This week, I got to sit and chat with another one of my dear friends, the indomitable Tali Tadmor. An extraordinary pianist and collaborator, Tali makes the rounds around town with the best singers and organizations- and when I say around town, I mean from LA Opera to Carnegie Hall. She's good. I hope you enjoy our conversation- thanks for listening!

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CEO of LA Opera, Christopher Koelsch, is my guest this week. He's eloquent, steady and has a clear, unwavering artistic vision for the company. In our world, the man who directs traffic at the intersection of art and commerce is always in the hot-seat, and Christopher must have "Never let them see you sweat" printed on his wallpaper because he's the coolest of the cool customers. We dig into some pretty interesting stuff- everything from the value of art itself to the artistic and financial challenges of some of our most controversial productions. Enjoy a behind-the-scenes look into the life one of America's top art administrators and as always, thanks for listening!

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Multidisciplinarian, Julia Aks, is my guest this week. She's a mezzo-soprano, friend, and colleague from LA Opera, but that's not all she does. She's an aerialist, actor, intermittent dancer, and probably also does a bunch of other stuff that we didn't cover. She very well may be the next big thing in this here town, so keep a lookout. Happy Monday, everybody, and I hope you like our little chat!

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Tenor, Brenton Ryan is my guest this week. He's a swell guy, as all-American as you can get and is one heck of a good artist. He's recently made his Met debut singing the role of Pedrillo in Mozart's Abduction from the Seraglio- the same show we're performing right now at LAO. Brent is a well-spoken gentleman, and I'm very glad we got the chance to sit around and chat. Thanks for listening and I hope you enjoy the conversation!

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Comedian Jonathan Mangum is my guest this week. He co-hosts Let's Make a Deal with Wayne Brady, and is a regular guest on Who's Line is it, Anyway? He's funny, witty and very pleasant as we discuss his professional background, improv training and the role of the artist in this heightened political climate. Have a great week, and I hope you enjoy the chat!

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Here's my complete chat with my Genius friend, Eric Whitacre. 1:35, straight through, with no stops. Enjoy, and don't forget to make your donations to the ACLU!

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Morris Robinson, bass, is my guest on this episode. We talk about family, preparation, perseverance, and the importance of being a good colleague. Lots of lessons here, and not a word about politics, which is pretty weird for me. I hope you enjoy the interview and remember to give your donation to the ACLU. Thanks for listening!

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Here's part two of my chat with Eric Whitacre. This is how we talk a good part of the time, so I hope you enjoy this meandering conversation between friends. We cover a lot of ground, and I tend to talk less on this one, so that's a plus. Thanks for listening, and have a great week!

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Part one of a two-parter with Eric Whitacre. Eric and I have been friends for the better part of two decades, and that's what you get with this chat. We ramble, laugh, joke, and get into some pretty serious issues- You know, all the stuff that friends talk about. It's just us, behind the scenes, having a conversation, no more, no less. Enjoy, and thanks for listening!

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Eric, Eric, Eric. I thought I'd keep on with the theme. Last week you heard some of my past guests answer Eric Whitacre's infamous question, asking, "What do you know now, that you didn't know at this time, last year?" This week, we're looping back to my (second) first guest, Eric Whitacre. Next Week, we'll be picking up with... you guessed it... Eric Whitacre. It looks like January is Eric Whitacre month. I've successfully used the name, "Eric Whitacre" at least four times, here. Mission accomplished- Thanks for listening!

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