Let's Talk Off The Podium

Ep. 125: Donato Cabrera, conductor.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

Donato Cabrera is the Music Director of the California Symphony and the Las Vegas Philharmonic. He served as the Resident Conductor of the San Francisco Symphony and the Wattis Foundation Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony Youth Orchestra from 2009-2016. Cabrera is one of only a handful of conductors in history who has conducted performances with the San Francisco Symphony, San Francisco Opera, and the San Francisco Ballet.

Since Cabrera's appointment as Music Director in 2013 of the California Symphony, the organization has redefined what it means to be an orchestra in the 21st Century. Under Cabrera’s baton, the California Symphony has reached new artistic heights by implementing innovative programming that emphasizes welcoming newcomers and loyalists alike, building on its reputation for championing music by living composers, and committing to programming music by women and people of color.  Cabrera also oversees the selection process of the California Symphony’s celebrated Young American Composer-in-Residence program, through which the orchestra has supported the burgeoning careers of composers including Mason Bates, Kevin Puts, and the current Composer-in-Residence, Katherine Balch. 

 

Ep. 123: JoAnn Falletta, Grammy-winning conductor.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this podcast JoAnn Falletta talks about working with composers, programming, staying connected with the audience during the pandemic, advice to young musicians, and much more.

Grammy-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta serves as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra and the Virginia Symphony Orchestra, Principal Guest Conductor of the Brevard Music Center and Artistic Adviser of the Hawaii Symphony Orchestra. Hailed for having “Toscanini’s tight control over ensemble, Walter’s affectionate balancing of inner voices, Stokowski’s gutsy showmanship, and a controlled frenzy worthy of Bernstein”, she is a leading force for the music of our time. Ms. Falletta has guest conducted over a hundred orchestras in North America, and many of the most prominent orchestras in Europe, Asia, South America and Africa. In 2019-20 she will guest conduct orchestras in Ireland, Sweden, Germany, Mexico, Brazil and across the US.

Upon her appointment as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, Falletta became the first woman to lead a major America ensemble. Celebrating her 20th anniversary with the Buffalo Philharmonic this season, she has been credited with bringing the Philharmonic to an unprecedented level of national and international prominence. The orchestra has become one of the leading recording orchestras for Naxos and returned twice to Carnegie Hall, first in 2004 after a 20-year absence, and again in 2013 as part of the Spring for Music Festival. In 2018, the BPO made their first international tour in three decades, to perform at Warsaw’s prestigious Beethoven Easter Festival where Falletta made history as the first American women conductor to lead an orchestra at the Festival. She and the BPO have been honored with numerous ASCAP awards, including the top award for Adventurous Programming, Other accomplishments include the establishment of the orchestra’s Beau Fleuve label, the founding of the JoAnn Falletta International Guitar Concerto Competition in partnership with WNED, four successful tours of Florida, and the national and international broadcast of concerts on NPR’s Performance Today, SymphonyCast, and the European Broadcasting Union.

For more information about JoAnn Falletta please visit: http://www.joannfalletta.com

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 123: Lisa Bielawa, composer and vocalist.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this podcast Bielawa talks about a recent project called Broadcast from Home, work with Philip Glass, time at Yale, various major projects and much more.

Composer, producer, and vocalist Lisa Bielawa is a Rome Prize winner in Musical Composition and takes inspiration for her work from literary sources and close artistic collaborations. Her music has been described as “ruminative, pointillistic and harmonically slightly tart,” by The New York Times. She is the recipient of the 2017 Music Award from the American Academy of Arts & Letters and was named a William Randolph Hearst Visiting Artist Fellow at the American Antiquarian Society for 2018. 

Bielawa consistently executes work that incorporates community-making as part of her artistic vision. She has created music for public spaces in Lower Manhattan, the banks of the Tiber River in Rome, on the sites of former airfields in Berlin in San Francisco, and to mark the 30th anniversary of the fall of the Berlin Wall. Her music has recently been premiered at the NY PHIL BIENNIAL, Lincoln Center, Carnegie Hall, The Kennedy Center, SHIFT Festival, and Naumburg Orchestral Concerts, among others. She will have her second residency as a performer/composer at John Zorn’s venue The Stone in March 2020. Orchestras that have championed her music include the The Knights, Boston Modern Orchestra Project, American Composers Orchestra, and the Orlando Philharmonic. Premieres of her work have been commissioned and presented by the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, Brooklyn Rider, Seattle Chamber Music Society, American Guild of Organists, and more. 

Bielawa began touring as the vocalist with the Philip Glass Ensemble in 1992 and in 2019 she became the inaugural Composer-in-Residence and Chief Curator of the Philip Glass Institute at The New School. In 1997 Bielawa cofounded the MATA Festival, which celebrates the work of young composers, and for five years she was the artistic director of the San Francisco Girls Chorus. 

