This is a short bonus episode in my "Inspiring Excerpts" series, with the wonderful jazz guitarist and composer Roddy Ellias.  The full episode is here, both video and podcast: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e12-s1-roddy-ellias-guitarist-and-composer You'll get to hear some great stories from Roddy's early career in touring rock bands, connections between martial arts and music, and how he teaches students to get into the feel of flow. Guitar enthusiasts, you’ll be happy to know that this series will soon be featuring quite a few more guitarists and also specialists in other plucked instruments. . I hope you enjoy these in-depth and wide-ranging conversations, and that your curiosity is stimulated for music that may be new to you.  Please support this podcast with a tip! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Roddy Ellias website: https://www.roddyellias.com/ photo: Evan Shaw

Marc van Vugt is a wonderful award-winning composer and jazz guitarist from the Netherlands. In this episode you’ll be introduced to several beautiful guitars in his collection that are featured in his new solo album, “The Lonely Coyote” and you’ll also get to hear stories from his travels and his perspectives about different musical scenes, composing, and some of the biggest challenges now for musicians worldwide. Please buy me a coffee! (and get access to unique perks) https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman The video version of this is linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/marc-van-vugt-guitarist-and-composer https://baiximrecords.bandcamp.com/album/the-lonely-coyote photo: Jiri Büller Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:39) “Simiane” intro and performance (08:01)influence of Latin American music, growing up in a small Dutch town (10:49) Paris, Theo van Doesburg house in Meudon, composing the Vandoesburg Suite (15:28) album “The Lonely Coyote”, collection of guitars, touring challenges with a guitar (21:21) baritone guitar (21:22) Martin guitar, technique of playing with a mix of nails and pick (28:20) harp zither (33:44) more about “The Lonely Coyote” ablum, living in the desert, influences of Alberto Gismonti, Ralph Towner, Leo Kottke (40:19) creative process of composing, Kenny Wheeler (48:36) HKU University for the Arts in Utrecht, Hans Kox, Eef Albers, creating the jazz and improvised music department with Bert van der Brink (51:17) Banff, categories of music, the free improvised music scene in the Netherlands (56:03) experience of growing up in a place and time with limited access to music and different musicians in contrast to now with the challenges of exposure YouTube and social media in general (01:01:48) touring and collaborating with local musicians, trips to Indonesia and playing with gamelan players (01:05:06) trip to Brazil (01:07:31) teaching composition (01:12:46) Rogier van Otterloo (01:15:16) writing music for films of Georges Méliès (01:19:12) archtop guitar

This is a re-release with improved audio. I was thrilled to have a fascinating chat with the inspiring and innovative multi-style violinist/vocalist, author, composer, producer and educator Julie Lyonn Lieberman. I first learned about her when I bought her book You Are Your Instrument, which was the first book written about how to overcome and prevent musicians’ overuse injuries. In this conversation we discuss her unique path through world music, some of the research she’s done for her book and radio programs, illuminating the history of slave fiddlers and the evolution of improvised string playing in the United States. She gives some wonderful advice about following your own path, and at the end, she plays two tunes in different styles. Please support this podcast with a tip! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman This episode in video form, along with the transcript,  is here linked on my podcast website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/julie-lyonn-lieberman JULIE’S BOOKS AND DVDs  https://julielyonnmusic.ecwid.com  STRINGS WITHOUT BOUNDARIES Multi-Style Video Library https://www.stringswithoutboundaries.com/video-library.html IMPROVISED VIOLIN Documentary https://vimeo.com/117067048  Julie Lyonn Lieberman String Archives https://julielyonn.com/string-archives/   D’Addario workshops with Julie:  https://daddario.formstack.com/forms/... photo credit: Leonard Cascia

Gary Muzsynski is a versatile percussionist and entrepreneur and this conversation delves into his experiences playing samba in Brazil, his discovery and exploration of the handpan, and some of his work as an educator in both community music projects and as an innovator using music in the corporate world. We also talked about his beautiful album "Roots and Wings - Medicine Music", which won the Gold Medal Best of Show in the 2021 Global Music Awards and features 25 master musicians from 8 countries. Gary plays several contrasting instruments in different styles during the episode, and timestamps are included below. Like every episode, this is available both as a video and podcast wherever you listen to podcasts, and the transcript is also linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/gary-muszynski   Please support this series! Buy me a coffee: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:31) Mbira music (06:45) Gary’s mentors and training with Community Music: Babatunde Olatunji, David Darling (09:21) Gary’s childhood and life-changing experience with music (18:26) early career in St. Louis, going to Brazil and learning Samba (24:10) Gary’s story about creatively getting a plane ticket to return to Brazil to perform in Carnaval (28:36) Samba school experiences in Brazil (38:44) demonstration of some samba rhythms on agogô and surdo (46:02) Samba in the Midwest, community music making “Sambistas” band (48:26) Handpan history, different types and demonstration (01:09:57) about the “Roots and Wings, Medicine Music” album, Global Music Awards winner, Tito La Rosa, Yair Dalal, Varijashree Venugopal (01:20:07) Gary’s executive and team coaching and how he pivoted to online during 2020 (01:23:14) Community music Babatunde Olatunji (01:27:29) handpan improvisation photo: Irene Young

Linsey Pollak is an Australian musician who is known worldwide as a passionate and creative advocate for community music. His life has been full of unusual opportunities to explore different styles of music, and his inventiveness has spurred him to create countless instruments from found objects. In this episode you’ll get to hear him play 4 different instruments in different improvisatory styles, and I’m sure that everyone will be inspired by stories from his life, describing some of his incredibly unusual, fun and beautiful collaborations and creations. This is available both video and podcast :https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/linsey-pollak    Please support this podcast! Get access to unique perks: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo credit: Beat Lehmann Timestamps: (00:00 Intro) (01:30) gaida music (04:59) Rafting trip, discovering Macedonian bagpipes, first trip to Macedonia (11:35) trip to Greece to study klarino with Stavros Vasthekis (13:15) discovering the Macedonian community in Australia, establishing Kulcha (17:36) Linsey’s start making instruments, London and Early Music scene (23:14) busking in Europe, learning Macedonian dance, Živko Firfov Group, Destan Destanovski (31:48) importance of humour in his solo shows (33:17) duduk design and music (38:56) Linsey’s early musical education and projects (41:27) developing live looping in the early 90s, his solo shows (49:25) rubber glove bagpipe (54:36) Linsey’s current project going out to record in the forest with ambient sounds (his album of this music is on Bandcamp), also the frog sounds album (56:53) Dva with Tunji Beier and now Beier-Griffin-Pollak trio with Philip Griffin (58:23) Humarimba community music project (01:09:16) Paranormal Music Society Romano Crivici and Blair Greenberg, and QWERTY with Peter Rowe (01:13:47) MIDI wind controller Dangerous Song project with demonstration using animal sounds (01:33:26) Linsey’s drive to create instruments and connect people, his creative process (01:37:20) Linsey’s decision to stop touring outside of Australia (01:40:07) Linsey’s advice

James Ehnes is known internationally as one of the foremost violin soloists. He’s a GRAMMY winner who’s created over 60 acclaimed albums. In this short episode you’ll hear him talk about the joys and challenges of squeezing in chamber music with the Ehnes String Quartet, his youth in Brandon and his studies with both Frances Chaplin and Sally Thomas. The episode ends with some great advice for all musicians! The full episode is available here, both video and podcast, along with the transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e11-s1-james-ehnes Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo: Benjamin Ealovega

