Creative Baggage

Bailey and Serena share their revelations on how much their expectations for themselves as flutists went against their natural tendencies and personalities. They discuss the conflicting desires to "be like" the people they admired and "be original," confronting just how much they have romanticized the path to becoming a "perfect" classical musician. Get ready for an in-depth and abstract 50-minute summary of a 5-hour phone call between Bailey and Serena.

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Use code CREATIVEBAGGAGE code for 25% off of both of Heidi's digital video courses: The Podcasting Musician & The Corporate Sponsorship classes.

(Valid until 12/31/23)

In this episode, we talk to a very special guest - Serena's former flute teacher Bart Feller! Serena shares the lessons she learned from Bart in high school, and how some of them have changed meaning or truly begun to click over time. We also discuss what it means to be a compassionate teacher and mentor at various stages of a young person's development.

Bart Feller is Principal Flute of the New Jersey Symphony, New York City Opera and Santa Fe Opera Orchestras. He has appeared with the New York Philharmonic, Orpheus Chamber Orchestra, Bargemusic and the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center. Mr. Feller has also appeared as concerto soloist with the Philadelphia Orchestra, St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and the Jupiter Symphony. He is a graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, where his teachers included Julius Baker and John Krell; he has also worked extensively with Keith Underwood. Among the summer festivals he has participated in are the Marlboro Music Festival, OK Mozart International Festival, Colorado College Chamber Music Festival, Napa Valley Chamber Music Festival, and the Grand Teton Music Festival. Mr. Feller is Professor of Flute at Rutgers University/Mason Gross School of the Arts, and teaches in the Pre-College Division of The Juilliard School.

https://www.bartfeller.net

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Episode Sponsor: ⁠https://heidikaybegay.com/shop/⁠

Use code CREATIVEBAGGAGE code for 25% off of both of Heidi's digital video courses: The Podcasting Musician & The Corporate Sponsorship classes.

(Valid until 12/31/23)

This episode is part of our series in collaboration with the hosts of the Classical Gabfest Podcast - conductors Tiffany Lu, William White, and Kensho Watanabe. Please go check out their show, and their episode featuring us!

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Emerging onto the international stage, Kensho Watanabe is fast becoming one of the most exciting and versatile young conductors to come out of the United States. Recently recognized as a recipient of a Career Assistance Award by the Solti Foundation U.S, Kensho will make his Metropolitan Opera debut next season, conducting Kevin Puts’ The Hours. Assistant Conductor of The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2016 to 2019, Kensho made his critically acclaimed subscription debut with the Orchestra and pianist, Daniil Trifonov, taking over from his mentor Yannick Nézet-Séguin. He would continue on to conduct four subscription concerts with the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2019, in addition to debuts at the Bravo! Vail Festival and numerous concerts at the Mann and Saratoga Performing Arts Centres.

Recent highlights include Kensho’s debuts with the London Philharmonic and Tokyo Philharmonic Orchestras, Orchestre National du Capitole de Toulouse, Rhode Island Philharmonic as well as his Finnish debut with the Jyväskylä Sinfonia. Kensho has also enjoyed collaborations with the Houston Symphony, Royal Scottish National Orchestra, Detroit Symphony, Brussels Philharmonic and the BBC National Orchestra of Wales, the Seiji Ozawa Matsumoto Festival, and the Orchestre Metropolitain in Montreal.

Equally at home in both symphonic and operatic repertoire, Watanabe has led numerous operas with the Curtis Opera Theatre, most recently Puccini’s La rondine in 2017 and La bohème in 2015. Additionally, he served as assistant conductor to Yannick Nézet-Séguin on a new production of Strauss’ Elektra at Montréal Opera. This season, Watanabe will conduct Mozart’s Le Nozze di Figaro at the Seiji Ozawa Music Academy.

Watanabe has previously been the inaugural conducting fellow of the Curtis Institute of Music from 2013 to 2015, under the mentorship of Nézet-Séguin. An accomplished violinist, Watanabe received his master of music degree from the Yale School of Music and served as a substitute violinist in The Philadelphia Orchestra from 2012 to 2016.

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We’re super excited to announce that we’re piloting a database of opportunities for creatives like you! The database features scholarships, grants, internships, & more. It will be updated monthly with new links, opportunities, and deadlines. All you have to do to access the database is sign up for our newsletter at creativebaggagepodcast.com

This episode is part of our series in collaboration with the hosts of the Classical Gabfest Podcast - conductors Tiffany Lu, William White, and Kensho Watanabe. Please go check out their show, and their episode featuring us!

William C. White is a conductor, composer, teacher, writer, and performer based in Seattle, WA where he serves as music director of Harmonia, a unique performing ensemble comprised of a chorus and orchestra that concertize as one. For four seasons (2011-15) he served as Assistant Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra. A noted pedagogue, he has led some of the nation’s finest youth orchestra programs, including Portland’s Metropolitan Youth Symphony and the Cincinnati Symphony Youth Orchestra. Mr. White maintains a significant career as a composer of music for the concert stage, theater, cinema, church, radio, and film. His music has been performed throughout North America as well as in Asia and Europe. His music has been recorded on the MSR Classics, Navonna, and Cedille Record labels. Recordings of his works can be heard at his web site, www.willcwhite.com, where he also maintains a blog and publishing business. Mr. White earned a masters degree in Conducting from Indiana University’s Jacobs School of Music, and a BA in Music from the University of Chicago. In 2004, he began attending the Pierre Monteux School for Conductors under the tutelage of Michael Jinbo, later serving as the school’s Conducting Associate, then as its Composer-in-Residence. Mr. White is producer and co-host of The Classical Gabfest, a weekly podcast about the ever-changing world of classical music. He hails from Bethesda, MD, where he began his musical training as a violist.

