Classical Classroom
292 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 3 years ago - ★★★★★ - 455 ratingsThere is a rumor going around that classical music is hoity toity. At Classical Classroom, we beg to differ. Come learn with classical music newbie Dacia Clay and the music experts she invites into the Classical Classroom.
Homepage Apple Podcasts Google Podcasts Overcast Castro Pocket Casts RSS feed
Episodes
Classical Classroom, Episode 8: RERUN - Wesley Horner On Bach’s B Minor Mass, The Sound Of Heaven, And Classical Music Mosh Pits
December 28, 2015 18:00 - 24 minutes - 23.8 MBTeam Classroom is taking a little holiday break this week, so we present one of our favorite episodes from the wayback machine. Hope your holiday season is full of the good stuff. We’ll be back next week with new episodes! ——————— In this episode, independent producer, author, documentary filmmaker, Peabody Award-winner (et cetera, et cetera…), Wesley Horner chats with Dacia about Bach’s B Minor Mass and bringing classical music to people who hate wearing tuxedos. Audio production by T...
Classical Classroom, Episode 112: The Ugly Christmas Sweaters Of Classical Music, With Alecia Lawyer
December 21, 2015 08:00 - 32 minutes - 30.6 MBIt’s four days until Christmas. Chances are, you’ve heard a lot of beautiful music. If you’re looking for more of that, you’ve come to the wrong place. Welcome to Jingle Hell, where bad songs are born, and good songs come to die. Alecia Lawyer, founder, artistic director, and principal oboist of River Oaks Chamber Orchestra (ROCO) talks about the worst musical offerings of the season, and what makes them so bad. Songs that include entire scales? Check. Songs with completely bizarre lyrics th...
Classical Classroom, Episode 31: RERUN - The Music Of Hanukkah (Chanuka? Hanuka?) With Cantor Benjamin Matis
December 14, 2015 21:45 - 31 minutes - 30.3 MB2013 was – I think we can all agree – a magical year. It was the year of the arthouse film Sharknado, the year of the Harlem Shake, and the year that Justin Bieber was separated from his pet monkey. But more important than any of those moments? Thanksgivukkah happened. Learn all about this phenomenon, about the history of Hanukkah, and about the music of the holiday in this Classical Classroom episode from the vault. Happy Thanksgivukkah everyone! That’s right: the Julian and the Hebrew...
Classical Classroom, Episode 111: The Franchomme Episode, With Louise Dubin
December 07, 2015 23:17 - 38 minutes - 62.8 MBAuguste Franchomme. 19th centuryChances are, unless you happen to be a cellist, you’ve probably never heard of Auguste Franchomme. But back in the day, he was one of the most celebrated musicians in Paris, he was besties with Chopin, and he hung out with people like Franz Liszt, Felix Mendelssohn, and the Rothschilds. He was a teenager when he won the Premier Prix at the Paris Conservatoire, and he was solo cellist in King Louis-Philippe’s Musique du Roi. So, why is it that most of his work...
Classical Classroom, Episode 47: RERUN - 500 Megatons Of Tuba With Øystein Baadsvik
November 30, 2015 23:07 - 38 minutes - 62.5 MBHope all of you in the States enjoyed your Thanksgiving. We took some time off to enjoy ours, so this week, we’re giving you old gold. Øystein was recently in Houston, and because our stars didn’t align, we weren’t able to record a new episode with him. (Øystein, come back anytime, buddy!) To make up for that, we give you this rerun. Learn 100% more about the tuba in this episode than you’ve ever known! Norwegian tuba soloist and chamber musician Øystein Baadsvik is the only tuba virtuoso ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 110: Starting From Scratch – Bryce Dessner, Aron Sanchez, & So Percussion
November 24, 2015 00:16 - 48 minutes - 45.1 MBKnowing how a piece of classical music came to be is often a bit of a guessing game. What inspired Bach to write the Goldberg Variations, or Beethoven to write his 9th Symphony? Context clues, letters, composers’ notes help us put the story together; we fill in the rest with our imaginations and mythology. But no more! In this episode of Classical Classroom, you’ll hear the entire story of a piece of modern classical music, Music for Wood and Strings, from commission to performance. Even the...
Classical Classroom, Episode 109: Storytelling With Music – Richard Scerbo, Inscape Chamber Orchestra
November 16, 2015 17:27 - 32 minutes - 31.2 MBHow do you tell a story without words? Why, with music of course! Richard Scerbo, founder and artistic director of DC-based Inscape Chamber Orchestra, explains how – and why – composers use music to tell tales. Walk through two very different kinds of musical “stories” in this episode. Watch out for dancing puppets and swamp ghosts. Richard Scerbo. Image courtesy of his website. All music in this episode performed by Inscape Chamber Orchestra: – Excerpts from their new album, Petrushka,...