I was honored to have this conversation with Marilyn Lerner, who  is a unique pianist and composer who is a powerfully expressive musician across a range of styles. She’s a wonderful improvisor and has performed worldwide, as well as recorded extensively as both a soloist and as an ensemble player. She’s also a therapist and psychoanalyst, and our conversation moved through many fascinating and important topics including ideas around identity and creativity. The video version is available here, and the transcript will later be published to the same link: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/marilyn-lerner Please support this series! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo: Jake Sherman Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:06) jazz piano improvisation (03:47) exploring different musical styles (04:52) accompanying Silent film music (08:58) teaching classical musicians to improvise, KlezCanada, Lori Freedman (14:18) the piano as a textural instrument and different kinds of improv (with musical example) (16:46) Marilyn’s youth (21:10) university years at York University (switching from Psychology into music), and Marilyn’s work as a psychoanalyst, exploring the psychological aspects of being a musician, issues around identity (27:48) the challenges of making a living as a musician (30:22) experiences during 2020 lockdowns for both Marilyn and Leah (36:33) Adrienne Cooper, Anna Margolin, Dave Wall, “All Silent Things Speak Today” collection of songs, “Dreaming in Yiddish” (41:21) Yiddish and Ashkenazic Jewish history (45:45) Marilyn plays piano “Romanian Fantasy” (51:09) Yoshie Fruchter “The Pieces Broken” (52:27) mridangam studies Trichy Sankaran, opportunities at York University, Reginald Godden, Ethnomusicology (56:58) Salsa: learning Montunos with Rodrigo Munoz (57:47) Jane Bunnett, Larry Kramer, Maqueque,Cuban musicians, “Birds Are Returning” Dafnis Prieto (01:03:04) classical influences in improvising (01:07:18) psychology, becoming a therapist (01:09:47) Marilyn’s youth, development as a pianist and musician (01:11:45) challenges of finding focus and creative time

This episode features the wonderful Bulgarian gadulka player Hristina Beleva, and this project would not have been possible without the generous translation and voice-overs from fellow musician Milena Krassi. Milena was with us during the interview and it’s mostly her voice that you’ll be hearing. Hristina is a virtuoso of the traditional bowed instrument of Bulgaria, the gadulka, which looks a bit like an upside-down violin, with usually 3 main strings and several resonating strings, up to 16. Hristina performs as a soloist with the Ensemble Philip Koutev Folk Orchestra of the Bulgarian National Radio, the Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, Bulgara, the Milanov-Beleva duo, and is featured on the  2019 Grammy nominated album with David Kuckhermann and Lisa Gerrard,  “Hiraeth”. Hristina recently released a wonderful duo album with bass player Vasil Hajigrudev,  “Trikop”. This episode features lots of music, and we talk about both traditional music and her fusion collaborations. The video version of this episode is here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/hristina-beleva-gadulka-player Support this series! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps:  (00:00) Intro  (01:38) gadulka performance: Ruchenitsa traditional Bulgarian folk dance ( 03:11) - " Hubava si Moia Goro" You are Beautiful My Forest" - old Bulgarian song ( 03:25) introduction to the instrument and the modal tradition ( 09:12) Hristina’s fusion projects and collaborations: Vasil Hajigrudev, Peter Milanov, Mystery of the Bulgarian Voices, David Kuckhermann and Lisa Gerrard (15:32) “Melancholy Beauty” by Georgy Andreev story of the rescue of the Bulgarian Jews during the Holocaust  (17:29) experience during pandemic lockdowns  (19:32) gadulka performance  (20:42) traditional dances of Bulgaria  (22:05) traditional folklore orchestra of ensemble Philip Koutev  (24:20) demonstration with improvisations of different musical modes  (27:16) comparison of different instruments and traditions ( 28:06) Hristina’s development as a musician photo credit: Ivelina Milanova 

Peter Purich is an innovative violin maker known for his unique personalized chin rest design. He’s also a multi-instrumentalist who plays in many different styles, and a dedicated violin and viola pedagogue. Because this conversation was extra-long it has been divided into two episodes. Part 2 continues with a lot of specifics about playing and teaching the violin, and he describes some of his innovative instrument designs, his unique shoulder support, and some great wisdom.  If you missed Part 1, it delves into his development as an instrument maker and innovator, and as a creative musician. He  describes some of his innovations with chin rest design and the episode ends with some improvisation and some great parenting advice! I have added timestamps in the description, and like all these episodes this is available both as a podcast and a video, the link is in the description and the transcript will be published to the same link, where you can also find Part 1:  https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/peter-purich Support this series and get access to unique perks! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman (00:00) Intro (01:06) violin and viola pedagogy: bow arm, using imagery, Peter’s devices to help students (10:43) archery (14:08) concepts in teaching bowing technique for violin and viola, Galamian (29:45) Peter’s instruments and instrument innovations (38:62) shoulder rests, how to hold a violin, Peter’s invention Senza Rest (52:06) freedom of expression (53:08) perspectives on orchestra players (56:46) Peter’s creative process in building and playing

Peter Purich is an innovative violin maker known for his unique personalized chinrest design. He’s also a multi-instrumentalist who plays in many different styles, and a dedicated violin and viola pedagogue. Because this conversation was extra-long it has been divided into two episodes. Part 1 delves into his development as an instrument maker and innovator, and as a creative musician. He shows and describes some of his innovations with chinrest design. The episode ends with some improvisation and some great parenting advice! Part 2 will continue with a lot of specifics about playing and teaching the violin, and he shows some of his inventive instrument designs, his unique shoulder support, and some great wisdom. I have added timestamps below, and like all these episodes this is available both as a podcast and a video, and the transcript will be published to this same link: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/peter-purich Please support this podcast: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps (00:00) Intro (01:29) Peter’s father and his start making instruments and bows (06:12) Peter’s trip to Europe, Vienna Philharmonic instruments (10:17) different kinds of woods, styles of violin bows (13:44) research on carbon fiber (19:25) Peter’s custom-made chin rests, vibrato, shifting, how to hold a violin (46:34) Peter’s pedagogy (49:30) Peter’s approach to improvisation and experiences with different styles and instruments (51:30) I Musici chamber orchestra in Montreal, Yuli Turovsky (54:30) Arthur Garami (56:27) Gerald Stanick (57:44) why it’s good to improvise with demonstrations (01:09:36) teaching students improvisation (01:11:59) parenting and Peter’s great advice

In this Inspiring Excerpts short bonus episode, you will hear violinist Aaron Schwebel's reflections on the best environments for learning and growth, on how the pandemic has affected his priorities, and some of the unique benefits and challenges of a life of a professional musician.  Aaron Currently holds the positions of Concertmaster with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster with the Canadian Opera Company. He is a member of the LARK ensemble and the Rosebud String Quartet, and is the founder and artistic director of Echo Chamber Toronto, a series that merges chamber music and contemporary dance. The full episode is linked here, both podcast and video format, and the transcript can be found through the same link: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e10-s1-aaron-schwebel-violinist photo credit: Bo Huang

Raphael Weinroth-Browne is an internationally renowned Canadian cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He merges his classical cello training with a love of progressive metal and Middle Eastern music, and has formed several acclaimed ensembles including The Visit, Musk Ox, and Kamancello (this duo is with a previous guest of this podcast, kamanche player Shahriyar Jamshidi). Raphael has been touring with the Norwegian progressive band Leprous since 2017, and has appeared on over 150 studio albums. In 2020 he released his first solo album, Worlds Within. Raph is a very thoughtful and articulate person, and this conversation touched on many interesting topics.   Part 2 of this episode  includes some interesting background on Raphs’ development as a musician. He also shares his advice on building relationships in the music business to help artists find different avenues to promote their music. He speaks about improvisation, his love of Middle-Eastern music, and his collaboration with Shahriyar Jamshidi in Kamancello (featured in this series: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/shahriyar-jamshidi-kamancheh)  If you missed Part 1, it is linked here along with the video of both episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/raphael-weinroth-browne In Part 1  Raph demonstrates and talks about the first part of Worlds Within, and  you get to hear about his career as a studio musician and his experiences touring with Leprous. He shares his thoughts about knowing yourself,  being creative, connecting with your audience, and balancing your life and expectations of yourself.   https://raphaelweinrothbrowne.com/ Support this podcast? Check out my perks: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps for Part 2:   ( 00:00) Intro  (01:23) Raph’s evolution as an artist, and his teen and university years ( 08:58) music from Worlds Within  (16:12) more about Raph’s development as a musician ( 19:24) advice about developing as a performer  (21:15) album reviews, advice for promoting your music, Laura Bitner ( 34:38) Shahriyar Jamshidi and Kamancello ( 45:09) Windsor symphony, community outreach   photo credit: Jonathan Lorange

