Best Boston Symphony Orchestras Podcasts (2024)

1
Mark Scatterday, Conductor of the Eastman Wind Ensemble, Part 1: A life in conducting and training the next generation of professional musicians 57:26

9d ago57:26

57:26

Mark Scatterday is the Professor of Conducting at the Eastman School of Music and the esteemed conductor of the legendary Eastman Wind Ensemble. Since taking the baton in 2002 as only the fourth conductor in the ensemble’s storied history, Mark has continued the rich legacy of his predecessors, especially Frederick Fennell and Donald Hunsberger. Un…

1
Frederica von Stade & Martin Katz, Part 1: An Opera Icon and Renowned Collaborative Pianist, Reflecting on a Lifetime of Musical Collaboration, Teaching, and Artistic Growth 55:12

20d ago55:12

55:12

On June 9, 1974, the legendary singer Frederica von Stade and the brilliant pianist Martin Katz performed their first concert together—a partnership that continues to captivate audiences to this day. Few musical collaborations have endured for so many years or produced such iconic work. It was an incredible honor to sit down with both of them to di…

1
Impromptu Session with Wes Nance of Eastman and Rochester Philharmonic: "Whinnies and Winners: A Trumpeter's Journey Beyond Mahler" 9:48

30d ago9:48

9:48

In this deeply insightful interview, host Tony Plog chats with Wes Nance, trumpet with the Rochester Philharmonic, about the often-overlooked artistry behind Sleigh Ride's iconic horse whinny. Wes reflects on his time at the Eastman School of Music, his unconventional teaching methods, and the annual Horse Whinny Challenge — a competition as fun as…

1
Jeffrey Biegel, Part 1: International Concert Piano Artist and Educator - His thoughts on Music, Innovation, and Overcoming Adversity 1:02:06

1M ago1:02:06

1:02:06

Jeffrey Biegel is a pianist who has dazzled audiences across the globe, performing with major orchestras from a young age. But his contributions go far beyond the concert stage — He's commissioned over 25 new works from living composers, leaving a lasting mark on contemporary piano music. Always pushing the boundaries, Jeffrey has performed weekly …

1
Ed Carroll, Part 1: Mastering Music from All Angles - A "conductor, teacher, student, iconoclast, improviser, director, new music enthusiast, symphony musician, soloist, chamber musician"... and more ... 1:04:37

2M ago1:04:37

1:04:37

Ed's career in music has been nothing short of remarkable, spanning multiple roles including trumpeter, teacher, conductor, and entrepreneur. His deep involvement in so many facets of the musical world has made him a leading voice not just in the trumpet community, but in the broader world of music. In Part 1 of our conversation, Ed takes us back t…

1
Clayton Haslop, Part 1: The Virtuoso Violinist - His life as an LA studio musician, and his relentless and creative fight against focal dystonia. 44:50

2M ago44:50

44:50

Clayton Haslop's journey as a violinist has been nothing short of extraordinary. At just 18, he joined the Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra and rose to become its concertmaster. Over the years, he also served as concertmaster for the Los Angeles Opera Orchestra and contributed his talents to numerous iconic film scores, including Titanic, The Matrix, …

1
Claar ter Horst: The Expert on German Lieder - "Working diligently, refining like a diamond, achieving freedom like a bird, listening with all your senses, and, above all, being amazed like a child." 54:40

3M ago54:40

54:40

Pianist Claar ter Horst is a renowned expert on German Lieder, with a special focus on the music of Robert Schumann and Hugo Wolf. Her impressive career includes collaborations with legendary German singers like Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau and Elisabeth Schwarzkopf. Who better to delve into the rich tradition of German Lieder than Claar ter Horst? In …

1
Nina Yoshida Nelsen: An International Opera Star, Artistic Director at the Boston Lyric Opera, and President of the Asian Opera Alliance - Redefining what it means to be an opera singer 1:01:05

