Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

This episode is with Duo FAE violinist Charlene Kluegel and pianist Katherine Petersen. The first part of this conversation focuses on their album Dissidents of the Gilded Age. You’ll be hearing excerpts from this beautiful program and learning about the composers Dame Ethel Smyth, Cécile Chaminade and Amy Beach. Charlene and Katherine are long-time collaborators and close friends and we got into conversations around education, what a path to a career in classical music can look like, and how they have dealt with challenges including becoming mothers. Wth hundreds of kilometres separating us, I really felt like I was enjoying a thoughtful coffee date with brilliant new friends, and I hope you feel that as well. Show notes bring you to: their websites, suggested episodes, video version, transcript, podcast merch, podcast newsletter and how you can buy me a coffee to support this independent project! Show notes with all the links(00:00) Intro(02:17) Dissidents of the Gilded Age album Amy Beach, Cécile Chaminade(06:58) Dame Ethel Smyth, Sufragette movement, clip of her anthem March of the Women complete video linked in show notes(09:08) Dame Ethel Smyth with clip Track 6 Smyth A minor sonata, op. 7, III Romanze (12:40) Cécile Chaminade with clip Track 1 Chaminade Trois Morceaux, op. 31, no. 1 and Track 3 no. 3 Bohémienne, finally clip of track 2 Romanza)(19:23) Amy Beach, linked episodes with Samantha Ege and Juliana Soltis, with clip of Track 11 Beach Sonata in A minor, op. 34, IV Allegro con fuoco(25:47) friendship started at the Aspen festival 2008(27:36) touring the program in Europe, clip of Track 9 Beach Sonata in A minor, op. 34 II Scherzo(29:28) FAE, bonding over Brahms and starting the duo, Boman Desai’s book(32:43) Charlene’s university years, baroque violin minor(34:51) other linked episodes and ways to support this podcast(35:54) Charlene’s pedagogical handbook on style considerations in orchestral excerpts(38:52) Charlene’s decision to pursue music, broader education at Cornell(40:42) Katherine’s educational path and discovering chamber music with clip Track 10 Beach Sonata in A Minor, op. 34 III Largo con dolore(45:04) collaborative pianist career, Sarah Lehman mentor(50:03) classical music career danger of burnout(52:45) next projects and past experiences(59:32) European educational differences(1:02:00) becoming parents and taking care of ourselves(01:05:44) music educatorsPhoto: Brittany Purlee

Julia Keefe (Nez Perce) is an internationally acclaimed Native American jazz vocalist, actor, activist, and educator currently based in New York City. You’ll hear how her Indigenous Big Band project started, the history behind jazz in Native American communities and inspiration from Delbert Anderson to Jim Pepper. A special influence in her life has been Mildred Bailey and you’ll be hearing some clips from Julia’s Mildred Bailey Project album throughout this podcast; the track names are in the timestamps. Mildred was a very important figure in jazz and Julia is also working on a film about her life and career. Julia spoke about some of the sexual harassment she has experienced and how she was affected by the experience of sexual assault by a professor when she was in graduate school. She opened up about how she got through that time with the support of her vocal teacher Jo Lawry . In the shadow of this challenging time, Julia shared some fascinating specifics into how her voice teachers Jo, Theo Bleckmann and also Kate McGarry helped push her artistic and expressive boundaries, and later what a transformative experience it was to be mentored by Esperanza Spalding. Julia’s identity as an Indigenous jazz musician shapes her creative life in so many affirming and inspirational ways; I’m so happy to share this meaningful conversation with you. Complete Show NotesIn the show notes: links to other suggested episodes, newsletter, buy me a coffee, podcast merch, link to Indigenous Big Band video, transcript and of course Julia Keefe's music!Julia Keefe website photo: Don Hamilton(00:00) Intro(02:38) Indigenous Big Band, Delbert Anderson(10:21) clip of Jim Pepper’s “Water”, video linked in show notes (12:24) Mildred Bailey Project(14:19) clip of “Thanks for Memory" track 8 (15:08) Mildred Bailey Project album release(18:10) Mildred Bailey with clip of Rockin’ Chair opener track 1 (25:28) clip of track 9 Rockin’ Chair, Mildred Bailey film project with Lily Gladstone, Gary Farmer(39:23) clip of track 2 “Lover, Come Back to Me” Sterlin Harjo film “Love and Fury”(41:51) linked episodes and ways to support this podcast(42:56) Jim Pepper(49:06) Julia’s childhood, Kamia, learning Nimipuutimt(55:00) residential schools bands history(01:00:24) Master’s at Manhattan, Kate McGarry, Jo Lawry, Theo Bleckmann(01:05:35) personal challenges including sexual assault, support of Jo Lawry(01:19:11) Esperanza Spalding mentorship

