This is the transcript of my interviewwith Lily Henley; the podcast and video versions and show notes are linked.

The wonderful singer, multi-instrumentalist, songwriter and scholar Lily Henley breathes new life into the endangered language Ladino (a fusion of Spanish, Hebrew, Arabic, and Turkish). During this podcast you’ll hear clips from her album Oras Dezaoradas. Blending her roots in American and Celtic music, Lily creates powerful original music that honours centuries of Sephardic women’s voices. These songs tell timeless stories of love, loss, exile, and resilience, sharing her personal connection to this important tradition. 

You’ll also learn about: 

• Sephardic history and contemporary communities

• Lily’s unusual childhood

• how she’s learned to trust her voice

Karen Power is an Irish composer who uses environmental sounds and acoustic instruments in her intriguing work. She is a master field recordist who has recorded sounds in some of the worlds most isolated and challenging locations including The Arctic, Amazon, Namib Desert, Outback Australia, and Antarctica. This is the transcript of my interview with her, and linked are the podcast and video versions. She has shared clips of her work including The Bats of Namibia, Frogs of Angor Wat, fascinating bog sounds and arctic ice sounds in collaborations with the Quiet Music Ensemble and many brilliant collaboraters on her project human nature.  She’s also shared with us a raw field recording from her recent trip to record a double cicada brood emergence. She certainly helped deepen my awareness to soundscapes that brought me back to my first encounter with this idea when I took a course on Soundscapes from R. Murray Shafer. Karen and I also talked about her projects working to explore listeneing, composing and improvising with young children and other related projects to provide inclusive music making with people living with disabiliities. 

Transcript to my interview with Teagan Faran; the video and podcast versions are linked here. Teagan Faran is a remarkable violinist known for her versatility as a performer, composer, and improviser. In this episode, you’ll hear selections from her album Middle Child—a compelling and genre-spanning musical journey featuring works by acclaimed contemporary composers, as well as Tegan’s own reimagining of Brahms’ beloved Intermezzo.

A Fulbright grant recipient, Tegan spent nine months in Argentina delving into the rich traditions of tango and regional folk music. She shared insights about her time there, along with stories of collaboration and mentorship, including her work with the Grammy-nominated ensemble Palaver Strings and the electroacoustic duo Persephone & the Phoenix.

Tegan has also built a dynamic career as an educator and has studied under renowned teachers like Danielle Belen. In our conversation, we touched on her diverse teaching experiences, the importance of injury prevention, and her parallel path as a certified personal trainer.

Transcript of interview with singer Olcay Bayir. The podcast and video versions are linked here. Olcay is an extraordinary British singer-songwriter of Kurdish Alevi origin, originally from Turkey. Olcay opens up about the challenges of immigrating as a teenager, her classical training in opera, and how she has forged her own unique musical path.

You’ll hear clips from her 2024 album Tu Gulî, along with selections from her earlier projects, featuring songs in several languages. Her rich voice and evocative arrangements breathe new life into Anatolian folk traditions, offering a vibrant and powerful reimagining of this timeless music.

In our conversation, Olcay shares:

• Insights into Alevi culture and spirituality

• How she honours the strength and stories of Anatolian women

• her creative process and inspiration from masterful collaborators 

Joel Styzens is a composer and  multi-instrumentalist whose career as a drummer was transformed due to sudden hearing damage. He talked to me about dealing with the physical and psychological effets of hyperacusis and tinnitus, the beauty of hammered dulcimer, and you’ll hear clips from his first 2 albums Relax Your Ears and Resonance. He’s a music educator who loves to help students to make discoveries on their own and we spoke about Joel’s passion for all kinds of artistic expression, and his positive recent experience at the Ragdale Artist residency. Joel’s personal story is so inspiring, and his music is so beautiful! The podcast and video formats are linked here to this transcript.

