Best Karen Kevra Podcasts (2024)

1
FLUTE STORIES - Friedrich Kuhlau's Arietta and Variations on a Theme of Mozart 10:15

5M ago10:15

10:15

Fredrich Kuhlau (1786–1832) was a Danish composer of the late Classical and early Romantic periods who wrote prodigiously for the flute. The final movement of his Fantasie for Solo Flute in D major, "Arietta and Variations" is charming, virtuosic, and fun! The aria "Bati, Bati" from Mozart's opera Don Giovanni is the theme. The operatic spirit shin…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Katherine Hoover's WINTER SPIRITS 11:19

6M ago11:19

11:19

Composer Katherine Hoover's Winter Spirits is a musical tribute to the American Desert Southwest. This 5 minute piece was inspired by Marie Buchfink's artwork picturing a cross-legged native American flute player: A colorful cloud of tiny beneficent spirits rises from the flute into a cloud. Elements of dance, chant, and drumming combine to create …

1
Tony Barrand: Sing Me A Story/Dance Me A Song 1:11:02

7M ago1:11:02

1:11:02

In this encore episode from Christmas eve 2020, we celebrate the life and legacy of Tony Barrand who died on January 29, 2022. Tony Barrand was born in England in 1945 but has lived most of his life in southern Vermont in the vibrant town of Brattleboro—a place that shines all the more brightly because of him. This Cornell PHD and Professor Emeritu…

1
Pianist Jeffrey Chappell 36:45

11M ago36:45

36:45

Pianist Jeffrey Chappell reflects on his life and his formative mentorships first with pianist Jane Allen, and later with the legendary Leon Fleisher. In this encore episode, Jeffrey reveals his early childhood genesis story with the piano; his studies at the Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory, and path that led him to an astounding last min…

1
Edgard Varèse - DENSITY 21.5 14:33

1y ago14:33

14:33

Edgard Varèse is one of the most influential musicians of the twentieth century and was called "The stratospheric Colossus of Sound." He lived life with intensity and composed the same way. Varèse lived most of his composing life in New York City and made music out of the compelling cacophony of NYC street noises: sirens, firetrucks, river sounds, …

1
FLUTE STORIES - Rimsky-Korsakov's FLIGHT OF THE BUMBLEBEE 4:33

1y ago4:33

4:33

Flight of the Bumblebee from Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's opera "The Tale of Tsar Saltan"--is at the heart of a fantastical tale which includes a large cast of characters including a king and a queen, a magical swan, and a prince turned bumblebee. It's a dazzling colorful encore piece, instantly recognizable and adopted by all kinds of instrumentalist…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Pierre-Octave Ferroud's JADE 6:01

1+ y ago6:01

6:01

Pierre-Octave Ferroud wrote "Jade"- a tropical work for solo flute in July of 1921. There are two musical features in this Asian-styled French piece that give it its distinctly far eastern flavor. The first is the pentatonic scale-- the five pitches are tied to five elements: wood, fire, earth, metal and water. The second feature is a rhythmic one …

1
FLUTE STORIES - Gabriel Fauré's MOURCEAU DE CONCOURS - A winter lullaby 9:14

1+ y ago9:14

9:14

One of the things that really sets Gabriel Fauré apart is the singing style of his music. He was an exceptional and prolific composer of song so it's no wonder that we hear that singing quality even in his instrumental works. Fauré's "Morceau de Concours" is an incredibly special tiny gem. Don't be fooled by the title. Though he wrote it as a sight…

1
Beethoven Hymn of Thanksgiving-A meditation like no other 15:57

1+ y ago15:57

15:57

Muse Mentors host Karen Kevra discusses Beethoven's transcendent Hymn of Thanksgiving from the Op. 132 A minor string quartet with Nicholas Kitchen, the first violinist of the Borromeo Quartet. Credits: Beethoven, Hymn Of Thanksgiving (String Quartet Op. 132, Movement III) Borromeo Quartet - Nicholas Kitchen, Violin; Kristopher Tong, Violin; Mai Mo…

