Down the Pit

In part 2 of our conversation, we continue our conversation with violinist/singer-songwriter Charles Yang in which he talks about how he got into singing, the violin he plays on, crazy and boozy stories while on tour, #AsianHateCrime, the importance of friendship, his sources of inspiration, the future generation of artists, the future of "classical" music, and more.

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Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

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Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

Producer: Sami Merdinian

Assistant Producer: Darci Griffith Gamerl

Recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award, Juilliard graduate Charles Yang was born and raised in Austin, Texas. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. On June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own "Charles Yang Day".  In 2016 Mr. Yang joined the crossover string-band, Time for Three.

We are so thrilled to share this first part of our super fun conversation with Charles in which he talks about growing up in Austin, having his mom as a teacher, his interests in different genres, being a bad kid, his life on tour, how he deals with nerves on stage, working remotely on a score for a film during the pandemic, and more.

Please Subscribe, Rate us, and leave Comments to let us know how we are doing and with suggestions!

To become a Down the Pit supporter for as little as $0.99/month, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

Producer: Sami Merdinian

Assistant Producer: Darci Griffith Gamerl

Welcome to Season 2!

Born and raised in Chicago, Anthony McGill has carved an incredible career and is one of the most influential figures in classical music. He is equally recognized as an orchestra musician, a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic after a decade with the Metropolitan Opera, he’s the first African-American principal player in the orchestra's history.

By listening to Anthony throughout our conversation, you will get a sense of his humanity, his passion, his beliefs in the power of music, the importance of community and his great humor!

Part 2 of the interview includes topics like performing for President Barack Obama's 2008 Inauguration, the Take Two Knees movement, the Met Orchestra, the NY Philharmonic and being the first African-American principal player of the orchestra, the similarities of playing his instrument and golf, and a lit more.

Please Subscribe, Rate us, and leave Comments to let us know how we are doing and with suggestions!

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

Welcome to Season 2!

Born and raised in Chicago, Anthony McGill has carved an incredible career and is one of the most influential figures in classical music. He is equally recognized as an orchestra musician, a chamber musician, soloist, and teacher. Principal clarinetist of the New York Philharmonic after a decade with the Metropolitan Opera, he’s the first African-American principal player in the orchestra's history.

By listening to Anthony throughout our conversation, you will get a sense of his humanity, his passion, his beliefs in the power of music, the importance of community and his great humor!

Part 1 of 2 episodes, includes topics like his upbringings in Chicago's South Side, the importance of family, his orchestral audition experiences , his love for teaching, his inspirations, his work at The Juilliard School's Music Advancement Program where he serves as Artistic Director, the Avery Fisher Prize and so much more.

Please Subscribe, Rate us, and leave Comments to let us know how we are doing and with suggestions!

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

In this episode we talk with Australian classical guitarist Scott Borg. Every artist has a story, and Scott's is a very interesting and unique one.

In our conversation we talk about his upbringings in rural Australia, performing for cows, kangaroos vs camels, the shock of moving to NYC, ethics and being a good person, his exciting projects coming up, his revolutionary arrangements, sports and we learn a lot about the guitar world!

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Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

In today's episode, we talk with Carlos Tome, Director, Co-owner and Head of Sales at Tarisio. Carlos oversees all private sales of Tarisio’s New York and London offices and has played a major role in the critical success of recent auction sales, many of which set world records. 

Some of the many topics we discuss includes growing up in his native Madrid, the difference of music education between Spain and the US, the cultural shock of moving to NYC, taking advantage of opportunities, the humanizing and healing power of music, finding inspiration in musicians' creativity, wearing different hats within the music industry, his dealings with customs, his dreams, his anecdotes, and a lot more.

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

In today's episode, we talk with Daniela Candillari, Serbian-Slovenian Conductor and Composer whose charisma, work ethic, passion for music and musical intuition has brought her great recognition and catapulted her career, leading some fantastic opera productions around the world. — The Chicago Tribune writes: “Some of the most wondrous music-making emerged from the orchestra, conductor Daniela Candillari bringing forth poetically turned phrases and shimmering instrumental color.” 

In our conversation we talk about her start in music in the ex-Yugoslavia, and her journey between Vienna, Indiana that led her to settle in NYC. We discuss her secrets to achieve memorable performances, some anecdotes about her life as a composer and conductor, as well as her mother bribing her to practice piano, the importance of always learning as much as humanly possible, her hobbies, how to win an orchestra over, and so much more.

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts:

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

In today's episode, we talk with Thomas Masse, former Deputy Dean and Associate Provost for the Arts at Yale University and current professor at Stetson University. We discuss his journey, the many career paths in music, stories about his years at Yale, how to deal with negativity, the importance of mentorship, the future of classical music and much more. 

Please Follow us, Rate us, and leave your Comments!

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod

Facebook: Down the Pit

Co-hosts: 

Sami Merdinian: @samimerdinian

Ian Loew: @lunchmeat1836

Growing up in a non-musical family and a community that revolves around its professional football team, violinist Wayne Lin shares his experiences  that led him to the Juilliard School and to currently being the acting Concertmaster of the Seoul Philharmonic in South Korea. Orchestra life, audition process, parenthood, a life of adjustments, and of course, some fun experiences, cheese curds and football in this "fiery" episode. 

Please Follow us, Rate us, and leave your Comments! 

To become a Down the Pit supporter, please visit www.Anchor.FM/Down-the-Pit.

Twitter & Instagram: @downthepit_pod 

Facebook: Down the Pit