author suggestions in the complete show notes on my website, where you'll also find other episodes linked that you'll like, the transcript and the video!

Martha Anne Toll website

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(00:00) Intro

(02:34) viola teachers Max Aronoff, Raphael Hillyer

(07:46)novel Duet for One

(09:24) Martha’s parents, book critic, getting published

(11:59) Duet for One

(15:30) excerpt from Duet for One

(18:59) music in the book, continuing to play viola

(24:58) Three Muses, grooming and exploitation

(28:23)Dr. Henri Parens Holocaust survivor, cousin Ellen

(31:17) Three Muses with excerpt

(34:08) other episodes, ways to support this podcast

(34:49 dealing with rejection and grief

(40:05) law school, work in social justice

(46:09) suggested authors (books listed in show notes)

(51:34) characters to meet from her books, joyful family Thanksgiving traditions

(57:37) Martha’s Substack newsletter

(01:00:53) artists’ residencies