Classical Classroom, Episode 108: The Love Episode, With Anne Akiko Meyers
November 09, 2015 17:38 - 17 minutes - 17.3 MBThis episode contains pretty much everything: Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers, Leonard Bernstein’s 100th birthday, Plato’s Symposium, music by living composers, the Great American Songbook, and most importantly, love, baby. Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers. Photo by VANESSA BRICEÑO-SCHERZER / CHRISTIE STOCKSTILL. All music in this episode from Anne Akiko Meyers’ new album, Serenade: The Love Album. Audio production by Todd “Tickle Me Elmo” Hulslander with high-pitched cackles by Dacia Clay and ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 107: Sometimes Menotti, Sometimes Me Nice – With Lynda McKnight
November 02, 2015 16:18 - 34 minutes - 33.1 MBIt’s a Menotti two-fer! Lynda McKnight from Houston’s Opera in the Heights teaches all about the composer Gian Carlo Menotti and two of his short operas, The Medium(not the Patricia Arquette kind), and The Telephone (not the Lady Gaga kind). Learn about this versatile 20th century composer and these two drastically different operas. Also, zombies. By the way, Opera in the Heights is staging a Medium and Telephone double-header through November 7th! Music in this episode: – Gian...
Classical Classroom, Episode 106: Bach Halloween Spooktacular With Keith Weber
October 29, 2015 15:20 - 23 minutes - 22.3 MBWhat?? Two episodes in one week? That’s right. We made you a treat: Go with us on a field trip to the Moores School of Music Organ Recital Hall at the University of Houston where we meet up with Keith “Creepy” Weber and the colossal, two-story Beckerath Organ that lurks in the hall. Learn all about Bach’s Toccata and Fugue in D Minor and why it’s the soundtrack for all things macabre in this episode, the final installment of our Bachtoberfest series. Music in this episode played by Kei...
Classical Classroom, Episode 105: Matt Haimovitz On “The Gospel” Of Anna Magdelana
October 26, 2015 17:05 - 23 minutes - 22.3 MBCover of cellist (and – we suspect – part-time lumberjack), Matt Haimovitz’s new CD. Courtesy of Oxingale/Pentatone. Cellist Matt Haimovitz has grappled with Bach’s Cello Suites for decades. He first recorded them in 2000. He’s dedicated his new second recording of the Suites to Anna Magdalena, Bach’s second wife, who copied Bach’s manuscripts. Haimovitz talks about how Anna Magdalena’s transcriptions became his spirit guide on a quest to gain a greater understanding of the Gospel of...
Classical Classroom, Episode 104: Catalyst Quartet On Stringing Gould And Goldberg
October 19, 2015 16:00 - 24 minutes - 24 MBBachtoberfest continues! Catalyst Quartet members Karla Donehew-Perez and Karlos Rodriguez talk about famously eccentric (eccentrically famous?) performer and composer, Glenn Gould, his recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations, and Catalyst’s Gould-inspired arrangement of the Variations. Discussed: breakfast, order out of chaos, and who this “Goldberg” person was. Music in this episode: “Aria da capo” from Gould’s 1955 and 1981 recordings, and from the Catalyst Quartet’s debut album...
Classical Classroom Episode 23: RERUN - Bach’s Materials – The World Inside An Invention With Kurt Stallmann
October 12, 2015 20:28 - 31 minutes - 51 MBContinuing with our Bachtober celebration, we revisit this oldie but goody with Kurt Stallmann. Bach’s Invention No. 1 contains an entire universe of music as we learn in this episode with Kurt Stallmann, Associate Professor of Music at Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music. It gets metaphysical up in here, you guys. Audio production by Todd “Birthday Boy” Hulslander, with happy claps of approval by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode includes: Johann Sebastian Bach, Invention No....
Classical Classroom, Episode 103: Yundi. Chopin. Preludes.
October 05, 2015 20:40 - 17 minutes - 29.5 MBThis Classroom teacher needs only one name: Madonna! JK! But he’s also a world-famous musician: Pianist Yundi teaches about Chopin’s preludes, all of which he recently recorded on his new album, aptly entitled Frédéric Chopin: Complete Preludes. Where did these preludes come from? Why are they each so different? Yundi teaches all of this and more in this episode. All music in this episode from Yundi’s new album. Audio production by Todd “A Confederacy of Todds” Hulslander with cri...
