An interview with Jessica Guideri, concertmaster of the Santa Barbara Symphony and LA studio musician.

Highlights

• An up and down moment for violinists - 6:40
• Her experience during the pandemic - 7:06
• Recording from home - 10:17
• Her parents’ relationship with music - 16:56
• Her experience in college - 20:32
• The period after college and your first job - 30:37
• A freelance orchestra vs. full-time orchestra - 34:38
• Planning to move to California - 36:33
• The San Diego symphony experience - 38:34
• The LA Opera - 39:53
• How life is different in Los Angeles - 45:20
• Things are really changing - 47:20
• Connected with the music community - 49:59
• Jessica’s recommendation - 55:39

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• "The War of Art" by Steven Pressfield: https://www.amazon.com/dp/B007A4SDCG/ref=dp-kindle-redirect?_encoding=UTF8&btkr=1 
• Connect with Jessica Guideri
• [email protected]
• https://www.facebook.com/jessica.guideri.violinist/

Robert and Matt talk about Matt’s career in Eighth Blackbird, the Cabrillo Festival, teaching at the University of Michigan, and preparing the next generation of musicians.

Highlights

• Knowing each other for a long time - 6:33
• The actual situation - 8:48
• Going online - 9:45
• Coming to consensus - 10:12
• How they help their students - 12:58
• The importance of decisions - 15:33
• People recording themselves - 20:27
• An amazing opportunity for musicians to engage more - 25:06
• Offering a limited number of programs for a year - 38:22
• How the industry has changed - 39:40
• Music and audiences - 1:04:20
• Different types of audiences - 1:06:00
• Matt’s recommendations - 1:10:00

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• Connect with Matt Albert:
• https://www.instagram.com/ganzmatt/?hl=en
• https://twitter.com/ganzmatt?lang=en
• Matt’s recommendations:
• Emily King: https://www.emilykingmusic.com 
• Ellen Reid “Prism”: https://ellenreidmusic.com/work/p-r-i-s-m/ 
• Doric Quartet: Britten and Purcell: https://www.amazon.com/Britten-Purcell-Chamber-Works-Strings/dp/B07PN77KPK 
• Attaca Quartet/Caroline Shaw: Orange: http://www.attaccaquartet.com/shawattacca-quartet-orange 
• Trilogy: https://trilogypodcast.podbean.com
• Unlocking Us | Brené Brown: https://brenebrown.com/podcast/introducing-unlocking-us/

An interview with Louisville Orchestra's principal trombone, Donna Parkes. Australian trombonist Donna Parkes has been Principal Trombone of the Louisville Orchestra since 2008 and has been Principal Trombone of the Colorado Music Festival since 2009. Solo competition successes include winning the Australian National Trombone Competition, the Brisbane International Brass Competition, and finalist in the Jeju Brass Competition in Korea.

Highlights

• The orchestra and the health crisis - 6:33
• Making this year successful - 7:45
• Hearing classical music - 10:51
• An opportunity to create new works - 12:36
• Doing a great community work - 17:45
• Her award from last year - 20:10
• Working with kids - 24:13
• Having a rich career - 38:00
• The Virginia Symphony - 44:25
• Playing a sound that you never imagined - 49:41
• Donna’s background - 51:13
• Learning from phenomenal teachers - 53:00
• Coming to the US searching for more opportunities - 59:30
• Being young and hungry for a job - 1:06:00
• It is valuable to be innovative - 1:08:13
• Donna’s recommendation - 1:09:55

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• Connect with Donna Parkes:
• "On Thinking Institutionally" by Hugh Heclo: https://www.amazon.com/Thinking-Institutionally-Politics-Hugh-Heclo/dp/0199946000 
• "Creating Public Value" by Mark Moore: https://www.amazon.com/Creating-Public-Value-Management-Government/dp/0674175581/ref=sr_1_2?dchild=1&keywords=creating+public+value+mark+moore&qid=1593563209&s=books&sr=1-2 
• Donna's recommendation: Free Solo: https://films.nationalgeographic.com/free-solo 
• https://www.instagram.com/aussietrb/
• https://twitter.com/donnamparkes?lang=en
• https://louisvilleorchestra.org/donna-parkes/

An interview with Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra's oboe and english horn player and Indiana University faculty, Roger Roe.

Highlights

• The response to COVID_19 - 6:30
• The relationship with the media - 9:49
• The morning after the protests - 12:03
• What’s the role of the artist in the community? - 15:13
• Huge events at downtown - 22:10
• The identity of ISO - 32:30
• The new artistic identity - 33:11
• Being directly involved in the community - 34:54
• How political can an orchestra be? - 39:34
• The role of the artist citizen - 43:43
• Not doing virtual concerts this year - 45:21
• Why the audition process is so strange - 56:21
• How to win an audition - 58:31
• How he got started - 59:48
• Teaching students about emotion - 1:13:00

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• Connect with Roger Roe:
• https://www.instagram.com/isomusicians/?hl=en
• https://instagram.com/rogerroeoboe?igshid=1l6pc5tfyzmgs 
• ISO Musicians' press release:
• https://isomusicians.org/2020/06/press-statement-6-22-20/?fbclid=IwAR33WxHkn372VzxuDgZqsdMKfFttLwNCXfFTBmqzjIAG3tiF_D_dtgwNrOc 

Composer and pianist Rachel Grimes is heralded as “One of American independent music’s few truly inspired technicians” by WIRE magazine. Rachel Grimes is a pianist, composer, and arranger based in Kentucky. She is a member of Louisville rock band King’s Daughters & Sons (Chemikal Underground) and a founding member of the ground-breaking indie-rock chamber ensemble Rachel’s, with whom she toured and released six albums (Quarterstick / Touch & Go).