Transcript to 2025 interview with singer and actor Amanda Martinez, and her inspiring personal story . Amanda writes and records mostly in Spanish, the language of her Mexican dad who biked all the way from Mexico to Canada, and you’ll learn how Amanda’s recent album Recuerdo helped her process her grief going through the illness and death of her father. Amanda is also an actor, and you’ll hear about some of her experiences acting, including My Little Pony, Kim’s Convenience and Rosie’s Rules for which she has composed songs. Amanda came to her acting and music career after pursuing science and business, and you’ll be inspired to hear how she navigated serious personal challenges to following her true path. She shares great wisdom about the importance of talking about  mental health and also some of her personal tips for living a full and fullfilled life. 

The transcript to my 2025 interview with Canadian pianist and writer Heather Taves; the video, podcast and show notes are linked. Heather is also a composer, improviser, and educator.She spoke to me about her unique and inspiring Beethoven Journey, her popular weekly blog which she started in 2023 , paired with performances of all of Beethoven’s 32 piano sonatas. We talked about getting to know Beethoven as a person and her fascinating research about many women that are part of this history. We also talked about Heather’s work as an educator, developing creativity and approaching teaching music from different angles. She spoke about her mentors including pianist Gil Kalish and writer Diane Shoemperlen, and her experiences travelling around the world by herself. 

Interview with the internationally renowned Euphonium soloist Bente Illevold. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here. You’ll learn:

*how she has created a unique career path

*euphonium music including Katherine Needleman’s  commission from Kyrese Washington

*how to address the problems around  inclusivity in the low brass world

*music pedagogy, choosing repertoire and practice skills 

* mind-set, perfectionism and self-reflection

* Rendalen Low Brass Seminar 

Transcript to my interview with Martha Anne Toll; linked are the podcast and video with complete show notes.

Martha Anne Toll is a novelist and literary and cultural critic, also a violist whose classical music training informs her artistic practice. She comes to writing professionally after a career dedicated to social justice.  She recently published her second novel about musicians,  Duet for One, a beautiful love story based on the lives of musicians. We focused on both this book and her novel Three Muses. You’ll hear about her high and low points as a violist, different ways she has helped with programs related to social justice, and her involvement in the literary world including supporting less-represented authors. We also talked about processing grief, the classical music world including patterns of different types of abuse, and living true to your values. 

Transcript to my interview with multi-style violinist and composer Alisa Rose. The podcast and video versions are linked here. In this episode we’re shining a light on her wonderful new album with mandolinist Tristan Scroggins, Speranza. You’ll hear about how she found her way to such an interesting and diverse career from learning Old-Time music from retired farmers in Wisconsin as a child to classical training with the legendary Camilla Wicks at the San Francisco Conservatory, where she’s come full circle as a teacher. Alisa shared wonderful insights into teaching music, including body awareness and using creativity prompts in her improvisation classes. She shared powerful experiences from her tour in Eastern Europe as an Ambassador of the State Department, and advice about the benefits of organizing house concerts. 

Transcript to interview with German film composer Christoph Zirngibl; the podcast and video are linked here. Christoph Zirngibl is an award-winning German film composer who has composed music for over 120 films as well as many TV series including the Apple TV+ series Where’s Wanda.  It often strikes me that  even with something as specific as some of Christoph’s advice about work flow for fellow film composers, that it can apply more broadly to all of us, whatever our pursuits.. You’ll be  hearing a few clips from some of his projects in different musical styles,  as well as his reflecctions on his formative student years, the strengths of the apprentice system and his interest in many aspects of filmmaking. I have previously featured a few film composers on this series, and some of these episodes are linked directly in the show notes for you. It’s such an interesting career path, and I find that each of these composers have unique musical backgrounds.