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We’re super excited to announce that we’re piloting a database of opportunities for creatives like you! The database features scholarships, grants, internships, & more. It will be updated monthly with new links, opportunities, and deadlines. All you have to do to access the database is sign up for our newsletter at creativebaggagepodcast.com

This episode is part of our series in collaboration with the hosts of the Classical Gabfest Podcast - conductors Tiffany Lu, William White, and Kensho Watanabe. Please go check out their show, and their episode featuring us! (Apple Podcasts)

Conductor Tiffany Lu hails from Tampa, FL as well as the D.C.-Maryland region. In 2020, she joined the faculty of Sewanee University of the South as Visiting Assistant Professor and Music Director of the Sewanee Symphony Orchestra. Lu currently also serves as Conducting Associate of the Pierre Monteux School and Music Festival (Hancock, ME), Assistant Conductor with the Prince Georges’ Philharmonic (Bowie, MD), and Associate Conductor with the Capital City Symphony (Washington, D.C.). During the 2019-2020 season, Lu debuted as guest conductor with Symphony New Hampshire and the Millikin-Decatur Symphony Orchestra. From 2015-2020, she was Music Director of the Wilmington Community Orchestra, and Assistant Conductor with the Capital City Symphony, creating groundbreaking and creative programming. She was also selected as Conducting Fellow for the Allentown Symphony in 2019 and 2020. Tiffany’s diverse skill set includes professional work as a performing violinist (Chattanooga Symphony, The Florida Orchestra, Annapolis Symphony Orchestra), music librarian (Sewanee Summer Music Festival, National Orchestral Institute, DC Youth Orchestra Program, and the Music School of Delaware), and recording producer (Smithsonian Chamber Players, Virginia Symphony Orchestra). She also co-hosts a podcast, The Classical Gabfest.​

Lu holds degrees from Princeton University, Ithaca College, and the University of Maryland.

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We’re super excited to announce that we’re piloting a database of opportunities for creatives like you! The database features scholarships, grants, internships, & more. It will be updated monthly with new links, opportunities, and deadlines. All you have to do to access the database is sign up for our newsletter at creativebaggagepodcast.com

CREATIVE BAGGAGE CANDID CONVERSATIONS AT NEXTNOW FEST PART 5

In September 2020, Bailey, Serena, & Justin went to the University of Maryland to host a live podcast interview series with students at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's NextNOW Fest. For the final installment of our series from the event, enjoy this dynamic discussion with Nick Lazarus, Luke Max, and Bryan Lawrence of the Maryland-based band "The Missing Peace"!

"The Missing Peace" LinkTree: https://linktr.ee/themissingpeace

Socials: @tmptheband

CREATIVE BAGGAGE CANDID CONVERSATIONS AT NEXTNOW FEST PART 3 In September 2020, Bailey, Serena, & Justin went to the University of Maryland to host a live podcast interview series with students at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's NextNOW Fest. In this episode, we hear from unique creators of crafts we admire. We discuss the inherent value of art, the creative process, and more. This is the third of our 5-part series from this event! 

Student guests for this episode: Bryan, Jack, Nathan, Sarah, Jordan, Gersen, Noam Elfasi 

Noam’s Etsy: https://www.etsy.com/shop/QueenCupsCrafts

CREATIVE BAGGAGE CANDID CONVERSATIONS AT NEXTNOW FEST PART 2

In September 2020, Bailey, Serena, & Justin went to the University of Maryland to host a live podcast interview series with students at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's NextNOW Fest. We asked the group a series of philosophical questions, and again we were truly amazed at the thoughtful responses and discussion we had. This is the second of our 5-part series from this event!

Student guests for this episode: Lamar, John From New Jersey, Dylan from New Jersey, Amara, Marianna, Kai, Ganji Dance Club, Caroline

Learn more about Ganji: https://terplink.umd.edu/organization/kpdc

CREATIVE BAGGAGE CANDID CONVERSATIONS AT NEXTNOW FEST PART 1

In September 2020, Bailey, Serena, & Justin went to the University of Maryland to host a live podcast interview series with students at the Clarice Smith Performing Arts Center's NextNOW Fest. We had a candid conversation about interdisciplinary projects, hopes for the future, and the concept of doing it all. We asked hard-hitting questions, and we were truly amazed at the thoughtful responses and discussion we had. This is the first of our 5-part series from this event!

Student guests for this episode: Aishwarya, Kai, Sabrina, Matt, Flower STEM (Orben & Vincent)

NextNow Artwork: https://theclarice.umd.edu/content/nextnow-fest-2021

Flower STEM: https://terplink.umd.edu/organization/flowerstem

“Flower STEM is a student-led organization dedicated to promoting creativity within the fields of science, technology, engineering, and mathematics (STEM) by showcasing interdisciplinary applications where STEM and artistry collide. We want to change the stigma that STEM is restrictive, convoluted, and monotonous by promoting diverse and inviting atmospheres. Our members design and showcase creative projects where they can explore new concepts and learn the skills they want for their careers in a creative and fun manner. To encourage our members to blossom further, Flower STEM hosts expert-led masterclasses, offers a big-little style mentorship program, and partakes on community projects”.

Special thanks to Selia Myers for inviting us to this amazing event!