Music Speaks

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss one of their favorites, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying."

According to Musical Theater International,

"Big business means big laughs in this delightfully clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder. A tune-filled comic gem that took Broadway by storm, winning both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize, How to Succeed in Business without Really Trying boasts an exhilarating score by Frank Loesser, including "I Believe in You," "Brotherhood of Man" and "The Company Way."

We sat down with returning guest, Mary Haddix to discuss her top ten contemporary musical choices.

Mary Haddix is an avid music educator, and has held private and group teaching positions with the Madison Central High School Band, George Rogers Clark High School Band, Bourbon County High School Band, Oldham County Schools, and Scott County Schools. Mary keeps a private studio that includes middle and high school horn students from Madison, Fayette, Clark, Scott, and Bourbon County. She has also served on the KMEA All-State First Round Horn Judge Committee for District 7 for the last four years. Mary served as the State President for the Kentucky chapter of Collegiate National Association for Music Educators in 2017 and 2018. She is a graduate of the EKU Honors Program, the Kentucky Governor's School for the Arts, and has attended several chamber music festivals including the Spectrum Brass Institute at BayView Music Festival, the Marrowstone Music Festival, and the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. She received First Place in the 2016 Josephine Walker American Music Competition at EKU, and has been the recipient of academic and music scholarships through EKU and UK, as well as through the Richmond Cecelian Club.

Hunter and Shaun sit down with Maestra Meredith Neumann, to discuss her career as a teacher and her top ten playlist.

Meredith Neumann is Choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in downtown Hartford, conducting

the Schola Cantorum and the Cathedral Youth Chorus. She was formerly the Director of Connecticut

Children’s Chorus and conductor of the Hartt Camerata at the University of Hartford. She is a sought-

after clinician and festival conductor, and her ensembles are known for their innovative approach to

performance and their intense passion for music-making. A Connecticut native, Meredith holds a master's

degree in music education from The Hartt School, and has a decade of experience teaching middle school

choir in both public and private schools. She is currently pursuing her DMA in choral conducting at the 

University of Connecticut. In addition to her teaching and conducting appointments, she is an active

performer in the Greater Hartford region. She is a founding member of the early music vocal ensemble

Voce CONCITATO, specializing in the music of the late Renaissance and early Baroque periods.

Meredith is also a member of Voce, Connecticut’s premier professional choral ensemble.

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss their favorite musical, West Side Story.

According to Wikipedia,

"(West Side Story) is a musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival's sister."

We sat down with returning guest Skull Smith to discuss his top ten playlists.

Please enjoy!

Skull Smith is your everyday eccentric composer, buzzing around at all hours of the night, fiddling with synthesizers and synthesizing fiddles. With music constantly playing in his head, Skull has spent this past year devoting his time to transferring this music--some of which has been circulating up there for well over a decade--into the real world as accurately and professionally as possible. He figures he can't be the only one out there who would like it.

Today we will sit down with my friend/co-host of this show, Shaun, who performed the role of Father in COE, to talk about Children of Eden, the Stephen Schwartz musical, which Wikipedia describes simply as “[a] musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, while Act II deals with Noah and the Flood.”

Please Enjoy!

We sat down with Victor to discuss his career as a musician in NYC! Please go check it out now!

Victor V. Gurbo is a Brooklyn-native musician, artist, and luthier.  Active since 2012, Victor and his band have played at iconic NYC venues such as The Greene Space, Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Winery, The Highline Ballroom, and many more. His songwriting is inspired by traditional American folk music, as well as its revival in the 1940’s-60’s by artists such as Bob Dylan.  He also dives deep into classical and archaic literature which he studied at the Macaulay Honors College, to resurrect their narratives in modern song. Victor’s songs are characterized by their lyrical composition and vivid rhyme schemes. Victor V. Gurbo & Co.’s eponymous first full studio album features seven original songs, two of which were performed at WNYC/WQXR’s Battle of the Boroughs’, where the band took home the Brooklyn championship.

Here is a link to a Playlist of Victor's choices: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/1tJwRhNI6CK9xlYVhc5ZvB

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss the musical Crazy for You!

Crazy for You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig, lyrics by Ira Gershwin, and music by George Gershwin. Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy,” it is primarily based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical Girl Crazy but incorporates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy for You won the 1992 Tony Award (Broadway), 1993 Olivier Award (London), and 1994 Dora Award (Toronto) for Best Musical.

Enjoy!

We sat down with Monica to discuss her thoughts on performing new music and performance anxiety.

Please go check it out!

Monica Ramich is a classically trained soprano, voice instructor, and church musician. On the operatic stage, her credits include both full productions and select scenes in the roles of Laetitia (The Old Maid and The Thief), Cinderella (The True Story of Cinderella), Susanna (Le Nozze di Figaro), Zerlina (Don Giovanni), Zdenka (Arabella), Lauretta (Gianni Schicchi), and Belinda (Dido and Aeneas).  She is a former Intern with Rochester Lyric Opera and Apprentice Artist with Opera Ithaca, with whom she covered principal roles and performed in ensembles for several season operas.

We sat down with Joel Kayser to discuss his top ten jazz tunes!

Go check out now!