Transcript to my interview with Lawrence English; linked are the podcast and video versions with show notes. Lawrence English is a brilliant artist, composer and curator based in Australia. In this wide-ranging interview, Lawrence spoke to me about many topics, touching architecture, philosophy, field recordings, running a record label, and emerging biotech. One of his many projects is the record label Room40, which is celebrating 25 years, and punctuating this podcast are some clips from some of Lawrence’s albums, including Even the Horizon Knows it’s Bounds, Shell Type, and Observation of Breath. You’ll fine several links in the show notes so you can explore each project more fully. 

Transcript to my interview with Noam Lemish; the podcast, video and show notes are linked here. How did Noam Lemish’s experience living in Bhutan influence his outlook? A lot of Noam’s creative life is inspired by bridging cultures and being open to possibility, and you’ll be hearing some music from some of his many projects as well as hear his reflections on teaching and learning. It was fascinating to learn about his mentors including George Marsh and W.A. Mathieu, and how he started collaborating with so many incredible artists including the oud player and guitarist Amos Hoffman. I really wanted to shine a light as well on his fantastic Juno-nominated album Twelve, which is comprised of six original compositions for chamber jazz orchestra,  and all the music you’ll be hearing is linked in the show notes.

This is the transcript of my interview with Juliana Soltis. Linked are the podcast, video and show notes. Juliana Soltis is an innovative cellist who has done extensive research to connect listeners with some forgotten stories of classical music. In this episode we talked about her recent album American Woman which features cello and piano music of women composers; you’ll hear Juliana’s insights into the lives of Mary Howe, Amy Beach, Margaret Bonds, Helen Crane, Dorothy Rudd Moore and Florence Price and hear excerpts from this album which Juliana recorded with the wonderful pianist Ruoting Li. Many listeners will be familiar with Juliana’s playing as a Baroque cellist, and it was fascinating to hear about how the French relinquished their beloved viol relunctuantly to the Italian cello. I really love Juliana’s recording of the complete Suites for solo cello of J.S. Bach and you’ll hear some music from her album Going off Script: the Ornamented Suites for cello. 

Juliana shared great advice about performing  from an athlete’s perspective and also the joy of connecting with  audiences.

Transcript to my interview with the brilliant Canadian pianist Katherine Dowling; the podcast and video versions are linked. In this conversation we talked about her album of solo music by Alice Ping Yee Ho, mentors including Gil Kalish and Henk Guittart, and how and why she’s developed her exceptional musical memory. Katherine shared fantastic insights into teaching and learning, the importance of inclusivity and access to arts education, and how she uses the Pomodoro technique in the practice room. She explained how sound production on the piano is about the speed of attack and we discussed  different skill sets and career paths for pianists.  Dr. Dowling shared many inspiring musical memories, and how she developed her ambitious Elegy project to follow her personal path through grief.

Interview with Kala Ramnath: transcript with podcast and video linked. Kala Ramnath is a world-renowned Indian violinist who performs in both the Hindustani classical tradition, and in collaborations that incorporate many styles with Ray Manzarek of The Doors, Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer, George Brooks, and  leading orchestras, to name but a few. You’ll hear about her childhood, and how she became a disciple of the legendary vocalist Pandit Jasraj, leading her to revolutionize her approach to Hindustani violin technique. As a teacher she has put together an incredible resource with an extensive video library that she’s created of Indian music, Indianclassicalmusic.com

When I recorded this interview with Kala, she had just the day before returned from the celebration of life for the legendary tabla master Zakir Hussain, who died this past December, and was one of the most important musicians in both Indian music and in bringing a global audience to Indian music. He had moved to San Francisco in the 1960s and was involved in too many projects to begin to list; in 2024 he was the first musician from India to receive 3 Grammys at one ceremony, including his collaboration with Bela Fleck and Edgar Meyer. Zakir Hussain was an incredibly important mentor of Kala, and you’ll hear in her words about what his guidance and collaborations meant to her. 