Highlights

• Rachel’s background - 3:30
• What’s happening in today’s world - 5:32
• The rehearsing process - 9:11
• The orchestra schedule - 10:20
• A solo tour is very demanding - 14:12
• Having an opportunity to play - 17:46
• Kind of music like she likes to listen to - 19:59
• Taking music lessons - 26:07
• Playing a lot of shows with the band - 30:19
• Her band’s stories - 37:27
• Gaining fans from a tour - 47:39
• Kentucky as her home - 53:21
• Having a creative space - 54:22
• The experience of working with an orchestra - 59:48
• What is the music she really makes - 1:03:37
• What she does on stage - 1:26:01
• Facebook Live concerts - 1:38:38

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• Connect with Rachel Grimes:
• http://www.rachelgrimespiano.com 

Robert interviewed Gabriel Lefkowitz, concertmaster of the Louisville Orchestra, about his path to leading professional orchestras and his work as a conductor, composer, and soloist.

Highlights

• Gabriel’s concerts - 5:26
• Cancelations because of COVID_19 - 6:08
• Recording music during the pandemic - 10:24
• Recording something remotely - 11:42
• The world circumstances - 18:56
• Doing video content - 21:36
• Innovation for orchestras - 26:50
• Being super motivated - 30:54
• Being organized as a composer - 33:30
• How he got started - 41:50
• Learning about being in an orchestra - 46:36
• Going to Columbia and not going to a music school - 47:00
• Being a concertmaster - 58:00
• Trying to learn to be a good conductor - 59:16
• Creating music as a composer - 1:01:00

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• https://www.instagram.com/simondsviolin/?hl=en
• Connect with Gabriel Lefkowitz:
• https://www.gabriellefkowitz.com 
• https://www.instagram.com/gabelefkowitz/?hl=en

An exciting interview with the singer/songwriter Lizzie No on her career and background. Among other things, Robert and Lizzie discuss adaptation during COVID-19, the process of seeing yourself as a creative person and creative professional, navigating sexism in the music business, and learning the ins-and-outs of touring and recording.

Highlights

• How the pandemic has affected her - 2:38
• When she realized the impact of COVID_19 - 3:32
• Walking by closed businesses - 4:28
• How this pandemic affects her creative process - 6:42
• Her background - 10:56
• When she first started performing - 11:55
• Using poetry as an exercise? - 13:38
• Writing a song vs. writing poetry - 14:15
• The scary part of the coronavirus - 22:19
• Having instruments in her house and a place to play - 27:30
• Drinking on a tour or performance - 32:52
• Her performances are really important to her - 44:00
• What people think when they hear the word “musician” - 48:00
• Meritocracy in the music world - 50:52
• An audition experience - 52:00
• All that Lizzie had learned during her career - 56:34
• Doing things that she wanted to do - 1:00:16
• What she does when she finishes a song - 1:01:10
• Lizzie’s next move - 1:03:10

Episode Resources

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• http://craigwagnermusic.blogspot.com/
• Connect with Lizzie No
• https://twitter.com/handsomelizzie?lang=en
• http://www.lizzieno.com/

Mark Dix is a violist in the Phoenix Symphony and founder/director of the Downtown Chamber Series. Mark has been building a community through music for more than two decades through his symphony job, his outreach in health, wellness, and education, and his long-running and popular concert series.

• Where the Phoenix Symphony is now - 3:18
• Long-standing relationships with the board of directors - 5:00
• Being connected with Zoom meetings - 6:01
• Doing too many concerts a year - 7:37
• An interesting part of his work - 8:35
• Chamber Music story - 10:38
• Getting a job in Phoenix - 12:19
• His musical life in Colorado Springs - 18:44
• It is lifechanging to be in an orchestra - 21:43
• Mark’s story and background - 23:40
• Working as a freelancer - 31:48
• The Chamber Series show - 53:02
• The audition process for orchestras - 58:00
• Play for as many people as you can - 1:00:12
• Mark’s experience and perseverance - 1:02:00

• Connect with Robert Hunt Simonds:
• [email protected] 
• http://roberthuntsimonds.com/
• Connect with Mark Dix:
• http://craigwagnermusic.blogspot.com/

The Performing Labor podcast features acclaimed working musicians across genres who are doing interesting and creative work. This podcast focuses on the people whose labor makes the music come alive.