3M ago1:01:05

1:01:05

Described by Broadway World as a "richly powerful singing actress," Nina is redefining what it means to be an opera singer. Beyond her international singing career, she is the Artistic Director at the Boston Lyric Opera and the co-founder and President of the Asian Opera Alliance. Nina is someone who not only talks the talk but walks the walk, usin…

1
Leonard Slatkin: The Multifaceted Maestro and His Legacy in Music, Literature, and Life 1:00:30

4M ago1:00:30

1:00:30

In Part 1, Maestro Slatkin shares stories from his musical upbringing in Los Angeles, enriched by his family's deep musical roots. He reflects on his formative years studying under renowned mentors Jean Morel and Walter Susskind. We explore his process for learning new pieces and his insights on the unique approaches and sounds of various orchestra…

1
John Rubinstein, Part 1: Scoring for Movies and TV to Winning a Tony: A Journey Through Music, Acting, and Hollywood's Golden Age 51:48

4M ago51:48

51:48

Imagine being a multi-talented artist, a composer who has crafted scores for TV and iconic films like Jeremiah Johnson and The Candidate. Now, imagine you're also an acclaimed actor, having graced countless movies and winning a Tony Award for Children of a Lesser God Picture collaborating with legendary directors such as Bob Fosse, Mike Nichols, an…

1
Elias David Moncado, Part 1: International Award-Winning Violist, hailed as 'one of the biggest talents of his generation' 51:26

5M ago51:26

51:26

Called "one of the biggest talents of his generation," Elias David Moncado, at a very young age, has already had an exceptional career. After winning his first competition at the age of 6, then his first international competition at the age of 8, he went on to win four major competitions after that (the Sendai Violin Competition in 2019, the Intern…

1
Frederica von Stade, Part 1: The world-class opera singer, recitalist, concert artist, and philanthropist: Sing from the heart! 55:39

5M ago55:39

55:39

Frederica von Stade has had a fabulous career as an opera singer, recitalist, and concert artist. In her long career, she has performed and recorded internationally, working with major conductors around the world (Karajan, Bernstein, Abbado, to name just a few.) In addition, she has championed the works of many contemporary composers, most notably …

1
Micah Killion, Part 1: Performer, Researcher, Educator, Arts Administrator, and Former Air Force Band Trumpeter: On Efficient Practice and Learning 49:43

6M ago49:43

49:43

Dr. Micah Killion is a trumpeter who has devoted the past several years to better understanding what constitutes effective practice and learning. Formerly a member of the Air Force Band, he has also been an arts administrator. In addition to his performing and research, he has also been involved in helping underprivileged populations through the po…

1
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Part 1: Emmy Award Winning Conductor, Music Director Laureate of the Fort Worth Symphony and Director of Orchestral Studies at Baylor University 51:06

6M ago51:06

51:06

Miguel Harth Bedoya has been the Music Director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra for 20 years and is now their Music Director Laureate. In addition to other Music Director positions he has held, he has also guest conducted major orchestras around the world such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Cleveland Orchestra, a…

1
Kevin Mayse, Part 1: Trumpet Instructor, Ensembles Director, and Department Chair of the exciting program at Riverside City College 45:28

7M ago45:28

45:28

Kevin Mayse is the wind ensemble conductor, trumpet teacher, and chair of the Department of Music at Riverside City College. Even though RCC is a two year college, what Kevin has been able to accomplish has been exceptional. His wind ensemble not only performs major works but also has a vibrant commissioning program, top flight soloists, and perfor…

1
Jon Armstrong, Part 1: The Highly-Creative and Innovative Jazz Saxophonist, former LA Freelancer, Bandleader, Composer and current Professor of Jazz Studies and Commercial Music at Idaho State University ... 57:36

7M ago57:36

57:36

Jon Armstrong is an amazingly versatile performer, composer, educator and thinker. Perhaps that should come as no surprise, since as a young man in his home town in Oregon, Jon not only played in a Buddhist marching band but also worked 12 hour shifts in a diaper factory! After a highly successful career in LA, he now teaches at Idaho State Univers…