Raphael Weinroth-Browne is an internationally renowned Canadian cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He merges his classical cello training with a love of progressive metal and Middle Eastern music, and has formed several acclaimed ensembles including The Visit, Musk Ox, and Kamancello (this duo is with a previous guest of this podcast, kamanche player Shahriyar Jamshidi https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/shahriyar-jamshidi-kamancheh). Raphael has been touring with the Norwegian progressive band Leprous since 2017, and has appeared on over 150 studio albums. In 2020 he released his first solo album, Worlds Within. Raph is a very thoughtful and articulate person, and this conversation touched on many interesting topics. In Part 1 you will get to hear him demonstrate and talk about the first part of Worlds Within, and hear about his career as a studio musician and his experiences touring with Leprous. He shares his thoughts about knowing yourself, being creative, connecting with your audience, and balancing your life and expectations of yourself. Part 2 of this episode is the next release in this podcast and video series, and everything is linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/raphael-weinroth-browne Please consider leaving me a virtual tip! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman You can access cool perks as well! https://raphaelweinrothbrowne.com/ Timestamps: (00:00) Intro  (02:18 the creation of Worlds Within  (09:40) production of music videos  15:26 Heather Sita-Black album art  (19:30) differing tunings, music from Worlds Within ( 31:27) social media promotion, reaching new audiences ( 37:19) dealing with March 2020 lockdowns ( 41:26) Raph’s career as a studio musician  (49:53) electric extended-range versus and acoustic cellos  (57:08) Perfectionism, intonation, improvisation ( 01:05:01) Leprous  (01:13:09) hearing damage ( 01:15:46) habits for physical and mental health  (01:23:51) taking time to enjoy the slow process and take pride in your work   photo credit: Jonathan Lorange

The incredibly charming American musician Janie Rothfield is a great traditional fiddler, banjo player, educator, composer, and so much fun to talk to! This episode features quite a bit of music on both fiddle and banjo. The conversation delved into the best ways to teach music, learn tunes, play with ease, accompany dancers and most importantly find connection with others through music! We talked about her childhood, learning violin in one of the first Suzuki classes in the United States with Louise Behrend, figure skating, learning the banjo, moving to Scotland, playing at music festivals, and why she started her unique “Janie’s Jumpstart Weekend Camps”. Janie records and tours with many bands and teaches both fiddle and clawhammer banjo.  This episode is available as a video, and the transcript will later be published to my website as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/janie-rothfield-traditional-american-fiddler-banjo-player-composer-and-educator I’ve also included timestamps below. Janie's website:  https://janierothfield.com/     photo credit: Clara Williams Buy me a coffee? Please help this podcast keep going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:36) New Jordon on fiddle by Uncle Norm Edmonds (04:04) groove and rhythmic drive and variety (05:34) Suzuki lessons, Louise Behrand (09:09) Janie’s Jumpstart Weekend camps, how they got started (11:08) pivoting during pandemic (12:38) Contra dances (15:30) Allan Carr (17:01) Janie’s childhood figure skating, dancing (18:56) early career, balancing parenting, Little Missy with Shona Carr (21:35) Hen’s Teeth duo with Nathan Bontrager, and the Idumea string quartet with Ewan McDonald and Becka Wolfe (26:21) meeting Allan in Scotland (27:24) how Janie teaches music (33:11) different influences in old-time music (34:50) festivals Clifftop and Fire in the Mountain (36:28) how to memorize tunes (38:53) cross-tuning, variety in interpretation with Candy Girl (45:15) old-time history Jimmy McConn, Paul David Smith, Owen “Snake” Chapman and a simple approach to learning (46:53) history of enslaved blues fiddlers, wondering about the connection with old-time dances during the time of slavery, Julie Lyonn Lieberman research, Béla Fleck (48:26) Shetland rhythms, different fiddling traditions, story of Albany radio station being heard in Shetland and influencing the music of Peerie Willie Johnson 50:15 benefit of playing for dancers, Alexis Chartrand 51:55 Janie’s sister musician Suzy Thompson, folk influences from their mother 52:59 learning the banjo 54:27 Johnny Don’t Come Home Drunk on banjo 57:33 difference with bluegrass and old-time, story about Blaine Sprouse 01:01:12 Candy Girl on the banjo 01:03:34 learning the guitar, Allan Carr’s approach 01:04:27 Brendan Power harmonica player 01:07:55 fiddlesticks, Colin Currie Nicole Lizée, foot percussion 01:11:38 Jane’s tune “Harry Garrison” on fiddle 01:15:04 discussion about Jane’s outgoing and upbeat personality and how it’s impacted her career and music, her advice for inviting collaborations 01:22:37 Jane’s tune “The Mist”

Violinist Veronica Thomas talks about her diverse career,  her musical training,  her inspiring mother Belva Boroditsky Thomas, and the wonderful work the Centre Préville is doing, including their uniquely flexible and high-quality video-conferencing platform and the incredible arts outreach they've been doing with remote Indigenous communities and more.  She is General Director of the Préville Fine Arts Centre which her mother started in 1974. https://centrepreville.org/ The video version of this conversation is linked here along with the transcript and bonus episode: ⁠https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e6-s1-veronica-thomas⁠ Please support this podcast with a tip! I'm an independant podcast who does all the jobs and covers all the costs, with a little help from my friends through Ko-fi: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Her mother's memoir  is available in print or here: https://books.google.ca/books?id=7D48... This was recorded June 10, 2021.

Mark Ferguson is a jazz pianist, trombonist, composer, arranger, producer and music educator. In this episode you get to hear him perform 3 of his original compositions on piano. We talk about his mentors, perspectives on music education and the interesting twists and turns in his varied career. He’s performed with many of the world’s great artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Gil Evans, Aretha Franklin, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Holly Cole and Manteca,. Mark Ferguson website: http://markferguson.ca/music/ All these episodes are available in video format as well, and the transcripts are gradually being published to my blog: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mark-ferguson-jazz-pianist-trombonist-composer-arranger-producer-and-music-educator Please help me keep this going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo credit: Claude Brazeau Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (00:56) how we met (02:29) Mark’s early education and gigs (08:32) lessons with Jerry Johnson and playing gigs with Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Rosemary Clooney, Rita Moreno (11:06) lessons with Rob McConnell, arranging, valve trombone (14:37) Mark’s composition “F Sharp” (20:55) jazz harmony, different roles as rhythm player in the band and horn player (22:40) Miguel De Armas (23:13) Manteca, Colleen Allen, Matt Zimbel (26:29) teaching at McGill University (27:52) Classical and jazz worlds James McGowan (30:37) Kellylee Evans, Ella Fitzgerald, jazz (31:18) teaching orchestration and theory (33:04) learning tunes and Hugh O’Connor (35:19) learning lyrics and Ben Webster story (37:00) transposition (39:21) importance of keyboard skills (40:15) Voicing chords (42:00) arranging (43:09) staying in shape as a trombonist (43:45) pandemic experience, performing on Syncspace live (44:45) teaching online (46:32) variety in rhythm, keeping the groove (50:21) working with high school students, jazz history (52:19) Mark’s composition “Home” (59:51) performance skills (01:01:42) Mark’s new solo album plans (01:03:03) different sides of Mark’s personality as a trombone player and pianist, big band versus small ensemble (01:04:16) jazz audience, advantages of knowing jazz harmony, Alexander Shelley (01:07:04) Mark’s early days as a jazz pianist, career choices (01:08:42) advice for young players (01:10:04) Vista Trio, playing with others to keep in shape (01:11:37) difference between composition and improvisation (01:12:14) staying healthy (01:14:37) Mark’s composition “Take the O Train”

In this episode I speak with a wonderful colleague, the Bass Trombonist Douglas Burden, who has recently retired from Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra after 50 years. He shares his perspectives on his career, including wisdom passed down from some of his mentors including Emory Remington and Arnold Jacobs, and the lessons he learned about staying healthy and keeping his playing at the highest level. Doug is also well-known as an educator and will continue to teach at the University of Ottawa; he also shares his thoughts on what an orchestral career means, his memories of different conductors, his practice tips, and the importance of balancing different aspects of a life well-lived. As I point out in the intro,I'm including a link to Doug's gorgeous singing style in a Bordogni Vocalise (since we weren't able to use the recording he made during the episode due to a technical problem): https://youtu.be/p5ti8bKzsEg Below I've included timestamps for the many topics covered.  All these episodes are also available as videos, here's the link: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/douglas-burden-bass-trombonist-and-educator Help me keep this podcast going with a tip! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo credit: Fred Cattroll  (00:00) Intro (01:44) playing as singing, Jack Everly (04:12) how to anticipate the beat, release the sound, Mario Bernardi and history of NACO (10:41) role of low brass in an orchestra (14:06) types of trombones, particularities of the instrument (17:14) Arnold Jacobs (26:03) Doug’s start in music and family background (30:15) Emory Remington’s legacy and his sudden death, Donald Knaub (38:15) starting out in NACO and many brass players at the time: Gordon Cherry, Bob Odes, Gene Watts, Chuck Kaellenbach (40:02) Pinchas Zukerman and establishing contracts for positions like bass trombone (45:37) changes in the working conditions over the years (46:58) changes in auditions (49:57) advice for musicians preparing orchestral auditions, more about Arnold Jacobs (53:42) Intonation (01:00:56) Endurance, preventing injury, staying in good physical shape and taking care of yourself (01:16:17) Franz-Paul Decker (01:20:11) score study, practice routine, practicing Bach Cello Suites (01:31:12) advice for serious students contemplating an orchestral career