1
FLUTE STORIES - C.P.E. Bach's Sonata in A minor - A meditation on autumn 10:18

1+ y ago10:18

10:18

CPE Bach was the second son of Johann Sebastian and Maria Barbara Bach and to say he was a prolific composer is putting it mildly. CPE Bach wrote loads of flute music--sonatas, chamber music, and dazzling concerti. The tremendous output of flute music had to do with the fact that he had a flutist for a boss--Frederick the Great of Prussia. His touc…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Friedrich Kuhlau's FANTASY 8:25

2y ago8:25

8:25

Fredrich Kuhlau was admired by Beethoven and is known as "the Beethoven of the flute." He wrote his gorgeous Fantasy in D major for solo flute in 1820 during a four-month stay in Vienna. Perhaps the Danube river provided inspiration for this silky, rippling Romantic music... Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12, performed by Karen Kevra Fredrich…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Johannès Donjon's SUMMER MUSIC 9:27

2y ago9:27

9:27

Frenchman Johannès Donjon's Etudes de Salon are whimsical and summery music. His miniature "Song of the Wind", "Élégie", and "Will-O'-the Wisp" require sure-footed technique. Even so, this fun music oozes with color, expression and imagination. Georg Philip Telemann, Fantaisie No. 12 Johannès Donjon, Song of the Wind, Élégie, Will-O'-the Wisp Perfo…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Jindřich Feld's MEDITATION 6:23

2y ago6:23

6:23

It's been a period of intense news and worldwide stress. At times like these you've got to turn it off and turn to music. Czech composer Jindřich Feld's 1957 Meditation is a sublime 2.5 minute work that offers a respite from the news. Try the simple meditative approach for a deep listening experience. Ray Chen-violin, and Julio Elizalde-piano perfo…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Pierre-Octave Ferroud's BERGERE CAPTIVE 5:28

2y ago5:28

5:28

Pierre-Octave Ferroud wrote his "Bergère Captive", a gorgeous and plaintive work for solo flute in July of 1921. You've probably never heard of Ferroud because he died a grisly pedestrian death when he stepped out into an oncoming car and was killed at the age of 36. It's a tragedy because if you listen to his colorful and inventive music you will …

1
FLUTE STORIES - J.S. Bach's SARABANDE from Partita in A minor 15:07

2y ago15:07

15:07

Johann Sebastian Bach was incredibly generous with the flute. He wrote several full scale sonatas, gave the flute has starring roles in two of the Brandenburg concerti, and beautiful obbligato parts in countless arias, but there is just one solo partita. The slow movement from his A minor flute Partita-a Sarabande -is a dance form with both Arab an…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Carl Nielsen's THE CHILDREN ARE PLAYING 3:28

2y ago3:28

3:28

"THE CHILDREN ARE PLAYING" is a tiny fairy-tale of a piece for solo flute written by Denmark's best-known composer Carl Nielsen in 1920 as incidental music for a play called "The Mother." The whimsical music is a tip of the cap to Hans Christian Andersen and sounds like kids on playground on a spring day--leaping and laughter and teasing and taunti…

1
Remembering Legendary National Georaphic Photographer Jim Blair on his Birthday 39:08

2+ y ago39:08

39:08

In this encore episode James Pease Blair, one of National Geographic's legendary photographers talked about love, life, and legacy. Jim began his 32 year career at the National Geographic Society with a splash as staff photographer on board Jacques Cousteau's Calypso in 1962. As a photography student in the fifties at the Institute of Design in Chi…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Louis Moyse's PASTORALE 11:22

2+ y ago11:22

11:22

Composer/flutist/pianist Louis Moyse's Pastorale was written in 1925 when he was just 14 years old. Louis was the son of the great French flutist Marcel Moyse, and he grew up steeped in Parisian culture and with the sound of the flute in his ears and his heart. That influence shows in this evocative, oh-so-French piece that sounds like a marriage b…

1
FLUTE STORIES - Debussy's SYRINX 8:00

2+ y ago8:00

8:00

In this first full episode of the FLUTE STORIES MINI-SERIES host and flutist Karen Kevra explores Claude Debussy's magical mythical Syrinx, the finest gem of the solo flute repertoire. Claude Debussy, Prélude à l'après-midi d'un faune Claude Debussy, Syrinx CPE Bach, Poco Adagio from Sonata in A minor for solo flute Karen Kevra, flute Albert von Ti…

