This is the transcript to my podcast interview with the Klezmer violinisti and composer Alicia Svigals, celebrating her 2024 album Fidl Afire. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here, along with my 2021 in-depth interview with her.

2024 interview with violinist and composer Meg Okura. The video and podcast versions are linked here with the show notes.

Meg Okura is an award-winning Jazz composer and brilliant Grammy-nominated violinist, and the leader and founder of the  Pan Asian Chamber Jazz Ensemble. This episode features several excerpts from Meg’s wonderful recent duo album “Lingering” with the Grammy Award-winning jazz pianist and composer  Kevin Hays. This  was a wide-ranging conversation, including Meg’s musical tribute to Ryuichi Sakamoto, her experiences playing for Cirque du Soleil,  some of the challenges she’s faced, and about her search for a new spiritual community.  She shared with me her thoughts on mentorship and the power of music to create real understanding and connection. 

This is the transcript of my interview with Canadian cellist Julia MacLaine; the podcast and video are linked here along with the show notes. In this episode we’re highlighting her gorgeous album Preludes which pairs the Preludes of J.S. Bach for Cello solo and with newly commissioned works for solo cello by Canadian composers.  Julia and I talked about many things, including how best to address  the challenges of maintaining high levels of playing and inspiration, studying the craft of songwriting with the legendary Ian Tamblyn , the intricacies of putting together ambitious projects,  her childhood in Prince Edward Island,  and strategies to cope with performance anxiety. It was really inspiring to hear some of the wisdom Julia gained from her mentors including Timothy Eddy and the late Antonio Lysy. 

My 2024 interview with the award-winning jazz singer Ineke Vandoorn, celebrating her album with Jasper van 't Hof "Dancing on Water". The podcast and video versions are linked here.

This is the transcript of my interview with Joe K. Walsh, an acclaimed master of bluegrass mandolin and a professor at Berklee College. The podcast and video versions are linked here as well. In this episode you’ll hear about many of his inspiring collaborations including with Darol Anger, Mike Block, Grant Gordy, Alex Hargreaves and Mike Marshall. We are also featuring some music from some of his albums inluding “If Not Now, Who?” We talked about Joe’s approach as an educator, the challenges and joys of the touring life, the importance of innovation and taking chances musically. Joe’s love of music and the mandolin shines brightly in this candid conversation. 

Interview with electronice music producer, violinist and educator Bad Snacks. The video and podcast versions are linked here with the show notes; this is the complete transcript of our conversation. We talked about her experience when she went viral on Andrew Huang’s “4 Producers Flip the Same Sample” challenge with over 4.5M views, dealing with online boundaries, with sexism, finding inspiration, and  enjoying the learning process. Bad Snacks is also an educator; she coaches fellow producers privately, runs a successful YouTube channel where she posts content related to music technology and beat breakdowns. Due to her love for cutting-edge music tech, she has worked as a key demonstrator with several of the industry’s largest names like Ableton, Roland,  and Moog. She has also taught as an Assistant Professor at Berklee College of Music for Electronic Production & Design. We talked about her unique educational path and choices she’s made along the way to carve out a successful career, and in fact what success really means. She spoke thoughtfully about important topics such as music education, developing creativity, imposter syndrome and keeping a healthy perspective.

Interview with weaver and author Maryanne Moodie. The podcast and video, along with the main episode linked to Collected Strands are linked here. This is a special stand-alone bonus episode featuring the the inspiring Australian artist, educator and author Maryanne Moodie who’s woven art graces the cover of the Collected Strands album Volume 1, which is being celebrated in the main episode connected to this one. I decided to release this stand-alone bonus for those listeners who are passionate about weaving and want to dive into the interview with Maryanne right away, but I have included a clip of our improvisation Solace as part of this episode, and you will find all the links in the description of this episode to listen to this music, and of course the links to Maryanne Moodie’s art, workshops, and books in the show notes as well. I feel that all my listeners who love music and creativity will find that Maryanne’s personal journey and perspectives will resonate strongly with them, and I hope some listeners in the weaving and art world will also be inspired by the musicians!

This is the transcript for this episode; the podcast and video with show-notes are linked here. This special episode celebrates Volume 1 with my improvising ensemble Collected Strands. The other musicians in the group have all been featured previously on this series, and you’ll find the links to those episodes in the show notes with cellist Raphael Weinroth-Browne, pianist James McGowan and drummer Mike Essoudry. I’m also delighted that you will get to know the inspiring Australian artist, educator and author Maryanne Moodie who’s woven art graces the cover of this album. You’ll find the links to her work in the show notes as well. I am also releasing the interview with Maryanne as a separate stand-alone bonus episode connected to this episode. I feel that all my listeners who love music and creativity will find that Maryanne’s personal journey and perspectives will resonate strongly with them, and I hope some listeners in the weaving and art world will also be inspired by the musicians!

We are including excerpts from the album during this episode, and you’ll find all the links to buy and stream this music

The transcript of my interview with the trombonist Hillary Simms. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here as well.

Hillary Simms is a virtuosic Canadian trombone player with the esteemed American Brass Quintet and is on faculty at the Julliard School.

Hillary’s warmth and love of music comes through in this candid interview, from her childhood in Newfoundland to playing on the world’s biggest stages, and also the unusual situation she found herself in when  her engagement to her husband became a viral sensation in China. 

As the first woman to join the Amercian Brass Quintet since 1960,  Hillary spoke to me about gender disparity in the brass world and some of her strong female role models.  

 Hillary shares wonderful insights for all of us, whether you pursue music as a career or follow a different path,  of the need to have self-compassion and have an awareness of the big picture of your life. 

