Podium Time

Today we talk with Jeffery Meyer, Director of Orchestras at Arizona State University and Artistic Director of the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic. We jump right in at the beginning of the interview by talking about the biggest issues that arise in young conductors and how we can have better ears for the orchestra’s sound. We also cover how you can develop your confidence and conviction, the importance of real relationships in music, and the most important qualities that he looks for in young conductors.

Today we discuss:

1. The biggest issues with young conducting students, and how to listen to the ensemble and work collaboratively with the orchestra musicians (3:39)
2. How to expand your palate of what is possible to do with an orchestra by watching rehearsals and studying recordings (7:49)
3. How creating music is more complex than reading and interpreting the score, and how Historically Informed Practice and the instruments a composer used shape the sounds we should create (13:21)
4. What musicianship is, and how it develops over time in a conductor (20:01)
5. Advice for when you don’t feel confident, how to develop your conviction, and why it’s critical to make imagined sounds physical. (24:48)
6. Jeffery Meyer’s eclectic interests (juggling, magic, composition, etc) and how they all led to him being a conductor (37:10)
7. How Jeffery founded the St. Petersburg Chamber Philharmonic with a friend he met at a workshop, and how developing friendships with other professionals leads to new opportunities (46:53)
8. How every detail of our conducting and interactions works towards or takes away from the trust and influence we have with the orchestra, and the importance of learning extra-musical skills (52:30)
9. The most important qualities of a young conductor that Jeff looks for in his students, and how his priorities as a teacher have developed over time (1:00:23)
10. Jeffery’s Hidden Gems and Final Advice (1:09:47)

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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Today we talk with composer Rain Worthington about how she started composing and without a background in theory, why a rigid analytical view of music can block creativity, and why we must not think of music as a competition.

Today we discuss:

• How New York’s Minimalist composers and the artistic culture of the city allowed Rain to experiment as a novice (13:11)
• How Rain and Luke found freedom by releasing themselves from the confines of western musical standards. (22:09)
• How composers and conductors fall in love with a fragment of music. (29.54)
• Being a self-taught composer, and how thinking too much about the theory of music can block creativity in composition and performance. (34:21)
• What makes a composer, a musician, a piece, or a performance unique when we have only 12 notes and almost everything has been done already. (40:06)
• The emotional content of music, taking the listener on a journey, and how programs that are too specific can separate the listener from the music. (44:53)
• Building a career by building relationships, understanding that art is not a competition, and realizing that every success for one is a success for everybody. (54:29)
• The pieces that best reflect Rain as a composer, her compositional efforts to process the tragedy of 9/11, and how we can respond to any tragedy as artists. (1:06:45)

Links from this episode:

• Rain’s Website: https://rainworthington.com/
• Within Deep Currents Score
• Livestream, August 13th: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6298/
• Prisma Vol. 4: https://www.navonarecords.com/catalog/nv6298/
• Rain on the 1Track Podcast
• Rain’s Article for Sonograma Magazine
• Rain’s career coach, Tracy Friendlander
• New York Women Composers: https://www.newyorkwomencomposers.org/
• "From the 8BC to Carnegie Hall: The improbable journey of composer Rain Worthington"

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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This week we’re speaking with George Jackson, a London-Based conductor who works entirely as a freelancer and Guest Conductor. We’ve split this interview into three parts as an experiment we’re running on the podcast, and this third part is all about how we can use podcasts, film music, and Steve Reich to help revitalize Classical Music in America. Be sure to check out the two previous episodes, in which we talked about guest conducting and working with a manager, and how less podium time as a student can actually be a benefit.

You will learn:

• How podcasts can help revitalize orchestras and classical music
• How Steve Reich’s music is like listening to Nirvana for classical musicians
• Why film music is a powerful medium for introducing audiences to classical music

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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This week we’re speaking with George Jackson, a London-Based conductor who works entirely as a freelancer and Guest Conductor. We’ve split this interview into three parts as an experiment we’re running on the podcast, and this second part is all about George’s education in Vienna and how learning deeply with less podium time can help you develop as a conductor. Be sure to check out the previous episode, in which we talked about guest conducting and working with a manager, and the next episode on how podcasts, film music, and Steve Reich can help revitalize classical music in America.

You will Learn:

• Why we should be learning to have something to say about a piece of music
• Some arguments for getting less podium time as a conducting student
• Focusing on quality of interaction with the orchestra, rather than quantity
• Why Mark Stringer didn’t want his students to conduct an amateur orchestra on the side.
• The invaluable lessons you learn when you cannot conduct
• The different types and qualities of podium time, and what you can learn from each

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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This week we’re speaking with George Jackson, a London-Based conductor who works entirely as a freelancer and Guest Conductor. We’ve split this interview into three parts as an experiment we’re running on the podcast, and this first part is all about becoming and being successful as a guest conductor, as well as what it’s like working with a manager. Be sure to tune in to the next few episodes, all about how we can learn to be better conductors with less podium time, and how podcasts, film music, and Steve Reich can help revitalize classical music in America.