Tracy Silverman is truly an inspiring musician in every respect and it was such an honour to meet him and be able to record this memorable episode! This interview is also available as a video, and the transcript will soon be published, everything linked here:  https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/tracy-silverman-electric-violinist-and-author-of-the-strum-bowing-method  We talked about his classical roots, studying with legendary teachers Lewis Kaplan and Ivan Galamian, his rejection of the classical world and his fascinating career, through his years in rock bands,  we even talked about some of his early gigs, including learning the ropes as a strolling violinist, getting the job as first violinist of the innovative Turtle Island string quartet, and the development of his Strum Bowing method.  We talked about many musicians, including some of his collaborators and mentors including Terry Riley, Darol Anger, Roy “Futureman” Wooten, Mark Wood, and composers Roberto Sierra and John Adams.  In this conversation one of the many topics we covered was the new concerto writtten for Tracy  called “Ficciones” by Roberto Sierra.   Finally, we dived into his creative process, how music affects our emotions, and how to stay open by listening to others, and learning to show up as ourselves.  Tracy Silverman website: https://www.tracysilverman.com/ Please help me keep this podcast going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman (00:00:00) Intro (00:02:29) Concerto "Ficciones" by Roberto Sierra, premiered with the American Symphony Orchestra (00:06:13) Tracy's 6-string electric violin built by Joe Glazer with demonstrations, and more about "Ficciones" (00:13:14) Tracy's support system for the instrument and hisi progression from classical violinist through his rock days (00:21:37) Lewis Kaplan (00:24:25) Ivan Galamian (00:27:40) Tracy's approach to Bach (00:31:04) Tracy's childhood, starting to study composition (00:33:14) intersection of improvisation and composition (00:35:17) more about "Ficciones"  (00:37:20) "Between the Kiss and the Chaos" (00:39:51) Turtle Island String Quartet and career advice (00:43:35) Strolling violin gigs, wedding singer (00:46:41) John Adams, "Dharma at Big Sur", solo recital versions of concerti (00:49:00) Looping with demo (00:56:27) Album "Beats and Jams" with son "Toby Beats" (01:01:11) mentor and collaborator Terry Riley (01:03:23) process of improvisation (01:09:56) using Strum bowign principles in different styles (01:16:47) Egberto Gismonti, Darol Anger (01:19:24) Caito Marcondes (01:21:00) teaching, strum bowing in school music programs (01:23:43) Turtle Island String Quartet, Darol Anger and the origin of strum bowing (01:27:08) how music affects our emotions (01:31:10) Roy "Futureman" Wooten, positive mindset (01:36:30) challenges with the 2020 lockdowns (01:43:25) manager Brian Horner and putting together commission for "Ficciones" with different orchestras (01:45:21) Rudolph Hawkin, Mark Wood, Matt Bell, Chuck Bond Trager, Tracy's mission with string playing (01:50:23) How Tracy practices (02:03:28) Advice on being open and listening to other musicians

I find my colleague Anna Petersen is such an inspiring person both as an incredible musician in her role as an oboe and English horn player and teacher, and as founder of Passionflower Yoga. In this conversation, we talk about  life’s challenges as a performer and the dangers of perfectionism and the importance of self-compassion, and how her experience as a yoga practitioner and teacher have supported her both physically,  psychologically and spiritually. Anna’s positivity really comes through in her beautiful playing, which you’ll get a taste of at the beginning of the episode, and in the way she has navigated some difficult life circumstances. Timestamps are included below in the description for the many topics that we touched on during this conversation. All these episodes are available in both video and podcast format and the transcript will soon be published to my podcast website leahroseman.com: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/anna-petersen-oboe-player-and-educator-founder-of-passionflower-yoga The performance of the Mozart Oboe quintet is used both with permission of Chamberfest and violinist Yosuke Kawasaki, violist Paul Casey and cellist Rachel Mercer (followers of this series will recognize several musicians!). Anna Petersen joined Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (NACO) as Second Oboe and English horn in 2013. She has performed orchestral and chamber concerts throughout Canada and the United States and internationally in China, Hong Kong, New Zealand, and throughout Europe. Prior to joining NACO, she held positions as Principal Oboe of the Syracuse Symphony Orchestra and as B-contract Second Oboe of the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra. She has enjoyed guest appearances as Principal Oboe with the Pittsburgh, Detroit and Wichita Symphony Orchestras, The Florida Orchestra, the Lake Placid Sinfonietta, and the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, with whom she made her Carnegie Hall debut in 2013.  She has also recently performed with the Auckland Philharmonia Orchestra in Auckland, New Zealand. Anna earned her Bachelor of Music Degree and Performer’s Certificate from the Eastman School of Music. Her primary teachers include Richard Killmer and Suzanne Geoffrey. In addition to her musical life, Anna is also an internationally certified yoga teacher with Yoga Alliance, having completed 300 hours of training in Bali, Indonesia. Her yoga website: https://passionfloweryoga.ca/  Buy me a coffee? This podcast costs me a lot of time and money ! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps:  (00:00:00) Introduction (00:01:27) Mozart Oboe quartet 3rd movement  (00:06:03) Interview starts, with oboe demo Peter and the Wolf Prokofiev (00:07:05) English horn demo and discussion, breathing technique (00:09:38) Anna's musical history, Richard Killmer (00:11:42) Reed making (00:17:25) some oboe history (00:20:41) more about Richard Killmer (00:21:48) Anna's childhood and starting music (00:24:05) studies at Eastman (00:25:31) first job with Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra (00:27:24) Auditions, self-compassion, growth mindset (00:32:18) teaching music, singing (00:34:55) Yoga, teacher training in Bali, gaining perspective (00:38:39) Anna's pre-playing routines (00:40:49) posture, body awareness (00:42:42) founding Passionflower Yoga (00:45:24) the loss of Marjorie (00:47:55) Syracuse Symphony and bankruptcy of the orchestra (00:50:10) path to joining the National Arts Centre Orchestra (00:51:13) pandemic shut-downs and first rehearsals (00:54:09) experiences in different orchestras, conductors, wind section (00:56:57) music education, how the pandemic has changed us (00:59:31) Yoga and teacher training, healing (01:03:52) why people should come experience orchestral concerts

In this short bonus episode with the inspiring trumpet player and educator, Karen Donnelly, Principal Trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, she shares stories of her outreach during the pandemic lockdowns, her role as mentor and her role in the The Canadian Women's Brass Collective, and finally wonderful advice for all musicians about improving. The full episode is available in both video and podcast format, with the full transcript all linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/blog/karen-donnelly-transcript Buy me a coffee? Please help this podcast keep going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