I’m honoured to bring to you this in-depth conversation with the brilliant musician, writer, composer and storyteller Gabriel Kahane as my first episode of Season 6 of this podcast. You’ll be hearing many short clips from several of his albums including his piano concerto Heirloom, written for his father Jeffrey Kahane. This is a wide-ranging interview and you’ll hear about Gabriel’s upcoming book project, the impact of his early theatre training, how learning to conduct is helping him as a composer, and reflections from his hiatus from the internet and social media. Fans who love Book of Travelers and Magnificent Bird will hear clips and insights from those projects and we also got into his work as an artist-citizen in his large-scale work “emergency shelter intake form” commissioned by the Oregon Symphony about homelessness and the housing crisis. The track and album names are specified in the timestamps and everything is linked in the show notes, including other suggested episodes and ways to support this independent podcast: Complete Show NotesGabriel Kahane Website00:00) Intro(02:25) Book of Travelers, train trip, American Guide Series, Baedeker with clip from Book of Travelers(08:19) Book of Travelers, Pattern of the Rail, November with clip(10:45) Book of Travelers, arranging songs for ensembles, clip of Model Trains(16:24) train trip, more stories(19:20) piano concerto Heirloom, decimated press landscape, clip of beginning of first movement “Guitars in the Attic”, Heirloom piano concerto(22:58) Jeffrey Kahane, Heirloom bringing vernacular music into the concert hall with clip of first movement “Guitars in the Attic”, Heirloom piano concerto which uses Where Are the Arms(29:24) orchestration of Where Are the Arms and how it relates to the concerto with clip (from Heirloom album, the final track)(35:14) about the 2nd movement “My Grandmother Knew Alban Berg” and 3rd movement “VERA’S CHICKEN-POWERED TRANSIT MACHINE”, Heirloom piano concerto, with clips of both(38:52) pandemic move to Portland, living without the internet for a year, Magnificent Bird album(47:27) To Be American with clip from Magnificent Bird(50:27) other linked episodes and ways to follow and support this podcast!(51:15) story of Gabriel’s grandmother’s late life romance, clip of Sit Shiva from Magnificent Bird(55:24) Gabriel’s writing and upcoming book project, the importance of creativity(01:08:06) duo with Pekka Kuusisto “Council”(01:09:52) conducting orchestras(01:21:23) creative process, storytelling, challenges of internet distraction(01:28:21) “emergency shelter intake form” with clip XI. A Brief History of The Subprime Mortgage Loan Crisis and housing crisis, clip III. Where Did You Stay Last Night(01:35:11) CraigslistliederPhoto: Jason Quigley

Violinist Lara St. John joins me to discuss her upcoming documentary Dear Lara, her remarkable career, and her ongoing work to ensure a safe and inclusive music community . Lara’s creativity, warmth, humour and brilliance come through in this wide-ranging interview and you’ll hear about her decision to become the first classical soloist to start her own record label, her formative year in the former USSR, advice about learning music and the violin, and a tribute to one of her main mentors, Joey Corpus. In fact Joey’s amazing story wasn’t one I was familiar with and since this conversation I’ve learned more about this inspiring pedagogue. We talked about two of her many albums, and you’ll hear a couple of clips from Shiksa and She/Her/Hers; track names are in the timestamps and everything is linked to Lara’s website in the show notes. Lara is also known for her love for iguanas, and at the very beginning of this episode you’ll get to meet Baby Octavius! Trigger warning: Please note that there are detailed timestamps below, so you can go to specific parts of this interview; there are mentions of both sexual assault and a suicide attemptComplete Show Notes with linked episodes, newsletter, podcast merch and more!Lara St. John WebsiteVaraiuni Bar Fight video on Lara's channel.Timestamps: (00:00) Intro with mention of sexual abuse (trigger warning) (03:10) meeting the Caribbean iguana Baby Octavius (04:59) Order of Canada, meeting other celebrities for Canadian Thanksgiving (06:28) the story of Moishe the violin, klezmer (09:48) about album Shiksa with clip from The Pain Will Find Us (14:17) “Dear Lara” film, trigger warning mention of rape (27:16) changing perspectives on her career (32:27) other linked episodes and supporting this podcast (33:16) perspectives on children in music, competitions (35:36) U.S.S.R. experience (38:18) her record label Ancalogon, album She/Her/Hers women composers with clip of Ana Sokolović Danza 2 (42:55) adjusting repertoire, Gabriela Lena Frank with clip of Luciérnagas (46:40) clip of video Variaiuni Bar Fight from Shiksa, linked in show notes (47:54) first trip to Peru, brief reference to suicide attempt (49:16) Marlboro, Felix Galimir (53:06) Joey Corpus violin pedagogue, portato problems, final reflections on film making and career directionphoto: Titolayo Ayangade