You will learn:

• How George started Guest Conducting, and why trust and reliability is critical for being successful and called for more work.
• How conducting is like managing a restaurant
• How a conducting career is about your network of relationships and trust
• Misconceptions about Artistic Management
• How a manager can help you achieve your goals as a conductor
• Why you should develop a clear artistic profile of what you specialize in and what you offer to orchestras

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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Today we chat with to chat with Julius P. Williams, President of the International Conductors Guild and professor of conducting and composition at Berlkee College of Music. We're also experimenting with releasing some shorter, more focused podcast episodes so today is Part 2 of 2. 

In our first release with Julius we talked about conducting and composing for the ensemble that you have, and today we’re going to be discussing how Julius learns scores quickly and some of the lasting lessons he took from his composition and conducting teachers. We’ll also round out the interview with a quick hit of some of his compositions you should listen to and his final advice.

Learn more and join the International Conductors Guild at ConductorsGuild.org.

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

Support the show

Today we chat with to chat with Julius P. Williams, President of the International Conductors Guild and professor of conducting and composition at Berlkee College of Music. We're also experimenting with releasing some shorter, more focused podcast episodes so today is Part 1 of two. This first episode from our talk with Julius is all about conducting and composing for the ensemble that you have in front of you, and how your preparation and the music you write should change depending on a few different factors, including the orchestra that you’ll be working with.

Learn more and join the International Conductors Guild at ConductorsGuild.org.

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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Today we speak with Aram Demirjian, Music Director of the Knoxville Symphony, about how he transitioned from an Assistant Conductor to a Music Director, how to determine what “relevant” means to your community, and why conductors are like politicians in our responsibilities, relationships, and the influence we wield. 

You will learn:

• How Aram transitioned from Assistant Conductor to Music Director, and the critical skills that you learn as an assistant for a major symphony orchestra.
• Why it takes decades to become an effective conductor and leader
• Why making mistakes in any job is inevitable, and why it’s crucial that we feel good about learning from them.
• How conductors are like politicians in their responsibilities, relationships, and influence.
• How to determine what “relevant” means in your communities, and how embracing your community leads to them embracing your organization
• How Aram added contemporary music to Knoxville’s programs, and which concerts made the most impact on their audiences
• How making music can be like brewing beer
• How to plan a program that you know will only get one or zero rehearsal

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. If you’re in the market for a new baton, use our promo code “PodiumTime” at Pagubatons.com for 20% off your first order. 

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Today we talk with Teddy Abrams, music director of the Louisville Orchestra and the Britt Festival, about redefining the orchestra for maximum impact. We talk about the future of classical music after COVID-19 and why orchestras were hit particularly hard, everything wrong with how classical music approaches education and how we can change to actually make a difference, and the qualities that make a truly incredible and successful musician. We also discuss why every conductor should be considering how they approach leadership now, before you’re neck-deep in work again, and why we should define ourselves as “musicians” and not “Classical musicians.”

You will learn:

• Why classical music, and orchestras in particular, were unprepared for the COVID-19 Pandemic, and how we can use this opportunity to enact great change in the organizations that will learn from it.
• Why seeing the orchestra as a performing institution is hindering the impact that we’re able to make in our communities.
• Why our current education programs are stuck in old paradigms, and how an evolving culture requires our orchestras to adjust with it.
• Why we should identify as “musicians” and not “classical musicians.”
• Why Beethoven, Mozart, and Brahms would never stand for the division between art and popular music that we’ve held onto, and why they would never recognize our current models for the orchestra.
• How Louisville is teaching its audiences to trust the orchestra and come to every concert.
• The types of people that should not be music directors, but focus on guest conducting instead
• How the education of conductors avoids teaching the important aspects of being a musical leader

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. .

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Today we’re starting a new program in which we interview select composers about their music and how they relate to orchestras, conductors, and audiences. We start off with Gary Kuo, an Emmy Award Winning composer of music for television and the concert hall. Gary played as a session musician for hundreds of recording projects before turning to composition. We talk about his philosophy of accessible music focused on the performers and audience, or what he calls Musical Comfort Food, how composers find their compositional voice, and how nothing is better than a great collaboration between composer and performer.

You can find Gary's music on his Website and Youtube page.

You will learn:

• How changes in music production technology have blown open the doors of music production, and how Gary learned composition and orchestration on his own
• Why the function of music is vital when writing for film or the concert hall, and why he describes his music as “Musical Comfort Food”
• Why we must be our harshest critics when editing or preparing music
• Why conductors must adjust the music to the ensemble they have to play it as best as they can
• Why listening deeply and listening to a variety of music is critical to our craft
• Things to consider when working with a living composer on a new piece
• Why you should never forget about how music makes you feel

Find this and all other episodes at PodiumTimePod.com. Subscribe and download Podium Time on your favorite podcast player and connect with us on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram at @PodiumTimePod. You can also join our Facebook Group, the Podium Time Inner Circle to ask questions and continue the conversation after every episode. If you’d like to support the podcast monetarily and get bonus content, consider joining our Patreon community at Patreon.com/PodiumTimePod. 

Support the show