Hillary has performed as a soloist a couple of times with my orchestra, Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra, and you’ll hear us talk about the arc of her career so far as a chamber musician, soloist, educator and busy freelancer. We decided to delay the release of this episode slightly in order to include a wonderful recent recording of the Amercian Brass Quintet, a movement from David Biedenbender’s wonderful work Sacred Geometry. This is the first recording of the group with Hillary performing,  and you’ll find more information and links

Interview with pianist Rebeca Omordia focusing on her African Pianism album volume 2, which was just named Editor’s Choice in the Gramophone Magazine, and is a fascinating and beautiful kaleidoscope of piano works from West Africa, North Africa, South Africa and East Africa. Rebeca spoke to me about her extensive research about these composers, varied styles, and the different traditional music traditions which are often at the heart of this music. We talked about her experiences growing up in Romania with a Romanian mother and a Nigerian father. Now based in London, Rebeca spoke to me about The African Concert Series at Wigmore Hall, and many of her collaborations, including Errollyn Wallen whose Piano Concerto, written for Rebeca Omordia is featured in this podcast along with excerpts from several of the works on the African Pianism album, volume 2. This is the complete transcript.

Interview with Sarah Jeffery of Team Recorder. The podcast and video are linked here with this transcript.

Interview of my in-depth interview with Lisa Pegher, percussion pioneer. The link for the podcast, video and show notes is here as well. Lisa Pegher is a brilliant American percussion soloist and drummer who is also a composer, improvisor and software engineer. She is known for pioneering percussion as a solo instrument within the orchestral realm and beyond, making it her life’s work to present percussion to larger audiences by commissioning, collaborating, and creating new works and performances that bring percussion to the front of the stage.cently, she premiered a We talked about her new concerto/show, "Circuits and Skins," written for her by Paul Dooley, which explores ways to meld orchestra with Electronic Dance Music, and also her project A.I.RE (ARtificial Iintelligence Rhythm Evolution. You’ll hear about her perspectives on self-care, social media, the value of mentors, and a fascinating variety of her performances during this episode.

Interview with the award-winning songwriter, singer, author, and entrepreneur Cliff Beach. The podcast and video versions of this interview are linked here with the show notes and links.

Interview with the acclaimed orchestra conductor Jessica Cottis. The podcast and video formats are linked here with the show notes.

In this wide-ranging interview you’ll gain insights into the special world of orchestral conductors and also some of Jessica’s interests in the natural world and the arts. She spoke to me about her musical path, from how she made her first trumpet, to life on a sheep farm, to her transition from a career as a concert organist, to lessons learned from conducting mentors including Colin Davis and Colin Metters. Jessica is such an articulate champion of the value of music and the arts, and I’ve also been privileged to have worked with her in my role as a violinist in Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. I have a special interest in synesthesia, so I was interested in hearing her experience of sound through colour, and if you look at the description of this episode, you’ll find detailed timestamps for the many topics covered, inluding some beautiful music from Julie Cooper’s new album Oculus with Jessica Cottis conducting. Jessica also shared her difficult recovery from a concussion and how her senses were further mixed for a period of time.

Vahn Black Interview: Celebrating Gladys Bentley. The podcast and video versions of this interview are linked here along with the show notes.

The transcript of my interview with Martha Mooke. The podcast and video format are linked here with the show notes. Martha Mooke is a pioneer in the field of the electric five string viola and transcends boundaries as a performer and composer. This episode features insights, stories and music, including from the beautiful album by Carla Patullo So She Howls which just won the GRAMMY® Award for “Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album.” as well as from several of Martha’s solo and collaborative albums. You’ll hear about the unique multi-style string program she’s helped launch at New Jersey City University, and about many of her mentors and collaborators from David Bowie to Tenzin Choegyal to Laurie Anderson to Jean-Luc Ponty. Martha is passionate about the breadth and diversity needed in music education for the 21st century, and it was a joy and an inspiration for me to be able to hear about the arc of her multi-faceted career so far.

This is the transcript of my interview with James McGowan, a solo and collaborative pianist at home in jazz, classical and improvised musics. The podcast and video versions of this episode are linked here along with the show notes. The 14-member James McGowan Ensemble has just released its jazz-classical fusion album Reaching Out, the companion to the previous album Reaching In, and this episode features some of the music from this beautiful project as well as from his jazz-fusion group Modasaurus. Besides James’ work as a composer and pianist, he’s also a Theory Professor, and choral direcctor, and has served as Carleton University Chair in Teaching Innovation in developing experiences in the arts on campus and in the community. James is so passionate about sharing his love of music and I trust you’ll find this an uplifting conversation.

The transcript to my 2024 interview with Bryan and Silvie Cheng, the Cheng² Duo. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here as well.

The transcript to my interview with the wonderful harmonica player and composer Ariel Bart. The podcast, video, and shownotes are linked here as well. I first started listening to her music with her debut album, “In Between” in which she presents a unique approach to the harmonica and all her albums feature her original music which is inspired by the European jazz tradition and the Middle-Eastern world. Ariel began playing the chromatic harmonica at the age of 7 and since then it’s been her primary instrument. We’re including music from several of her albums. You’ll hear about some of her inspiring mentors and collaborators and her positive experience at the New School University for Jazz and Contemporary Music in New York City, including working with Reggie Workman, Shai Maestro, and Jane Ira Bloom. We also talked about the music business, and her delight in using storytelling and film with her music.

The transcript to my interview with the GRAMMY-nominated concert organist Gail Archer. The podcast and video are linked here along with the shownotes and link to Gail Archer’s website.