Stephen Nachmanovitch is the author of both Free Play and more recently The Art of Is. Yo Yo Ma wrote that “Stephen Nachmanovitch’sThe Art of Is is a philosophical meditation on living, living fully, living in the present. To the author, an improvisation is a co-creation that arises out of listening and mutual attentiveness, out of a universal bond of sharing that connects all humanity. It is a product of the nervous system, bigger than the brain and bigger than the body; it is a once-in-a-lifetime encounter, unprecedented and unrepeatable. Drawing from the wisdom of the ages,The Art of Is not only gives the reader an inside view of the states of mind that give rise to improvisation, it is also a celebration of the power of the human spirit, which — when exercised with love, immense patience, and discipline — is an antidote to hate.” This was an amazingly inspiring conversation, extremely wide-ranging, including some musical improvisation. I’ve included timestamps to help listeners navigate the many topics we touched on including many important artists, which include: Yehudi Menuhin, John Cage, William Blake, Herbert Zipper, Keith Johnstone, Ali Akbar Khan The video is here, and the transcript will also soon be linked on my podcast website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/stephen-nachmanovitch-author-of-free-play-and-the-art-of-is Please buy me a coffee? Thanks! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps: (00:00) Intro to episode with Yo-Yo Ma quote and books “The Art of Is” and “Free Play” (01:46) World Music Menu (05:03) Violectra by David Bruce Johnson (09:43) sarangi, viola d’amore, sympathetic strings (13:10) work as a software programmer, sacred desk and secular desk (15:58) synesthesia, Visual Music Tone Painter, William Blake (18:19) Keith Johnstone and the intersections of art forms in improv: theatre, dance, music, (22:49) cooking (24:07) Yehudi Menuhin (26:47) Stephen re-learning the violin in a different way after injury (28:13) Indian music studies with Shashi Nayak and Ali Akbar Khan (29:49) “The Art of Is” and “Free Play” (30:52) Buddhism, Gregory Bateson, San Franciso Zen Center, Dorland Mountain Colony (37:53) William Blake (41:19) writing “The Art of Is” with Jack Nachmanovitch as editor (43:09) Herbert Zipper, documentary “Never Give Up” (49:38) parameters in improvisation (55:30) improvisation Leah Roseman on acoustic violin, Stephen Nachmanovitch on Violectra, waterphone and voice (01:03:23) body awareness, working with dancers (01:10:15) The judging specter (01:12:17) visual cortex interaction when listening (01:14:41) inspiration from nature, Stephen’s health problems and isolation, album “Hermitage of Thrushes” with David Rothenberg, collaborations with Ellen Burr, Anders Hagberg (01:21:13) “Finger Kissing” and the judging specter (01:27:15) John Cage (01:36:47) Stephen’s wife (01:39:29) Stephen’s advice photo credit: Dirk Dobíey

Brendan Power is famous internationally as a phenomenal harmonica player in many genres and also as an instrument innovator. He’s invented many unique harmonicas to increase the expressiveness and range possibilities of the instrument family, and is constantly experimenting. Brendan also has a fascinating personal story in that he discovered the harmonica in his university years, and changed his life in order to master it. He is completely self-taught and you may have heard his playing on albums with Sting, Kate Bush, Van Morrison, movies like Shanghai Noon and Atonement, or over 20 of his solo albums. I was thrilled to have this opportunity to speak with him!  During the episode Brendan demonstrates a few of his harmonicas in different styles, and I’ve added timestamps below.  The video version (transcript will be added soon) is: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/brendan-power-harmonica-player-and-inventor Brendan Power's website is: https://www.brendan-power.com/ Help me out? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (02:12) Amazing Grace on the AsiaBend harmonica (03:15) Discussion of the AsiaBend harmonica and different musical traditions, including Indianization of different instruments (07:58) Bulgarian music (10:10) How Brendan started developing different tunings (10:58) Brendan’s start in music, hearing Sonny Terry and Brownie McGhee (12:56) Brendan’s family influences, early playing opportunities in New Zealand (15:27) how Brendan learned by ear, understanding of harmony (18:32) Brendan early years in England, winning the All-Ireland (21:39) getting hired by Sting for the Ten Summoner’s Tales videos, playing with David Sanchez, Vinnie Colaiuta (24:04) Internet history: a CD of Ten Summoner’s Tales sold in 1994 was the first secure transaction on the internet (24:59) Lucy Randall (25:26) Irish music Corner House jig into a reel (28:01) retuning harmonicas, developing different harmonicas (29:45) History of the harmonica (31:27) using iPad for music effects, MIDI, Akai EWI, SWAM Audio Modeling (35:43) Richter tuning, development of bending notes in the Blues, Paddy Richter tuning (38:10) the number of harmonicas most serious players have (41:38) pros and cons of the chromatic harmonica (43:46) how to alter a chromatic harmonica for more expressive possibilities (45:54) discussion of the SlipSlider and new innovations (49:07) pros and cons of MIDI harmonicas (51:21) Brendan’s early years learning on his own

This is a short bonus episode in my "Inspiring Excerpts" series, featuring the wonderful violinist Kerson Leong, in which he gives great advice for not only musicians, but anyone striving to live a more meaningful and mindful life.  The full episode is here, available in podcast format and soon with the full transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e8-s1-kerson-leong-violinist  Virtuoso violinist Kerson Leong is as eloquent in his musicality as in the way he talks about music and violin playing. I trust that a broad audience will take inspiration from this wide-ranging discussion. At the beginning of the full episode we are treated to an impromptu performance of Ysayë's Allemande from Violin Sonata no. 4. This conversation was recorded June 15, 2021.  Kerson has many upcoming performances, all of which can be found on his website here: https://kersonleong.com/ Please consider helping me continue this series! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

In this short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series, Violinmaker Theo Marks talks about discovering  these, as he calls them, “compelling wooden boxes",  his childhood, learning the cello, and the craft and magic of violin making!  The full episode is available in both video and podcast form, wherever you listen to podcasts, along with the transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e7-s1-theo-marks-luthier  On my podcast website you can sign up for my podcast newsletter to get sneak peeks of upcoming guests!  Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

Shahriyar Jamshidi is a Kurdish-Canadian kamanche player, composer and improvisor who grew up in Iran, and lived through some very difficult times. He has collaborated with many musicians including heavy-metal cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne (also a guest of this series) in their duo Kamancello, and has released numerous albums which feature his unique improvisational style. I find his playing to be extremely expressive and his personal story compelling. In this conversation he introduces us to this spiked-fiddle, which is the ancestor of the violin, and is used across many cultures, and also speaks about the need for humanity to stay in touch with our traditional music. Timestamps are below. Like all my episodes, this is also a video, and the transcript is linked here as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/shahriyar-jamshidi-kamancheh https://shahriyarjamshidi.com/ Help me keep going with this series! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps: (00:00) intro (01:20) description and history of the kamancheh (10:00) first improvisation (13:57) discussion of musical education (19:01) discussion of microtones and modes (24:03) demonstration of different techniques (28:42) discussion of the use of the kamanche and it’s relation to song (33:38) discussion about album “A Yellow Flower” (38:51) different Kurdish languages (41:59) growing up in Kermansheh, the political situation and ban on music (45:03) the importance of traditional music, more about the culture and censorship (52:42) immigration to Canada (54:54) Banff residency (57:15) International Society for Music Education conference in Azerbaijan (59:48) International Society for Improvised Music, different collaborations (1:03:23) second improvisation (1:05:41) how Shahriyar practices and the importance of traditional music (1:07:39) album “My Sunset Land Rojava” and the importance of music to express the most difficult emotions (1:17:21) process and inspiration for improvising (1:25:23) Kamancello duo with Raphael Weinroth-Browne (1:27:17) collaborations with different musicians, Richard Robeson “Meet Me in Tangier” (1:31:23) final improvisation

This is a short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series, featuring the violinist Veronica Thomas. She speaks about some of the incredible outreach the unique Préville Fine Arts Centre is doing, of which she is General Director. There’s also a clip about her experience of being on the jury of the Canadian Music Competition. In the full episode, she speaks about her unique and fascinating childhood, and reflects on her life in music. The link to the  full transcript of the whole interview is here along with all the links to the video and podcast versions of the full episode, and bonus episodes as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e6-s1-veronica-thomas Préville Fine Arts Centre: https://centrepreville.org/ Support this podcast and get access to unique perks: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

Jesse Stewart is an award-winning percussionist, scholar, composer, artist, writer, instrument-maker and community activist. In 2012 he founded “We Are All Musicians” founded on his belief that music is a fundamental human right, through which he helps create opportunites for people to make music regardless of age, musical training, socio-economic circumstance and ability. During the conversation he demonstrates how any object can be used to create interesting music, and we also get to hear him improvise on a waterphone, as well as with me on my violin, with a unique instrument which he explains. I do hope you’ll find Jesse to be as inspiring and interesting as I do! Below are timestamps for all the topics we covered. The video is close-captioned and the transcript will be published soon, at the same link on my podcast website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jesse-stewart-e13-s2-percussionist-composer-community-activist-artist-writer-instrument-builder Jesse Stewart website: https://www.jessestewart.ca/home.html Please help me with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman photo credit: Michele McMillan Timestamps: (00:00) Intro (01:50) percussion (03:48) waterphone (07:06) discussion of Pulse water dripping on drum head (09:18) intersection of visual art and music, Reinhard Reitzenstein, Gayle Young, Suzy Lake (12:09) building a vibraphone (14:31) Glacialis ice music (16:43) exploring boxes and balloons, and different instruments in teaching orchestration (26:28) studies in composition and ethnomusicology James Tenney, David Mott, Rob Bowman (32:07) recovering from brain surgery, making videos of many different instruments and found objects like canoe paddles (37:35) demonstration of different found objects (42:20) snare drum compositions with demonstration of sonic exploration with wrenches (46:06) Community activism: We Are All Musicians (49:16) Adaptive Use Musical Instrument, Pauline Oliveros (56:38) improv with violin, waterphone and the gongs with the AUMI (01:100:32) Ajay Heble and upcoming book about the pedagogy of musical improvisation (01:07:38) improv with dancers, cellist Peggy Lee, Propeller Dance, Natasha Bakht (01:11:56) notating the drum studies, discussion of jazz drumming, Elvin Jones (01:20:43) fond memories of playing with Kevin Breit, Matt Brubeck, David Mott, William Partker, playing for the Dalai Lama