1
Matilda Lloyd, Part 1: The International Trumpet Soloist, Philanthropist and Podcast Host! 46:41

8M ago46:41

46:41

Matilda Lloyd has already had an exceptional career at a very young age. Her first album, Casta Diva, released on Chandos Records, was BBC Music Magazine's Recording of the Month in June of 2023. She will also be a European Concert Hall Organization "Rising Star" for the 2024/2025 season. But in addition to being an international trumpet soloist, s…

1
Lynn Larsen, Part 1: Personnel and Orchestra Manager of the Boston Symphony Orchestra 50:46

8M ago50:46

50:46

During the series of conversations I've had with people in the music business over the past 3 1/2 year, I've spoken with guests representing many aspects of music. But I haven't spoken with anybody about the give and take between orchestra management and musicians. So, who better to have on the podcast than Lynn Larsen? Lynn has been Personnel Mana…

1
Richard Antoine White, Part 1: The highly inspirational Professor of Tuba at The University of New Mexico, Principal Tubist of the New Mexico Philharmonic and Santa Fe Symphony, and author. Listen in to ... 52:21

9M ago52:21

52:21

Richard Antoine White (RAW Tuba) is principal tubist with the New Mexico Philharmonic, principal tuba of the Santa Fe Symphony, and a full professor of tuba at the University of New Mexico. But for more reasons than those, he has been an inspiration for those of us familiar with his life and work. For the first four years of his life, he was homele…

1
Katharina Kegler, Part 1: The Versatile Piano Pedagogue and Dozentin at the Freiburg Hochschule für Musik 31:45

9M ago31:45

31:45

I first met pianist Katharina Kegler in 1992 when I auditioned for the position of trumpet professor at the Freiburg Musik Hochschule. Katharina was assigned to me as the accompanist for the short concert I would have to play and, unbeknownst to me, it was her first service since being hired at the Hochschule. So over many year we have not only tau…

1
David Bilger: Former Principal of the Philadelphia Orchestra, and Trumpet Professor at Northwestern University and the Curtis Institute of Music 54:50

10M ago54:50

54:50

Trumpeter Dave Bilger has had a stellar career as both a performer and also as an educator. He was principal trumpet with the Dallas Symphony, and following that, principal trumpet with the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years. In addition to the 27 years he's taught at the Curtis Institute of Music, he's also Professor of Trumpet at the Northwest…

1
Andreas Neubronner, Part 1: The multi-Grammy Award winning recording producer of the San Francisco, London, Vienna (and more!) Symphonies 44:29

10M ago44:29

44:29

Andreas Neubronner is a record producer and engineer who has won 8 Grammy awards. He has recorded great orchestras around the world and is known for his recordings of the Mahler Symphonies with the San Francisco Symphony Orchestra conducted by Michael Tilson Thomas, his work with Baroque and Renaissance ensembles, and piano soloists Murray Perahia …

1
Nick Norton: The inspirational, huge-hearted former Principal Trumpet of the Utah Symphony 42:57

10M ago42:57

42:57

In his thirty-eight years with the Utah Symphony, Nick Norton experienced all aspects of what it means to be an orchestral trumpet player. He began his career with the orchestra as second trumpet and after nine years auditioned for, and won, the newly vacated position of principal trumpet. Towards the end of his tenure with the orchestra, he moved …

1
Bill Williams: International Trumpeter, Former Dean of the New World Symphony, and Optimal Performance Coach! 45:03

11M ago45:03

45:03

Bill Williams is a musician who has had a stellar career as a symphony musician, chamber musician, and soloist. But in addition to his performing, he is also a consultant with a wide range of clients, including elite performers and institutions, focusing on the tools needed to perform well consistently. On his website The Path to Optimal Performanc…

1
Chad Goodman, Bonus Room: The wave-making, entrepreneurial, and successful conductor, educator and author (and trumpet player!) 20:57