She received a 2018 Los Angeles Area Emmy nomination for her unprecedented, made-for-TV-and-online opera Vireo: The Spiritual Biography of a Witch's Accuser, created with librettist Erik Ehn and director Charles Otte. Vireowas filmed in twelve parts in locations across the country and features over 350 musicians. Vireo was released on CD/DVD in 2019 (Orange Mountain Music) and she is also recorded on the Tzadik, TROY, Innova, BMOP/sound, Supertrain Records, Sono Luminus, and Cedille labels.

For more information about Lisa Bielawa please visit: www.lisabielawa.net

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 122: Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this episode we talk about their new album, working with Leo Brouwer, commissions, hobbies, working in time of a pandemic and much more.

Hailed as a “revelation to hear” by The Washington Post, the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo’s phenomenal musicianship places them solidly at the top of their field. Their innovative programming, matchless technique and ensemble precision, combined with their commitment to expanding the repertoire for guitar duo, make them a chamber ensemble of world renown.

For more information about the Newman & Oltman Guitar Duo please visit: https://www.guitarduo.com/about-the-duo/

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

After numerous appearances on the podcast, George and I decided to start a recurring series.

In this podcast we talk about state of orchestras during the pandemic, the future of orchestras if things continue to stay the way they are, community orchestras in central/eastern Europe and the benefits and negatives of state sponsored orchestras/organizations. We also talk about how upcoming projects will be implemented and programming post pandemic.

Ep. 120: Bob Lord, CEO of PARMA Recordings

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this episode Bob Lord talks about building the PARMA Recordings, job of a CEO, journey as a bassist and his new single. He also discusses the future of his company, memorable collaborations, and much more.

Bob Lord is a producer, composer, bassist and CEO of PARMA Recordings, the New Hampshire-based audio production house and parent company of the Navona, Ravello, Big Round, MMC, Capstone, and Ansonica Records label imprints. He was named one of Musical America’s “30 Professionals of the Year: Key Influencers” in 2015.

In 2020, PARMA's work was nominated for the 62nd annual GRAMMY Awards in two categories, with entries in classical ("Best Choral Performance" for the Navona Records release THE ARC IN THE SKY by The Crossing) and gospel ("Best Gospel Album" for SOMETHING'S HAPPENING! by CeCe Winans).

Formed in 2008 to present contemporary classical, jazz, and experimental music, PARMA features work by artists such as GRAMMY Award winner Richard Stoltzman, Pulitzer Prize winners Yehudi Wyner and Lewis Spratlan, and Emmy Award winner Bruce Babcock among others. PARMA’s music can be heard in products and projects from ABC, CBS, Microsoft, C-SPAN, HBO, Nintendo, Showtime, PBS, and more.

With Pete Townshend of The Who Bob co-produced the double album METHOD MUSIC by Lawrence Ball, released in 2012 on Navona Records and hailed by Pitchfork for its “wondrous, rippling, and startlingly tactile music.”

In 1996 he co-founded the award-winning recording and touring experimental rock trio Dreadnaught (described by Relix Magazine as “the country's best 'pure' prog-rock combo") and since 2005 has been the Music Director for the New Hampshire Public Radio series Writers on a New England Stage at The Music Hall in Portsmouth NH, where the band has shared the stage with Dan Brown, John Updike, Salman Rushdie, Stephen King, Supreme Court Justice Sonia Sotomayor, and many more. In 2004 and 2018 Dreadnaught won "Best Rock Band" at the Spotlight Music Awards in Portsmouth NH.

As of this writing Lord more than 600 recording and production credits on his resume, including the 2016 release ABRAZO: THE HAVANA SESSIONS, one of the very first projects recorded and produced by an American music company in Cuba since the loosening of diplomatic relations. With PARMA, Lord regularly produces recording sessions and events in countries across the globe, including the United States, Czech Republic, Croatia, Greece, Russia, Cuba, Slovakia, Romania, Serbia, China, Poland, and more.

Lord composed the theme song for NHPR’s morning show “The Exchange” in 2005, and the music is still featured on the program to this day. He is President of the Zagreb Festival Orchestra in Zagreb HR, a member of the Board of Trustees of The Music Hall in Portsmouth NH, and on the Advisory Board of the Portsmouth Symphony Orchestra, also in Portsmouth NH.

For more information about Bob Lord and PARMA RECORDINGS please visit these websites: https://www.boblordmusic.com/news and https://www.parmarecordings.com/

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 119: Yiğit Kolat, composer. Winner of the Takemitsu Composition Award (1st prize).

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this podcast Kolat talks about his education in Turkey, folk music, his compositional process, success in music competitions and much more!

Yiğit Kolat is a musician, a soundmaker, and researcher. He studied the craft with some excellent musicians and soundmakers and has had the chance to share it with some excellent musicians and soundmakers. In the process, he gained some tokens and enjoyed the sense of prestige provided by them for a while. Funny how primates work. If you are interested in seeing a list of those tokens, sorry to disappoint you, but you are in the wrong place. If you are interested in collaboration, do not hesitate to reach out.