Diane Nalini is an incredibly nuanced jazz singer, and composer. She performs in 4 languages and teaches jazz ukulele as well. I hope you’ll join me in my fascination with the incredible range of Diane’s interests and expertise.  Besides being a phenomenal musician she also is a Rhodes scholar with Phd in Applied Physics from Oxford university and presently works in environmental  science policy for the Canadian government. Not only is she a great lyricist, but she has also written songs inspired by great literature including Shakespeare, in jazz, blues, gospel, folk and bossa nova styles. During this conversation, she performs some of her original songs for us, and I’ve added timestamps in the description of the episode for the many interesting topics we touched on as well as her incredible performances. The video version is linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e12-s2-diane-nalini Diane Nalini's website: https://www.dianenalini.com/about/ Give me a tip? You can get access to unique perks: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! Timestamps: (00:00 Intro) (00:53) Shakespeare “Songs of Sweet Fire” (03:30) Rhodes scholar, and Chinese calligraphy and watercolour painting with Virginia Chang, Bill Evans (08:07) paintings for “Songs of Sweet Fire”, role as album producer (10:55) Diane’s experience as a dancer and also starting to sing jazz songs at 3 years of age, also her experience of strict piano lessons (14:18) National Ballet School summer program experience (15:49) first professional jazz gigs (16:57) Science mentors at Dawson College Richard Shoemaker and John Mohamed (17:58) intro to her baritone ukulele and “Winter Eclipse” (19:04) Song “Winter Eclipse” (23:13) discussion of her song “Kiss Me Like That” and astronomy (26:18) Diane’s work for Environment, Climate Change Canada (28:13) discussion of her song “The Last Hurrah” (29:50) discussion of the challenges for individuals to limit consumption (34:48) jazz ukulele, Diane’s YouTube Ukulele for Jazz Singers, her workshops and teaching (39:48) teaching and performing online, connecting with people worldwide (41:37) learning Portuguese (47:23) Syncspace Live with husband Adrian Cho (56:00) some advantages to online teaching (58:02) introduction to song “Le Tournesol” (58:58) Song “Le Tournesol” (01:02:01) discussion about languages, etymology, Diane’s father (01:06:13) singing Schubert Lieder, learning German (01:10:52) turning down a recording contract offer, balancing a life in Science and Music (01:14:39) producing her first album, the process of putting together albums (01:16:34) making new musical connections in England, joining a salsa band (01:22:04) Diane’s ukulele made by Luis Feu de Mesquita, also history of the ukulele (01:29:36) Future Perfect album, pandemic challenges, new songs (01:33:42) Diane’s creative process and memory for music (01:38:19) Diane’s music in movies and tv shows (01:41:01) how listeners interpret songs so differently, including her song “After Dusk” photo credit: Adrian Cho

I'm re-releasing my very first episode, recorded May 27, 2021 with the wonderful nyckelharpa player, violinist, teacher, and composer Kirsty Money.  During the episode she plays some wonderful music for us and shares some charming stories about how she got to know this beautiful and unusual instrument.  All of these episodes are also in video format, and I have also published the complete transcript of this episode. Video, transcript and short bonus episodes are linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e1s1kirstymoney Help me with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! I'm an independant podcaster who does all the things, and pays for all the things! photo credit: Hamish Gordon

I speak with Elaine Klimasko, who is a Canadian violinist who joined the newly-formed National Arts Centre Orchestra in 1969 as the youngest member, and is well-known as a teacher. Her students are very frequently winners of competitions and hold important positions as chamber and orchestral musicians all over North America. In 2003 NACO Music Director Pinchas Zukerman asked her to launch the first Junior Young Artists Programme for the NAC Summer Music Institute. In this episode she tells many stories from her life, and about some legendary teachers she studied with including Josef Gingold and Lorand Fenyves. She reflects on her long career, from the perspectives  of a teacher and as a player. Timestamps are listed below!  Every episode is also available as a video, the link is here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/elaine-klimasko-e11-s2-violinist-and-teacher Please buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! Elaine Klimasko: "But I do say to all of my students though, if you think that playing in a symphony orchestra is secondary, that's the worst thing you could be thinking because the joy of orchestral playing, and I'm sure you feel the same way, Leah, is, there's nothing in life to me that compares with that. When you're playing one of those grand symphonies and that buildup a crescendo and you hear the horns and the French horns... I mean, I'm just covered in goosebumps. In my seventies still, and I don't know of any other profession that makes you feel that way. Maybe a doctor delivering a baby. I don't know. But it's pretty special." Timestamps ( 00:00) Intro ( 00:51) Joining the National Arts Centre Orchestra ( 12:29) music festivals like Kiwanis (13:04) dealing with stagefright (15:18) more about John Moskalyk (19:12) Lorand Fenyves ( 23:08) perfect pitch (25:52) Josef Gingold ( 31:52) violin teaching ( 33:42) music festivals (37:15) mentoring students who go on as professional musicians ( 41:46) the joy of orchestral playing ( 42:33) advice for orchestral auditions (45:07) the role of orchestral players in educational outreach ( 46:46) the Young Artists Program with Pinchas Zukerman ( 51:08) Pinchas Zukerman (55:23) story about Jascha Heifetz ( 56:08) chamber music ( 59:07) history of the NAC and Hamilton Southam (01:02:00) advice for serious players about buying instruments and bows ( 01:07:15) reflections on teaching ( 01:12:14 )building audiences for the future

This short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series is  with Québecois traditional fiddler Alexis Chartrand, created from clips from Episode 5 Season 1.  We first hear Alexis perform a jig by Josef Allard.   Alexis learned a lot from playing with dancers from a young age, and In the next clips you’ll hear him  discuss both groove and ornamentation in traditional Quebecois fiddling.  The full transcript is now available, and the links to the full episode in both podcast and video format (with timestamps in the descriptions) are all here: https://leahroseman.com/blog/alexis-chartrand-e5-s1-transcript Alexis Chartrand: "I learned a lot from step dancers, listening to the sound of their feet, to the inherent groove that they've developed. To me that's really the basis of my practice of the bow, all of the rhythms that we have to summon with the traditional style of bowing." Please help me keep this podcast going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

Megan Jerome is a really special musician with a wonderful creative voice. In this episode you’ll hear her perform some of the songs from her new up-coming album, which will be the seventh album of her original compositions. We also talk about her unique and inspiring teaching style, her experiences through some very difficult personal losses, some ways she has found healing and connection, and her song-writing process. Timestamps below.  Every episode is available in video format: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/megan-jerome-e10-s2 Help me keep this podcast afloat! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman https://www.meganjerome.com/ Megan Jerome: "And the thing is, what I encourage people to do is, "Don't do the competitions. Don't do anything like that. You can set up a venue in your living room. You can set up a venue anywhere. There's room for everyone. There are so many potential venues. There are so many people who love music. There's so much room." That's one of the big thing, this idea that there's room for one person, this is a real fallacy. It's nothing like that. Artists are friends. We're not competing with each other. We're on the same side. But that's in my view. You know what I mean? Those are the people that work for me. A community really works. Who's your community? Go to their shows. They'll come to your show." photo credit: Allan Dean Photography Timestamps:  (00:00:32) intro to song “Flora” (00:03:52) song-writing process (00:09:43) creating “Home Brew” (00:12:00) song “Home Brew” (00:16:28) childhood and family (00:18:10) learning piano, accordion (00:24:01) The Together Ensemble, husband Mike Essoudry (00:27:33) Julia Cameron “The Artist Way”, Sonia Choquette, home life (00:29:52) Megan’s way of practicing (00:31:13) Teaching (00:36:06) teaching improvisation and encouraging creativity (00:40:57) teaching online strategies (00:46:33) New Orleans and dealing with grief (01:04:37) why did she study mining engineering? (01:09:11) advice for singer-songwriters

