The Counterpoint Club

In this special roundtable discussion, Sarah, Brandon, Justin, and Willie, the members of Skyros Quartet, take on the roles of both hosts and guests. Get ready for an insightful conversation as they share their unique perspectives and experiences as both musicians and their own podcast guests.

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Brandon and Justin have a fun, engaging interview with composer, producer, and violist Jonah Sirota.  Jonah’s varied career has taken him from violist of the renowned Chiara Quartet to composing for major film scores in LA.  Some of his recent film scoring credits include the 2021 Oscar-nominated short “If Anything Happens I Love You,” the 2021 Sundance film, Wild Hearts, and major cinematic releases from Mulan to the Mandalorian.

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Brandon and Sarah have a fascinating interview with the renowned violin soloist and composer, Curtis Stewart.  Curtis talks about his multifaceted career as composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet.  He shares the ways in which he realizes a vision to find personal and powerful connections between styles, cultures and musical traditions, while “turning people’s heads” towards important social issues through art.  He also talks about his personal journey with loss and grief, with his new all-original recording, “Of Love,” which is dedicated to his mother, Elektra Kurtis, a Greek/Jazz violinist who passed away from brain cancer.

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Sarah and Willie sit down with cellist and entrepreneur Jalayne Mitchell for a wide-ranging interview. Jalayne shares her musical journey, from a young child who became fascinated with the cello to a professional musician. Along the way, she started a business, Classical Wellness, that strives to create spaces for mental wellbeing and mindful practice for classical musicians (and creatives of all types.) 

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A new Opus of The Counterpoint Club begins with an exploration of the life and music of Maddalena Lombardini, an 18th-century violinist, operatic singer, composer, and businessperson and her integral role in contributing to the development of the string quartet.

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In the final episode of Opus 4, the Skyros Quartet explores the ways in which we know we are done. For many musicians, creating a sense of completion in our practice and preparation is not always easy. In the history segment, Brandon and Willie discuss composers who both did and did not struggle with this. Next, Justin’s technique lesson examines healthy methods to recognize achievements by setting specific goals within an artistic endeavor. Our special guest is Greta Gothard of the Gothard Sisters, who joined Sarah and Willie for a discussion on preparation for composition, live performance, and recording. In the Skyros chat, the quartet members open up about their own personal experiences with and reactions to perfectionism.

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In I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Skyros Quartet talks about summer music festivals and the powerful impact they can have during a musician’s formative years. In the History segment, Justin covers the history and legacy of the Marlboro Festival, one of the most prestigious chamber music festivals in the world. Next, Sarah offers some practical tips and organizational tools to use when applying to music festivals and schools. In our guest interview, Justin and Brandon have a delightful conversation with renowned violinist Rebecca Fischer about Greenwood Music Camp (she is currently associate director), what it’s like to grow up as a 3rd generation musician (her children are also serious about music), and her new book, The Sound of Memory: Themes from a Violinist’s Life. To finish the podcast, the members of Skyros share some of their favorite memories from summer chamber music festivals they’ve attended.

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In Rock ’n’ Roll Never Dies, the Skyros Quartet examines the relationship between classical music and rock ’n’ roll. In the history segment, Sarah rocks out to Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue and discusses the elements of rock that Beethoven wrote in 1826. Next, Brandon, (who plays violin in Skyros and a band called Keltoi, in addition to being an award-winning Irish fiddler and singer, and a fantastic composer), offers advice on collaborative composition and rehearsal in small group settings like a folk band. In our guest interview, Sarah and Justin are joined by Mic Vredenburgh, a cellist and good friend, who spent several years touring in a rock band. Finally, the members of Skyros share their favorite non-classical musicians and music genres in the Skyros Chat.

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Each member of a chamber ensemble plays a unique and vital role. The Skyros Quartet explores competitive situations with musical colleagues and how to handle these situations with respect and grace. In the history segment, Willie looks at instances when well-known composers could have demonstrated more sportsmanship towards other composers. Next, all four members of Skyros offer reflections and advice on how to demonstrate good sportsmanship to your musical colleagues. Sarah and Willie are joined by our special guest, Naumburg International Piano Competition winner Anthony Molinaro, who shares his thoughts on competition and parallels between athleticism and music. In the chat, Skyros shares personal stories about their experiences in competitive situations with colleagues.

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In this fall-themed episode, the Skyros Quartet explores strange and occult music. In the history lesson, Sarah and Brandon discuss scary music and how composers used innovative techniques to portray these characters. Next, Willie introduces extended techniques, strange methods of playing an instrument to produce sounds that it is not normally intended to make, like creepy noises and otherworldly timbres. Our guest interview  features special and sinister guests from the Guild of Supernatural Composers in a roundtable discussion. And finally, Skyros shares a chat about their favorite examples of movie music and its expressive role in visual storytelling.

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