Out of Rich Darkness

Johnny Gandelsman

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We were thrilled to have Johnny Gandelsman on our podcast. Elena first met Johnny in the late 1990s and he has made a fascinating career ever since.

As a founding member of Brooklyn Rider and a member of the Silkroad Ensemble, Johnny has closely worked with such luminaries as Bela Fleck, Martin Hayes, Kayhan Kalhor, Yo-Yo Ma, Mark Morris, Anne Sofie Van Otter, Alim Qasimov & Fargana Qasimova, Joshua Redman, Suzanne Vega, Abigail Washburn and Damian Woetzel. He has appeared with Bono, David Byrne, Renee Fleming, Rhiannon Giddens, I'm With Her, Christian McBride, and many others.

Here are some of the topics we covered in this long and fascinating conversation:

  • The Russian school of violin playing and crying in lessons
  • The Wild Ginger Philharmonic, a student-founded orchestra Elena and Johnny both played in in the 1990s, and how the innovative aspects of it influenced how he makes music now
  • How he approaches music education for his own children— music and soccer and pure passion for childhood pursuits
  • Missing out on childhood and choosing your own path
  • “There isn’t some higher being that knows everything there is to know about how to play Mozart or Beethoven and they will tell you and then you’ll do it and you’ll be perfect.”
  • What is the ‘right way’ to interpret a score? Curiosity and inquiry in interpretation
  • Brooklyn Rider’s omnivorous approach to music-making and collaborations with amazing musicians from genres across the board
  • Different kinds of improvisation and learning to assimilate new styles
  • The Bach cello suites on the violin
  • What would a creative musical education look like?
  • Brooklyn RIder’s album Healing Modes, which asked 5 different composers what healing means to them in a variety of contexts
  • Celebrating great living composers and the joy of being able to ask them questions about their intentions
  • Bringing music into the middle of our lives and the power of just being in a room together with people
  • Performers taking their audiences for granted
  • “You cannot create magic without the active participation of the audience”
  • Taking risks in performance and creating memorable moments
  • Making the concert hall a place where people can really be themselves as they can at home while watching a livestream (but maybe with pants on)
  • Pandemic pursuits: sourdough baking, playing the ukulele, time with family

    • You can learn more about Johnny and find tour dates on his website: https://johnnygandelsman.com/

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    Out of Rich DarknessBy C Savage-Kroll and E Cheah
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