This short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series has clips from E4 S1 with erhu player, educator, and author Patty Chan.  The links for both video and podcast versions of the original conversation as well as the complete transcript, are on my podcast website: http://leahroseman.com/blog/e4-s1-patty-chan-transcript-links-for-podcast-and-video photo credit: SG Won Patty Chan on YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCzHGmYuiO7Wx-OMpmDgn9_A Please help me keep this podcast afloat! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman

In this short bonus episode, you'll hear clips from the conversation I had with the amazing award-winning singer, song-writer and motivational speaker, Kellylee Evans. You'll also hear short clips from the performance she gave of "Feelin' Good",  one of the most-requested songs in her repertoire, by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse.  For the complete episode in both video and podcast format, as well as the complete transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/blog/kellylee-evans-transcript-podcast-and-video-e4-s2 For everything Kellylee Evans: https://kellyleeevans.com  Please buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! I'm an independant podcaster who does all the many jobs and I bear a lot of costs as well. I'd love to keep this series going! photo credit: Phantom Productions

In this conversation with the really inspiring cellist, Rachel Mercer, we discuss the arc of her career so far as a chamber musician, soloist, principal cellist, the late Yehonatan Berick, an amazing violinist and pedagogue, who was her life partner, "Our Strength, Our Song" with her sister, the wonderful violinist Akemi Mercer-Niewöhner and many other chamber music collaborations and unique projects, as well as her way of approaching music. Rachel very generously made a special recording of the Prelude from J.S. Bach's fifth solo suite in C minor BWV 1011, and her heartfelt introduction to the power of this music is right after our conversation, so please keep listening till the end! There are timestamps below, and the Bach with her introduction is also a separate bonus episode. The video version of this episode is here, linked on my website with the transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e9-s2-rachel-mercer To learn more about Rachel, her recordings and current projects: http://www.rachelmercercellist.com/ Help me with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman This podcast costs me a lot of time and money, and I could really use the help and encouragement. Thanks! Photo credit: David Leyes (00:00) Introduction (02:24) Bonjour Strad and other cellos through Canada Council (06:19) Baroque performance practice influences and Anner Bylsma (11:41) Vriendenkrans competition and playing in the Concertgebouw (13:44) debut solo record “Room” (15:13) Ernst Reijseger (16:10) Rachel’s studies with different teachers including Shauna Rolston, Laurence Lesser,Dmitri Ferschtman (21:10) Aviv Quartet, experiences in South Africa and Israel (24:49) Yehonatan Berick (28:38) the influences of many different teachers (30:13) Ilona Feher, Yehonatan’s teacher (31:34) Rachel’s obaasan and the experience of Japanese Canadian families internment during the Second World War (34:18) Rachel’s sister violinist Akemi Mercer-Niewöhner (36:05) Return to Canada and a career as a chamber musician (37:59) “Mosaïque Project” with Ensemble Made in Canada (40:18) Playing orchestral auditions (43:58) Pre-concert routine and mindfulness (46:22) Dream journals and realizing projects (47:34) album “Our Strength, Our Song” with sister Akemi Mercer-Niewöhner (50:06) Rachel’s way of practicing and learning music (55:08) Advice and inspiration from the younger generations of musicians (57:10) Rachel’s introduction to the Bach (59:03) Prelude from J.S. Bach’s fifth solo suite in C minor BWV 1011

At the end of E9 S2, my conversation with the incredible cellist Rachel Mercer, you will find Rachel's heartfelt introduction to this inspiring performance which she made for this podcast. I have added it here as a special bonus episode in case listeners wish to listen to it again without having to scroll through the interview. For those listeners who have discovered this recording separately from the interview, I invite you to listen to Rachel's perspectives on her life and career. You can find both the video version here: https://leahroseman.com/episodes/e9-s2-rachel-mercer To learn more about Rachel and her recordings, including solo Bach,  and many projects: http://www.rachelmercercellist.com/ Help this podcast with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman I'm an independant podcaster who could really use the help and encouragement! photo credit: David Leyes

I have re-released this in video format for those who follow this podcast on Spotify! Here’s my very first interview of this podcast, recorded May 27, 2021 over Zoom, I spoke with Kirsty Money about her nyckelharpa journey and she demonstrates this beautiful instrument for us, as well as shares some charming stories about how she learned about the nyckelharpa. She plays some Bach, a traditional Swedish tune, and one of her own compositions,  The Grind Polska. As a separate bonus, at the end of this video  you can hear our improv together. If you're not on Spotify, the video is available on my YouTube, and is linked on my website along with the podcast format: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e1s1kirstymoney  For Kirsty's new album, released 2022: https://kirstymoney.bandcamp.com/releases For those of you who want to study or learn more about Kirsty: https://kirstymoney.ca/ Here’s her YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCuDe... Buy me a coffee? Check out my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! photo credit: Hamish Gordon

This is a short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series, from E3 S2  with guest Sophie Lukacs, the kora player, singer and songwriter. You'll hear a short clip of her performance of a traditional tune "Jula Jegere",  you'll hear her explain about the kora a bit, and then you'll hear her talk about her unique personal journey, leaving medical school to go live in Mali and immerse herself in the culture and master the kora. Finally, you'll hear a clip of her original song, "Falling". Links to the full episode in both video and podcast format along with the full transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e3s2sophielukacs To learn more about Sophie and her current projects: https://www.sophielukacs.com/ Help me with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! photo credit: Christina Alonso

In this short bonus episode, violinist and Concertmaster of the National Arts Centre Orchestra Canada Yosuke Kawasaki gives wonderful advice for musicians playing orchestral auditions, which I think applies to everyone in their lives about being aware of our strengths. Also in this short episode, he tells us about some of his memorable experiences studying with the legendary Doronthy Delay. The full episode is available in both podcast and video formats, along with the full transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/blog/e3-s1-transcript-yosuke-kawasaki Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! photo credit: Rémi Thériault

I was really honoured to have this opportunity to sit down and talk with the dynamic conductor, composer, multi-instrumentalist and radio host of CBC's CentreStage, Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser. We explored many interesting and important ideas around creating spaces for diverse audiences, amateur versus professional musicians, LGBTQ rights, his project with the drag queen Thorgy Thor, the lost music of Florence Price, and wonderful advice not only for conductors, but for everyone seeking more balance and meaning in their lives. Daniel currently holds positions with the San Francisco Symphony, the Toronto Symphony, Symphony Nova Scotia, and the National Arts Centre Canada. The video version is here, also linked to the transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e8-s2-daniel-bartholomew-poyser His current projects can be found here: https://www.danielbartholomewpoyser.com/bio   Buy me a coffee? Check out my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Daniel Bartholomew-Poyser: "Your specific nerdy interests, I believe will be of use and value to the orchestras of the communities that you serve. That would be one thing.   For conductors, I would say study languages. If I were to give practical advice, I'm just going to scatter shot a bunch of practical advice. Learning languages is important, not just because of the ability to read scores or read books of languages, but just be able to think in a different way and to have a breadth of knowledge that's like not a triangle, but a pyramid. I think that's really important for a conductor. I think as a conductor, it's really important to listen and I mean, listen, capital L, not just listen to music, but listen to people, because ultimately what a conductor needs to be able to do the best is listen.  Listen to what the orchestra's playing, listen to what your players are saying in committee meetings, listen to what the marketing people are saying, listening to what your community is saying, your community stakeholders, listening to what the board is saying, listening to what the donors are saying, taking all of this in, holding it, ruminating with it, looking at it from different facets, and being able to hold everything that is in orchestra and being an art leader in a community and observe it and being able to have it affect you. And then also having enough of a grounded center of other things, like airline marketing and car design, to be able to put it over here and come back to it. But being able to listen and take things in is ultimately the job of a conductor, being able to listen under pressure and take things in. And you can do that anywhere, at any time, really focusing your listening, whether it's people speaking to you or the composer speaking or the orchestra.”   Photo Credit: Benjamin Delarivière

This is a short bonus episode in my Inspiring Excerpts series, with violinist and vocalist Carissa Klopoushak who is a  member of National Arts Centre Orchestra and  Ironwood Quartet, and the Artistic Director of Ottawa Chamberfest and  Co-director of both Ritornello Chamber Music Festival and Classical Unbound Festival . In this short video we are treated to Carissa's singing and violin playing, around our discussion of her Ukrainian roots. All these podcast epsiodes are available in video format, the link for the full epsidoe with Carissa is here, both video and podcast: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e2-s1-carissa-klopoushak Please help me keep this podcast going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks - Leah photo credit: Bo Huang 

In this Inspiring Excerpts short bonus episode  you'll hear violinist, educator and entrepreneur Lynn Kuo talk about dealing with her playing injuries while writing her DMA thesis at University of Toronto while working as the Assistant Concertmaster of the National Ballet Orchestra, some lessons learned from Lorand Fenyves, and her perspectives on new opportunities for Classical musicians online.  The full episode, both podcast and video with transcript is here: https://www.leahroseman.com/blog/e2-s2-lynn-kuo https://lynnkuo.com/ Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks for helping me - I"m an independant podcaster who does all the things!