1y ago20:57

20:57

In the Bonus Room we discuss Chad's book, "You Earned a Music Degree. Now What?" This is a book that offers many practical and usable suggestions for students graduating from college and wanting to pursue a career in music. It is indeed a working musicians field guide, and we cover many areas of the book. Students will find this part of the intervi…

1
Chad Goodman, Part 2: The wave-making, entrepreneurial, and successful conductor, educator and author (and trumpet player!) 25:22

1y ago25:22

25:22

We begin Part 2 by talking about his time with the San Francisco Ballet and how conducting ballet is so different from conducting orchestras. From there we move on to the New World Symphony and the studying of scores in preparation for rehearsals and concerts, how much time is involved, and the strategy he has for score analysis. Would you like mor…

1
Chad Goodman, Part 1: The wave-making, entrepreneurial, and successful conductor, educator and author (and trumpet player!) 43:30

1y ago43:30

43:30

Chad Goodman is, to quote Christina Wallace from Forbes Magazine, "an entrepreneur bringing innovation to classical music." In his young life, Chad has started his own ensemble, the Elevate Ensemble, worked with the San Francisco Symphony and San Francisco Ballet as a conductor, is a Conducting Fellow of the New World Symphony, and has recently bee…

1
William Leathers and Carlos Jiménez Fernández, Bonus Room: Principal Trumpet of the Nashville Symphony and Principal Trombone of the New York City Ballet, both recent graduates and friends from Juilliard ... 14:52

1y ago14:52

14:52

In addition to their new jobs, Will and Carlos have had experiences performing with other major orchestras, such as the New York Philharmonic, the Philadelphia Orchestra, the St. Louis Symphony, and the London Symphony. Our talk then turns to the future, with Will talking about his work with the Vennture Mouthpiece company, and Carlos about trainin…

1
William Leathers and Carlos Jiménez Fernández, Part 2: Principal Trumpet of the Nashville Symphony and Principal Trombone of the New York City Ballet, both recent graduates and friends from Juilliard 27:04

1y ago27:04

27:04

We continue our conversation about experiences at Juilliard and then move on to their current jobs: Principal Trumpet with the Nashville Symphony and Principal Trombone with the New York City Ballet, and specifically what they experienced in their auditions for those two orchestras. Would you like more inspirational stories, suggestions, insights, …

1
William Leathers and Carlos Jiménez Fernández, Part 1: Principal Trumpet of the Nashville Symphony and Principal Trombone of the New York City Ballet, both recent graduates and friends from Juilliard 31:15

1y ago31:15

31:15

Trombonist Carlos Jiménez Fernández and Trumpeter William Leathers have already had exceptional lives as musicians, even though they just recently graduated with a Bachelor's degree from Juilliard. They already have great jobs as principal players (Will with the Nashville Symphony and Carlos with the New York City Ballet) and have also performed wi…

1
Amy Sanchez, Bonus Room: The highly diverse full-time LA freelancer and educator whose sound you've heard in your favorite movies! 40:00

1y ago40:00

40:00

We begin the Bonus Room with Amy talking about her 99-day trip around the United States visiting and photographing all the national parks during the first year of the Covid pandemic. Her life outside of music is as varied as her freelance life in Los Angeles, so we discuss other projects she's been involved in. We end this fascinating conversation …

1
Amy Sanchez, Part 2: The highly diverse full-time LA freelancer and educator whose sound you've heard in your favorite movies! 20:02

1y ago20:02

20:02

In addition to the classical jobs she plays, Amy has also done some very interesting non-classical jobs, so we go behind the scenes of her recording sessions for Kendrick Lamar and Dave Matthews. Amy also talks about what it was like to be on the session that was a tribute to Henry Mancini, which included session musicians such as John Williams, He…

1
Amy Sanchez, Part 1: The highly diverse full-time LA freelancer and educator whose sound you've heard in your favorite movies! 43:50