For more information about Yiğit Kolat please visit: http://www.yigitkolat.com/index.html

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 118: Christopher Theofanidis, composer

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this episode Mr. Theofanidis talks about his collaborations with Robert Spano, Sarah Chang, his most performed work the Rainbow Body, and working with soloists on a commissioned works. He also talks about scuba diving, cooking, having pieces performed more than once and much more.

CHRISTOPHER THEOFANIDIS (b. 12/18/67 in Dallas, Texas) has had performances by many leading orchestras from around the world, including the London Symphony, the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Atlanta Symphony, the Moscow Soloists, the National, Baltimore, St. Louis, and Detroit Symphonies, among many others. He has also served as Composer of the Year for the Pittsburgh Symphony during their 2006-7 season, for which he wrote a violin concerto for Sarah Chang.

Mr. Theofanidis holds degrees from Yale, the Eastman School of Music, and the University of Houston, and has been the recipient of the International Masterprize, the Rome Prize, a Guggenheim fellowship, a Fulbright fellowship to France to study with Tristan Mural at IRCAM, a Tanglewood fellowship, and two fellowships from the American Academy of Arts and Letters. In 2007 he was nominated for a Grammy award for best composition for his chorus and orchestra work, The Here and Now, based on the poetry of Rumi, and in 2017 for his bassoon concerto. His orchestral work, Rainbow Body, has been one of the most performed new orchestral works of the new millennium, having been performed by over 150 orchestras internationally.

Mr. Theofanidis’ has written a ballet for the American Ballet Theatre, a work for the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra as part of their ‘New Brandenburg’ series, and two operas for the San Francisco and Houston Grand Opera companies. Thomas Hampson sang the lead role in the San Francisco opera. His work for Houston, The Refuge, featurs six sets of international non-Western musicians alongside the opera musicians. He has a long-standing relationship with the Atlanta Symphony and Maestro Robert Spano, and has just four recordings with them, including his concert length oratorio, Creation/Creator, which was featured at the SHIFT festival at the Kennedy Center in Washington, D.C. this year with the ASO, chorus, and soloists. His work, Dreamtime Ancestors, for the orchestral consortium, New Music for America, has been played by over fifty orchestras over the past two seasons. He has served as a delegate to the US-Japan Foundation’s Leadership Program, and he is a former faculty member of the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University as well as the Juilliard School. Mr. Theofanidis is currently a professor at Yale University, and composer-in-residence and co-director of the composition program at the Aspen Music Festival.

For more information about Christopher Theofanidis please visit: https://www.theofanidismusic.com/index.html

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 117: Jimmie Herrod, artist and performer.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this podcast we talk about Jimmie's work with the Pink Martini, touring, music education and much more!

Jimmie Herrod is a Pacific Northwest-based artist and performer who now splits time between Portland, Oregon and Paris, France. He holds a Bachelors of Music degree in music composition and performance from Cornish, and a Masters of Music in Jazz Studies from Portland State University. While he currently serves as an adjunct professor of jazz voice, he remains and active performer, both as soloist and collaborator. Jimmie has worked in Seattle’s lauded musical theater scene at ArtsWest and the 5th Avenue Theater. Recent performance highlights include being a featured soloist with the Oregon Symphony’s showcase in the 2018 TedX series, working with international acts such as ODESZA as well as being a regular guest vocalist with Pink Martini, touring throughout the US, Canada and Europe. In 2018 Jimmie recorded “Exodus”, his first single with Pink Martini, as well the solo album of original works, Falling in Love and Learning to Love Myself.

For more information about Jimmie Herrod please visit: https://jimmiebeingjimmie.com/

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020

Ep. 116: Invencia Piano Duo.

Let's Talk Off The Podium with Tigran Arakelyan.

In this podcast we talk about the many recordings by the duo, Florent Schmitt, martial arts, working during covid-19 and much more.

If the name sounds familiar to you, it could be you have read any of the number of reviews featured in the American Record Guide, International Record Review, Fanfare, Classica, International Piano, PianoNEWS, and BBC Music magazines, among others.

Founded in 2003 by Andrey Kasparov and Oksana Lutsyshyn, Invencia Piano Duo prides itself on artful, insightful, and articulate performances of duo piano masterworks.

Translated loosely as, “Inventive,” Invencia has earned praise worldwide for its recitals and recordings, including a 4-volume set of Florent Schmitt’s complete original works for piano duet and duo. These recordings were released on the Grand Piano label of Naxos Records, between 2012 and 2013. Issued on the American Classics label of Naxos in 2016, Invencia produced two volumes dedicated to the complete piano works of Paul Bowles.

Their repertoire extends from the Baroque to the present, including original works and arrangements for this twin art form, befitting the spirit of Invencia.

For more information about the Invencia Piano Duo please visit: https://invenciaduo.wordpress.com/

© Let's Talk Off The Podium, 2020