Interview with clarinetist Tasha Warren; the podcast and video are linked. Tasha Warren  is an acclaimed clarinetist who has premiered over one hundred solo clarinet and chamber works. In this podcast you’ll hear excerpts from her album “Ourself Behind Ourself, Concealed” a fantastic collaboration with cellist Dave Eggar of newly commissioned and premiered Bass Clarinet and Cello works, which earned two Grammy nominations. If you listened to my episode with Meg Okura last year, you heard a bit about this project, and Meg’s episode is linked in the show notes if you missed it. Dr. Warren is Assistant Professor of Chamber Music at Michigan State University and the principal clarinet faculty of Mostly Modern Festival and you’ll hear her valuable and candid perspectives on a life as an educator, concert presenter and also the challenges of balancing such a full professional life with that of being a mom. You’ll also hear about her unique musical trip to India sponsored by Pitch Pipe organized by Jennifer Heemstra, among several inspiring projects in this wide-ranging episode. In this episode you’ll be hearing music by Nathalie Joachim, Paquito D’rivera, Martha Redbone Pascal Le Boeuf and Cornelius Boots.

This is the transcript to my interview with Tal Yahalom; the podcast, video and show notes are linked here as well.Tal Yahalom is an award-winning jazz guitarist and composer who has just released a compelling quintet album, Mirror Image  with  refreshingly unique instrumentation: violin, cello, percussion, sax and flute and both nylon-string and electric guitar. You’ll be hearing excerpts from the album and hear about Tal’s creative process and collaborators including percussioninst Rogerio Boccato and David Leon on sax and flute. Tal told me about some great advice he got from Pat Metheny, whom he met  when Tal won the Detroit Jazz Festival National Guitar Competition, and the invaluable guidance of key mentors throughout his education and career. Tal recently came back from musically immersive travels in Brazil and Argentina, and it was inspiring to hear about his experiences their as well as hear about several of his collaborators,  including his band KADAWA, and we’re featuring a track from their new album as well. Towards the end of this interview, Tal shared some personal reflections on his new duo with vocalist Danielle Wertz, and some very wise insights into student-centered learning, which I think apply quite broadly, not just to music. 

Transcript to my interview with Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield. The podcast and video are linked here.Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield are wonderfully inventive musicians who have formed a duo. This podcast episode is shining a light on their recently released album “Speaking in Tongues”and you’ll hear some of this textured and dynamic music that really pushes the boundaries of a duo,  along with insights into their creative process and their varied career paths. 

  John Hadfield  is a phenomenal percussionist, drummer, and composer, for many years based in New York and now based in Paris. He’s collaborated on over 100 recordings including Grammy-award winning albums. He talked to me about performing with Kenny Werner, with Yo-Yo Ma and the Silkroad Ensemble, as well as John’s Paris Quartet.

 Rachel Eckroth was nominated for a GRAMMY for her album “The Garden” and she is very active as a keyboardist, vocalist, composer, producer and arranger. She tours currently with St. Vincent, and she talked to me about her keyboards, and some of her formative experiences. 

Both Rachel and John love to explore new sound colours both acoustically and with electronic instruments and this album is a powerful, inventive and immersive listening experience. You’ll find this project linked in the show notes, and hopefully some of you can attend  their live shows on one of their tours. 

Transcript to 2025 interview with Fern Lindzon; the podcast and video versions are linked here. Fern Lindzon is a Canadian multi-style pianist, vocalist, composer and improvisor. She recently released a great album with her new trio project Tryptique with Colleen Allen and George Koller ,and we’re featuring music from that album as well as some of her other work, including her Juno-nominated album Two Kites. We talked about her mother, the artist Rose Lindzon, many mentors and influences including Don Johnson, Alan Bern and Marilyn Lerner, and several of Fern’s projects including creating silent film music, Klezmer with the Sisters of Sheynville, and her new project of learning the expressive electronic instrument the Haken Continuum. In fact, what really struck me about talking to Fern was her thirst to continuously expand her knowledge, skills, and creativity.