1y ago43:50

43:50

Hornist Amy Sanchez is a very successful and very busy freelancer living in Los Angeles. But she is so much more than that. In addition to all her various activities as a musician, she has also done a 99 day trip around the United States visiting all the National Parks, has become involved with NkombeRhino, a South African organization that focuses…

1
Aaron Williamon and Jason Evans, Part 2: Cutting edge research in the psychology of performance at the Royal College of Music in London. 40:42

1y ago40:42

40:42

A large portion of this second part of our conversation deals with performance psychology and dealing with Covid and the groundbreaking research Aaron is doing at the Royal College. In discussing that research we do a deep dive into distributed simulation, where students can perform before a simulated situation of either a performance or audition, …

1
Aaron Williamon and Jason Evans, Bonus Room: Cutting edge research in the psychology of performance at the Royal College of Music in London. 27:44

1y ago27:44

27:44

In the Bonus Room, we first discuss the difference between stress and distress. And then we discuss how to relieve distress in performance situations, with Jason talking about “flipping the script.” Dorico Professional music notation and composition software from Steinberg. Download a free 30-trial today! Disclaimer: This post contains affiliate li…

1
Aaron Williamon and Jason Evans, Part 1: Cutting edge research in the performance psychology at the Royal College of Music in London 42:39

1y ago42:39

42:39

Aaron Williamon is Professor of Performance Science at the Royal College of Music in London and is joined in our conversation by Jason Evans, who is head of the brass faculty at the Royal College and also principal trumpet with the Philharmonia Orchestra. Together we tackle the subject of performance psychology and specifically, performance anxiety…

1
Daniel Spreadbury, Bonus Room: Blending Music, Literature, and Tech into a Fast Paced Career in Notation Software Development 23:51

1y ago23:51

23:51

In the Bonus Room, Daniel talks about the tight-knit nature of his team and how he views the success of a product. He discusses balancing priorities while still keeping an eye toward the future and what he thinks about the potential of tech advancements on the future of notation software. He briefly talks about his friendship with the prolific comp…

1
Daniel Spreadbury, Part 2: Blending Music, Literature, and Tech into a Fast Paced Career in Notation Software Development 43:31

1y ago43:31

43:31

In Part 2, Daniel talks about the beginnings of working for Steinberg and their culture. He then goes over the initial years of building Dorico from the ground up and the shift in focus once the product was available to the world. He discusses innovation and the goal of not just "building a faster horse." Finally, he talks about a day in his life a…

1
Daniel Spreadbury, Part 1: Blending Music, Literature, and Tech into a Fast Paced Career in Notation Software Development 48:58

1+ y ago48:58

48:58

When I first began the podcast, producer Eddie Ludema and I thought our main goal would be to dig deeply into what makes a great musician, and we had many fascinating interviews in that vein. But as time progressed, we noticed that our interviews were with subjects that didn’t concern themselves directly with performance and practice techniques (Ha…

1
The Seraph Brass, Part 2: The Powerful and Elegant, World-Renowned Brass Ensemble. 20:29

1+ y ago20:29

20:29

The members of Seraph Brass are entrepreneurs in addition to being musicians, and we begin Part 2 by discussing the workshops they give on entrepreneurship. We then move on to touring and what it is like to play in different countries with varying cultures. We close this part with a discussion of how the group goes about commissioning works. Dorico…

1
The Seraph Brass, Bonus Room: The Powerful and Elegant, World-Renowned Brass Ensemble. 18:26

1+ y ago18:26

18:26

An important aspect of any chamber music group is repertoire, so we talk about how Seraph Brass chooses theirs and how they go about rehearsing before and during a tour. We end with a discussion of a concert done the night before our conversation... a work by Anthony DiLorenzo (Chimera) performed with the U.S. Army Band, Pershing's Own. Dorico Prof…