Canadian violinist Yolanda Bruno spoke to me about her new album Dear Jeanne and her film The Immortal Serafin, which both honour the late Jeanne Lamon, the renowned baroque violinist, and Music Director of Tafelmusik for 34 years. Yolanda explains how she explores the story of Jeanne’s 1759 Santo Serafin baroque violin, which was generously loaned to Yolanda for one year. You’ll hear a few clips from the album, including Jeanne’s masterful string trio arrangement of Bach’s iconic Ciaccona, as well as a taste of a Leclair duo with Julia Wedman, another important mentor for Yolanda, and a work by Beth Silver honouring Jeanne’s Dutch-Jewish heritage. Yolanda reflects on what it means to live more sustainably with her partner, the accordionist Michael Bridge, who was previously featured on this podcast. She shared how her her annual project Music for Your Blues has impacted her life, as well as a very memorable experience performing in a high-security penitentiary, which taught her about connection and dignity, and the value of live music. I also wanted to shine a light on Yolanda’s brilliant first ablum, The Wild Swans, featuring 11 women composers, recorded with pianist Isabelle David. You’ll hear short excerpts by Lera Auerbach and Kelly-Marie Murphy. We end the episode with Yolanda’s insights about avoiding burnout by achieving balance in her life using the idea of longer cycles of time, which I loved.Complete Show Notes with All the Links! Yolanda Bruno Websitephoto: Curtis Perry(00:00) Intro(02:34) Dear Jeanne and her film The Immortal Serafin, Jeanne Lamon, Tafelmusik(12:25) Jeanne’s arrangement of Bach Ciaconna with clip (Yolanda with Julia Wedman, Christina Mahler - J.S. Bach Ciaccona from Partita No. 2 in D minor, BWV 1004(15:46) film The Immortal Serafin, living more sustainably and mindfully, Michael Bridge(24:39) the process of buying the Serafin, Jaak Liivoya, Bill Monical(30:56) how Yolanda started playing baroque violin, meeting Jeanne(34:41) clip of Jean-Marie Leclair Sonata for Two Violins in D Major, Op. 3, No. 3, ii. Allegro, lessons with Julia Wedman(38:00) other linked episodes and ways to support this series(38:50) Leclair, Beth Silver, Jeanne Lamon’s Dutch-Jewish heritage (44:16) musical family, The Wild Swans album, Lera Auerbach with clip Lera Auerbach - 24 Preludes for Violin and Piano, op. 46: No. 9 in E Major (Allegro)(51:38) Kelly Marie-Murphy The Swan Parapraxis with clip Kelly-Marie Murphy - The Swan Parapraxis, Carmen Bruno cello The Wild Swans album, Katherine Dowling(55:22) Music for Your Blues, reading, memorable concerts(01:02:37) performing for incarcerated audience in a penitentiary, Jean Rohe, Diane Schoemperlen(01:07:04) studying in England, balancing life in annual cycles

Conversations with Musicians with Leah Roseman is available wherever you listen to podcasts. The video and transcript are linked here on my website, where you can check out my episodes catalog and sign up for Sneak Peeks for upcoming guests: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jeremy-mastrangelo This week’s guest is violinist Jeremy Mastrangelo, who’s a wonderful colleague of mine in Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. He’s known in our greenroom as a great storyteller, onstage as an excellent musician, and having heard him give brilliant masterclasses I can attest to his excellence as an educator as well. This episode is infused with Jeremy’s wit and wisdom as well as a couple of beautiful violin performances. We talk about violin shopping in Cremona, teenage life at Interlochen Academy, the difficulties and joys of a career as an orchestral musician, family, and the benefits of deepening our understanding of the composers we play. You will find that one of the wonderful stories in this episode reveals an unexpected discovery! This independant podcast needs your support. Can you help with $3? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks so much! Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:11) Jeremy’s brother Dave, his childhood starting violin (10:31) Bach Aria from Goldberg Variations (13:23) Dave Mastrangelo arrangements (15:05) orchestra audition process (19:11) working conditions, collective agreements, Syracuse orchestra experience, Sara Mastrangelo (27:21) please support the podcast! (28:00) different roles and chairs in the orchestra (30:31) Interlochen (34:13) intro to Piazzolla etude (35:45) Piazzolla Tango Etude no. 3 (39:34) dealing with uncertainty, pandemic Syracuse then Ottawa with Pinchas Zukerman (45:37) ideal orchestra experiences, role of conductor and players (50:15) Cremona with wife Sara, Italian heritage, Vittorio Villa (55:54) Jeremy’s violin teachers Rafail Sobolevsky, Bill Preucil, Hal Grossman, Paul Kantor (01:03:26) Rafail Sobolevsky story (01:10:13) Sally Thomas, James Ehnes (01:14:12) cooking (01:16:07) great books about composers and performers (01:20:37) solo experiences, stress dreams, benefits of knowing more about the composers (01:28:16) one final orchestra story