1
FLUTE STORIES - a new mini-series from Muse Mentors 3:28

2+ y ago3:28

3:28

Muse Mentors host Karen Kevra is your guide in Flute Stories--These short episodes weave performances of flute music with the stories behind them. All performances by Karen Kevra Georg Philipp Telemann, Fantasie #12 in G minor Nikolay Rimsky-Korsakov, Flight of the Bumblebee Joachim Anderson, Etude in G major, #3, Op. 15 Louis Moyse, Pastorale Clau…

1
Violinist Nicholas Kitchen and his mentor Szymon Goldberg ~a beautiful musical paradox of old technology and new... 37:44

2+ y ago37:44

37:44

Nicholas Kitchen, one of the country's leading violinists is a founding member of the Boston-based Borromeo String Quartet. Nick is perhaps the most important protégé of the great Polish violinist Szymon Goldberg. Nick has been loaned his teacher's violin-- the Giuseppe Guarneri, Cremona, ca. 1730, "Goldberg-Baron Vitta" to play throughout his care…

1
Tony Barrand: Sing Me A Story/Dance Me A Song 1:12:04

2+ y ago1:12:04

1:12:04

Tony Barrand was born in England in 1945 but has lived most of his life in southern Vermont in the vibrant town of Brattleboro—a place that shines all the more brightly because of him. This Cornell PHD and Professor Emeritus of Boston University is not just an academic, but also a singer, dancer, and story-teller. What first grabs you is his way wi…

1
Muse Mentors celebrates first anniversary with a reflection on Beethoven's transcendent Op. 132 string quartet 9:05

3y ago9:05

9:05

In this short anniversary episode, Muse Mentors host Karen Kevra looks back on a year with a podcast, and a year without concerts. She previews an upcoming concert by Boston's Borromeo Quartet and discusses Beethoven's transcendent Op. 132 A minor string quartet with Nicholas Kitchen, the first violinist of the Borromeo quartet. Credits: Kuhlau, Fa…

1
The Circus of Life: Rob Mermin and his mentor Marcel Marceau 49:20

3y ago49:20

49:20

Encore episode: Rob Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969 at the age of 19. He clowned with renowned European circuses, including England’s Circus Hoffman, Sweden’s Cirkus Scott, Denmark’s Circus Benneweis in the famous Circus Building by the Tivoli, and many more. It was his long mentorship with the iconic French mime Marcel Marceau that shape…

1
Happy Birthday Leon Fleisher! 37:37

3y ago37:37

37:37

In this encore episode of Muse Mentors, pianist Jeffrey Chappell reflects on his life and his formative relationship with his mentor the legendary Leon Fleisher. He addresses overcoming challenges and adversity through the lens of his teacher's career-altering medical condition. The episode closes with the voice of Leon Fleisher who offers powerful…

1
Kerrin McCadden is a Poem 1:03:31

3y ago1:03:31

1:03:31

Kerrin McCadden's new collection of poems called American Wake is made of the stuff of life --subjects like family, divorce, raising children, love and even her brother's tragic death by drug overdose are poignantly bound together by her strong Irish Heritage and her family's immigrant story. American Wake, is an actual term that refers to a kind o…

1
Lou Kosma: Mensch of the MET 38:21

3y ago38:21

38:21

Lou Kosma was a bass player in the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra for 36 years. He grew up in Philadelphia in the fifties in a blue collar Italian American family - a loving home where the sound of Italian tarantellas played on guitar and accordion spilled from the windows, and the smell of frying meatballs and Roma tomato sauce filled the air. Littl…

1
National Geographic photographer James Pease Blair: Making Pictures- life, love, and legacy 38:38

3+ y ago38:38

38:38

James Pease Blair, one of National Geographic's legendary photographers talks about love, life, and legacy. Jim began his 32 year career at the National Geographic Society with a splash as staff photographer on board Jacques Cousteau's Calypso in 1962. As a photography student in the fifties at the Institute of Design in Chicago, he studied with Ha…

