Mary Beth Orr is a wonderful award-winning horn player and folk vocal artist. Throughout this moving episode you’ll be hearing short excerpts from her album “The Singing Horn” which celebrates traditional Appalachian songs with Mahler and contemporary works composed for Mary Beth through Vox Novus’ Fifteen Minutes of Fame Project. Mary Beth is currently 3rd Horn of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and she shares the best advice I’ve heard about succeeding at orchestral auditions. Mary Beth also experienced a serious accident that threatened her life and then her ability to play the horn and she shares many other difficult personal challenges.  I was so moved to hear her story and wisdom and I encourage you to come back and listen to the end. This transcript is linked to the podcast, video and show notes.

Discover fiddler, songwriter, and producer Carolyn Kendrick in this in-depth feature. Explore her upcoming podcast “Don’t Call Me Darlin’” with Tristan Scroggins, her project “Each Machine,” and research into the Satanic Panic. Learn songwriting tips, memory techniques, and insights on building a balanced life in music. This transcript is linked to the podcast and video version of this interview!

The Swedish fiddler Lena Jonsson has created a unique style inspired by traditional Swedish music as well as many other influences. Today we’re focusing on the wonderful 3rd album by her trio, “Folk Covers” which celebrates many great folk music composers of today. I think you’ll really enjoy this uplifting conversation which features a lot of music, including Lena giving us some spontaneous house concert experiences, and clips from the new album, with insights into process of curating and interpreting these folk covers; please note the timestamps have the tune names. You’ll also learn about the Swedish folk scene and regional differences, her experiences studying both in Sweden and Boston at Berklee, her love of creative design and how to dance a Polska. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here as well!