1
The Seraph Brass, Part 1: The Powerful and Elegant World-Renowned Brass Ensemble. 35:24

1+ y ago35:24

35:24

Seraph Brass is in its ninth season and began as a group dedicated to "elevating and showcasing the excellence of female brass players and highlighting musicians from marginalized groups both in personnel and in programming." It is a group consisting of five to six core artists, along with a group of guests who also perform with the group. My conve…

1
Jörg Widmann, Part 2: World Recognized Composer, Clarinetist, and Conductor - Current Composer-in-Residence for the Berlin Philharmonic! 28:25

1+ y ago28:25

28:25

In Part 2, we continue our discussion about composition, including aspects such as revision, notation, writing in bursts rather than with a regular schedule (and why composing for very long hours is a joy), separating composing from clarinet and conducting, dealing with being writer's block, and working with Pierre Boulez. We end Part 2 by talking …

1
Jörg Widmann, Bonus Room: World Recognized Composer, Clarinetist, and Conductor - Current Composer-in-Residence for the Berlin Philharmonic! 30:54

1+ y ago30:54

30:54

Jörg Widmann is also recognized as an internationally acclaimed clarinet soloist, so we begin the Bonus Room by talking about that aspect of his career. We also discuss further how he balances his schedule between composing, clarinet, and conducting (spoiler alert... he really doesn't!), and then we talking about a number of different subjects, suc…

1
Jörg Widmann, Part 1: World Recognized Composer, Clarinetist, and Conductor - Current Composer-in-Residence for the Berlin Philharmonic! 46:01

1+ y ago46:01

46:01

Jörg Widmann is one of the most versatile and fascinating classical artists in the world today. He is one of the world's most recognized modern composers, with premiers by major orchestras around the world. He has also appeared as a clarinet soloist with many of the world's top ensembles. As a conductor, he was the Music Director of the Irish Chamb…

1
Anne Midgette, Bonus Room: Former Music Critic and Reviewer for the Washington Post & New York Times 9:02

1+ y ago9:02

9:02

In the Bonus Room we discuss the idea of using social media to build a career in music, and from there we move on to the subject of the interpretation of Baroque music... authentic instruments and phrasing vs. modern instruments and phrasing. And we end with Anne's optimistic take on the future of classical music... "The music is just fine." Would …

1
Anne Midgette, Part 2: Former Music Critic and Reviewer for the Washington Post & New York Times 27:16

1+ y ago27:16

27:16

Part 2 of our discussion deals with the books "The King and I", and "My Nine Lives". We talk about what it was like to work with Herbert Breslin and Leon Fleisher, both towering but very different figures in the music business. This leads to a short discussion about interpretation, and we end with Anne talking about her current project, a book of h…

1
Anne Midgette, Part 1: Former Music Critic and Reviewer for the Washington Post & New York Times 43:41

1+ y ago43:41

43:41

Anne Midgette was the music critic for the Washington Post for eleven years, and for seven years before that was a regular contributor to the New York Times. She is the author of two books on music, The King and I, about the relationship between Luciano Pavarotti and his manager, Herbert Breslin, and My Nine Lives, with the pianist Leon Fleisher. S…

1
Jock Ellis, Bonus Room: America's Jazz/Rock/Studio/Classical Trombonist - and Voice Over Expert! 12:34

1+ y ago12:34

12:34

In the Bonus Room, I ask Jock about perhaps the most unusual aspect of his career ... doing voice overs for commercials, cartoons, and the like. And Jock was happy to give me some examples of what different cartoon characters might sound like. So this Bonus Room is quite different from Bonus Rooms of the past! Enjoy! Would you like more inspiration…

1
Jock Ellis, Part 2: America's Jazz/Rock/Studio/Classical Trombonist - and Voice Over Expert! 29:29

1+ y ago29:29

29:29

Jock transitioned to jazz and rock and moved to San Francisco during the height of the hippie movement. We talk about improvisation and the difference between "playing licks" and "riding the crest of the wave." Part 2 ends with Jock talking about two of the iconic band leaders he played with ... Don Ellis and Frank Zappa. Would you like more inspir…

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