1
Dr. Eli Newberger: Music Man/Medicine Man 33:42

3+ y ago33:42

33:42

It can sound hyperbolic to make the claim that a person has changed the world and made it a better place. In the case of Eli Newberger, it is utterly true. Eli Newberger is equal parts music man and medicine man. He was the key prosecution witness in the trial of Louise Woodward, the British nanny convicted of second-degree murder in the death of a…

1
The Joy of Fluting: Flutist Paula Robison and her mentor Marcel Moyse 47:55

3+ y ago47:55

47:55

Paula Robison was born in Nashville to an extraordinary family of actors, writers, dancers, and musicians. She grew up in Los Angeles not only playing the flute, but studying dance with Bella Lewitzky and theater with Jeff Corey. When she was twelve years old, music claimed her heart and she knew she wanted to be a flutist. Trained at the Juilliard…

1
Bill McKibben: Where There's a Bill There's a Way 41:32

3+ y ago41:32

41:32

In what could be the most important Muse Mentors episode ever, author and climate activist Bill McKibben (who wrote The End of Nature one of the first books on global warming for the general public) talks about his childhood, teen-aged years as a journalist; and, before he even graduated from Harvard, an invitation from the late great editor Willia…

1
David Dworkin: The Maestro of Fitness 29:26

3+ y ago29:26

29:26

The New York Times called David Dworkin, the maestro who "sparkles with high-spirited virtuosity." This Jersey boy got his start in high school in the late 1940s with clarinet lessons at The Williamsburg (Brooklyn) Community House where he met his mentor the late Metropolitan Opera Orchestra clarinetist Ben Armato. That relationship nurtured David …

1
Tony Barrand: Sing Me A Story/Dance Me A Song 1:10:27

3+ y ago1:10:27

1:10:27

Tony Barrand was born in England in 1945 but has lived most of his life in southern Vermont in the vibrant town of Brattleboro—a place that shines all the more brightly because of him. This Cornell PHD and Professor Emeritus of Boston University is not just an academic, but also a singer, dancer, and story-teller. What first grabs you is his way wi…

1
"Mom's the word": Visual Artist Katie Runde and her many surprising mentors 45:41

3+ y ago45:41

45:41

Vermont visual artist Katie Runde was raised by Medievalist parents. This millennial with a Midas touch has been drawing as long as she was able to hold a crayon, playing saxophone since age eight, and theologizing since that day somewhere around age eleven when Mass stopped making neat story sense. An alum of the Eastman School of Music, she also …

1
The Circus of Life: Rob Mermin and his mentor Marcel Marceau 48:17

3+ y ago48:17

48:17

Rob Mermin ran off to join the circus in 1969 at the age of 19. He clowned with renowned European circuses, including England’s Circus Hoffman, Sweden’s Cirkus Scott, Denmark’s Circus Benneweis in the famous Circus Building by the Tivoli, and many more. It was his long mentorship with the iconic French mime Marcel Marceau that shaped him as a perfo…

1
Armando in Wonderland: Illustrator Armando Veve 39:55

3+ y ago39:55

39:55

Philadelphia-based illustrator Armando Veve is a Forbes 30 Under 30 list designee. He has been awarded three gold medals from the Society of Illustrators and gained international recognition when he was named an ADC Young Gun. His breath-taking and whimsical art has been commissioned by The New York Times, The New Yorker, National Geographic, the N…

1
Music, Magic, and Meditation: Pianist Jeffrey Chappell and his mentor Leon Fleisher 35:34

3+ y ago35:34

35:34

In the first full episode of Muse Mentors, pianist Jeffrey Chappell reflects on his life and his formative mentorships first with pianist Jane Allen, and later with the legendary Leon Fleisher. Jeffrey reveals his early childhood genesis story with the piano; his studies at the Curtis Institute and Peabody Conservatory, and path that led him to an …

1
Welcome to the Muse Mentors Podcast 5:15

4y ago5:15

5:15

In this brief introductory episode, Muse Mentors host Karen Kevra weaves a personal story of mentorship and invites listeners to join her for engaging and inspiring interviews. Support the showBy Karen Kevra

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