 This interview really had to be a longer one because Josh just does so much creatively, and I had so much I wanted to ask him about! We start with his remix of Curried Soul for CBC radio's daily show As It Happens, and circle around to topics (timestamped below) including:  sampling, Yiddish culture, changes in the industry from when he got his start selling CDs mail-order to touring internationally and collaborating with many musicians, including the funk legend Fred Wesley, David Krakauer, Kiran Ahulwalia, Itzhak Perlman, Theodore Bikel, writing musical theatre, puppets, art...here's a chance for all of us to get to know the creative force known as Josh "Socalled" Dolgin. (if you're wondering about his stage name, you should watch the NFB movie https://www.nfb.ca/film/socalled_movie/ ) J https://www.socalledmusic.com/To watch the Seasons puppet musicals (mentioned in the conversation): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uOjCTYWNwa4  All of these episodes are available in video format as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e6-s2-josh-socalled-dolgin Help me with a tip? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! (00:00) Intro (1:16) Curried Soul remix and Moe Koffman  (5:44) Sampling,  hip hop  (13:37) The Socalled Seder album and changes in the industry   (17:46) Di Frosh show Yiddish songs with string quartet  (19:45) Kurt Weill  (21:26) old Yiddish song archives, Yiddish Book Center  (32:55) Tales from Odessa   (43:29) The Seasons Puppet musicals  (46:38) Learning Music  (51:13) Fred Wesley  (1:01)  Perspectives on his career  (1:06) Yiddish Culture Cruise and Yiddish Revival  (1:17:20) Josh’s amazing drawings   (1:23) Itzhak Perlman  (1:26:40) Theodore Bikel

In this short bonus episode you'll hear short clips from my conversation with jazz violinist and vocalist Eva Slongo. She lets us listen in a little to her creative process, and she speaks about her journey from being a classical violinist to the world of jazz, and learning to be an improvisor. If you enjoyed this, please have a listen to the complete episode, linked here both podcast and video: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e1s1evaslongo https://www.evaslongo.com/en/jazz-violin/ Buy me a coffee? Please check out my Ko-fi page: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks!

Nyckelharpa player Kirsty Money introduces us to this beautiful instrument in this short bonus episode .  She also performs one of her original tunes, The Grind Polska. This is compiled from excerpts from the original episode, which is also in video format,  available here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e1s1kirstymoney For more about Kirsty and her current projects: http://kirstymoney.ca/about/ Please help me keep this podcast going! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman  If you enjoyed this, please listen to the full episode  and share this so more listeners can find out about this podcast and video series, with a really interesting mix of musicians, talking about their lives and careers, with perspectives on overcoming challenges, and finding inspiration and connection through a life so enriched by music.

I spoke with the renowned  bassoon player Christopher Millard about many topics, including many fascinating insights into the orchestra profession, the physics of sound production on both the bassoon and violin, great advice on how best to practice music, the legendary flutist Marcel Moyse and much more. Timestamps listed below! Like all my episodes, this is also a video, linked here on my website to the transcript as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e5s1christophermillard Please consider leaving me a tip! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Timestamps:   (00:00) Intro and Chris' Podcasts (04:14) Advice for music students (10:19) CBC radio orchestra (13:03) Making reeds (17:20) Physics of sound production on bassoon and violin  (27:44) Woodwind mechanisms and repair (30:19) All thumbs: special bassoon challenges  (32:01) Advantages of studying jazz  (37:19) Musicians' difficulty with retiring (39:35) Conductors (also see below about World Orchestra for Peace with Gergiev)  (42:35) National Youth Orchestra (44:48) Marcel Moyse: legendary Flute teacher and mentor (55:33) World Orchestra for Peace with Gergiev (59:19) The Neuroscience of practicing music better! https://nac-cna.ca/en/bio/christopher-millard https://councilofcanadianbassoonists.ca/project/reed-making-by-christopher-millard-introduction-and-chapter-1-the-craftsman/ You can follow this podcast on Spotify, Google Play, Apple Podcasts, RadioPublic, Breaker, Anchor, Pocket Casts

In this episode we hear the incredible award-winning singer Kellylee Evans talk about her life and some of the challenges she has faced in her life, including two near-death experiences. She talks about her upbringing, her journey to jazz, her creative process,  and much more. She is such a wonderfully engaging person, and I hope this episode will help listeners feel inspired by her story. We talk about her new album Greenlight and many of her other projects. Near the end of the episode at 43:00 we are gifted with an incredible a capella performance of one of the most-requested songs in her repertoire, Feelin' Good by Anthony Newley and Leslie Bricusse.  All her current projects are here: http://www.kellyleeevans.com/ Like all my episodes, this is also a video, linked here to the transcript and bonus episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e4s2kellyleeevans Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks so much!   Kellylee Evans: “And then I was interested at that time in minority rights and representation and in legal philosophy. And so I was doing my masters of arts in law. My parents, their hope I think would've been just like most immigrant parents a lawyer, doctor, engineer. And I tried to... I wasn't trying that hard though to really be a lawyer. I really was hiding in school. My goal was to just keep my head down and stay here as long as possible. Because school is awesome, and if you figured out the path, if you know what to do, you attend, you finish the assignments, you hand them in. You do the reading, you get a mark, everybody's happy. That's something that's very doable, I think if you can just follow the script. But real life outside of school is scary. And the music industry, what's the path?” This interview series follows my curiosity about fellow musicians: how did they get to where they are today, what are their perspectives on a life in music? The format is in-depth conversations prepared with lots of research and many episodes also feature the guests playing music. I speak to musicians playing in different styles of music, different instruments, and with really different careers. In Season One,  I spoke with quite famous soloists like violinists James Ehnes and Kerson Leong, and also with erhu player Patty Chan and  composers Hooshyar Khayam  and Roddy Ellias about creativity, carnatic violinist Subhadra Vijaykumar about the Indianisation of the violin, violinist Alicia Svigals about the Klezmer revival, trumpet player Karen Donnelly about women in the brass world,  and so much more,  with 20 full episodes, and many bonus episodes.  Season 2 has a similar diversity of guests, with many topics covered including personal struggles, the entrepreneurial aspects of the music business, advice on how to practice and how better to tap into creativity.  Please follow and stay notified of all the new episodes!  Photo credit: Phantom Productions

Hi! I’m a violinist and my podcast Conversations with Musicians with Leah Roseman follows my curiosity about fellow musicians: how did they get to where they are today, what are their perspectives on a life in music?In my interview with the kora player, singer and violinist Sophie Lukacs we hear her very unique and personal story and also learn about this beautiful instrument. She plays a traditional tune for us and also a couple of her original songs from her new album.   To find out more about her recent projects, albums, teaching and more: https://www.sophielukacs.com/ Like all my episodes, this is also a video, and the transcript and bonus episodes are here as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e3s2sophielukacs Buy me a coffee? I'm an independant podcast and could really use the help and encouragement! https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks! The format for this podcast is in-depth conversations prepared with lots of research and many episodes also feature the guests playing music. I speak to musicians playing in different styles of music, different instruments, and with really different careers. photo credit: Christina Alonso Please share and follow to be notified of new episodes!  cAWUrso472w3xDMoikPv