Interplay: Conversations in Music with Michael Shapiro

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I had the great pleasure of talking with Maestro Neal Gittleman, music director of the Dayton Philharmonic Orchestra and a champion of progress in orchestral, operatic, and ballet music. Neal's talk with me combines incisive observations about our musical culture, the development of orchestras over long periods of time, and his view of the future of performance. An Interplay not to be missed!

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I had a remarkable talk with Daniel Asia, composer and writer on music. From his lifetime of work in music including his years of teaching on the college level and creating works of great substance and direction, Daniel has a special voice, and I urge you to listen to his guidance of how the present must guide the future of creation and what needs to be done. I am with him in every way!

Please join us for this exciting discussion on this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, to learn more.

Thomas Little is widely known for his incredibly articulate and popular podcast The Classical Nerd. He is a wonderfully great teacher with an enthusiastic wit that compels the viewer to keep on watching and learning. But did you know Thomas is a versatile and brilliant composer?

I recently spoke on Interplay, Conversations in Music, with conductor Donato Cabrera, that rare musician whose every gesture comes from deeply profound musicianship and meaning. I hope you will delve into this talk with a wonderfully warm and engaging personality who is creating great art every moment with a special humanity and caring.

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I spoke to the remarkable Matt Haimovitz, cellist, and leader in the expansion of the cello repertoire. We discussed the influences on Matt's playing, and why is his life and loves are rarely separate from his organic music making. A discussion not to be missed!

Attention musicians (and everyone else): if you're suffering from any discomfort or even pain, it's time to consult with Jennifer Roig-Francoli, a remarkable Alexander Technique teacher and miraculous violinist (and my teacher!). Her new book Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life is just out on Amazon.

In this month's INTERPLAY, Conversations in Music, I speak to my dear friend Kalena Bovell whose conducting is widely recognized and appreciated for its sincerity, deepest musicality, and emotion. Kalena Bovell, conductor, is that rare person whose music making is a wonderful mix of intelligence, beauty, and that special quotient - making everything she touches sing with organic purity.

On this month's INTERPLAY, my talk is with the remarkable violinist and composer COLIN JACOBSEN. Co-founder of Brooklyn Rider and The Knights, Colin is a pathbreaking artist always seeking a vibrant path of expression in whatever he does. This Conversation in Music explores his many views on repertoire, chamber music, solo and orchestral playing. Every note he plays is magical, organic, and deeply felt. And all this comes through in our thrilling and touching INTERPLAY.

On this month's Interplay, a most wonderful Conversation in Music with the uniquely gifted conductor Alexander Soddy. We met whilst he was in New York to conduct at The Met in the remarkable Anthony Minghella production of Puccini's Madama Butterfly. Soddy is a rarity - a musician who can bend a phrase in a dramatic setting with total musicality. Comparisons have been made in the press to Carlos Kleiber, and they are warranted, but Alexander Soddy is surely one of those special artists who puts his all into everything he does. He is an original.