Classical Classroom, Episode 102: Women’s History! Scandal! Intrigue! Opera! With Victoria Bond
September 29, 2015 16:50 - 46 minutes - 76.4 MBThe first woman who ran for the U.S. presidency did so in 1872. Never heard this story? Thankfully, composer and conductor Victoria Bond has written an opera about this woman’s life. Hear the incredible, true, titillating tale and learn about opera AT THE SAME TIME! Sex, scandal, alliteration! All in this episode. All music in this episode is from Victoria Bond’s opera, Mrs. President. Audio production by Todd “Trusty Sidekick” Hulslander with quick draws by Dacia Clay and editing b...
Classical Classroom, Episode 101: ZOFO, The Twenty Finger Orchestra
September 21, 2015 21:11 - 26 minutes - 44.1 MBEva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi make beautiful music together as the musical duo ZOFO. On the same piano. At the same time. Why do they do this? What is this strange art form? And what does it all have to do with Terry Riley?! Learn all about piano four hands in this episode. Eva-Maria Zimmerman and Keisuke Nakagoshi of ZOFO. Music in this episode is all from the CD ZOFO Plays Terry Riley: Etude from the Old Country Half-Wolf Dances Mad in Moonlight ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 100: Party Time!
September 14, 2015 21:34 - 50 minutes - 81.6 MBTime to celebrate our 100th show. It’s been quite a “Journey.” We toot some horns (mostly our own)and reminisce with some previous show flashbacks. We also meet some of the most famous classical music composers as they join in the festivities. ‘Cause there ain’t no party like a Beethoven doing Jagerbombs party. Party on Ludwig! Flash back to the original podcast logo Party music from the best DJs in the biz: Italo House Pavarotti/Bocelli/Jovanotti REMIX #6 2015 by dj SRONYX el toro loco...
Classical Classroom, Episode 1: RERUN - Chris Johnson Teaches Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
September 07, 2015 13:00 - 12 minutes - 21.6 MBRevisit Classical Classroom’s very first show! Classical music announcer Chris Johnson compares two very different recordings of the same piece. Gut strings, basso continuo, and the Baroque period are discussed. Audio production by Todd “Teacup” Hulslander and Chris Johnson. Music used in this episode includes: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concerto, “Autumn” by: Itzak Perlman violin solo, London Philharmonic Fabio Biondi solo violin, Europa Galante
Classical Classroom, Episode 1: RERUN - Chris Johnson Teaches Vivaldi’s Four Seasons
September 07, 2015 13:00 - 12 minutes - 21.6 MBRevisit Classical Classroom’s very first show! Classical music announcer Chris Johnson compares two very different recordings of the same piece. Gut strings, basso continuo, and the Baroque period are discussed. Audio production by Todd “Teacup” Hulslander and Chris Johnson. Music used in this episode includes: Vivaldi’s Four Seasons Concerto, “Autumn” by: Itzak Perlman violin solo, London Philharmonic Fabio Biondi solo violin, Europa Galante
Classical Classroom, Episode 98: Summer Music – Aspen Edition! Alisa Weilerstein On Music For Solo Cello
August 17, 2015 22:14 - 25 minutes - 41.6 MBIt’s summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it’s not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It’s just that they’re all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we’ve decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show series, we’ll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us. In this, the fourth and final episode of our miniseries, ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 97: Summer Music – Aspen Edition! Robert McDuffie On 21st Century Classical Music Careers
August 10, 2015 18:45 - 28 minutes - 27.1 MBIt’s summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it’s not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It’s just that they’re all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we’ve decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show series, we’ll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us. In this, the third episode of our miniseries, we speak wi...
Classical Classroom, Episode 96: Summer Music – Aspen Edition! Orli Shaham On Brahmspiration
August 03, 2015 17:15 - 40 minutes - 38.2 MBIt’s summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it’s not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It’s just that they’re all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we’ve decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! In our four-show miniseries, we’ll be interviewing festival leaders and musicians. In this, the second episode of our miniseries, we spoke with pianist and awesome per...
Classical Classroom, Episode 95: Summer Music – Aspen Edition! Alan Fletcher On Aspen
July 27, 2015 16:58 - 19 minutes - 19.2 MBIt’s summertime, and the classical musicians have all disappeared. No, it’s not a classical music-specific alien body snatching situation. It’s just that they’re all at music festivals! Because we miss them, we’ve decided to follow the musicians to a different fest each summer. This year, we head to the Aspen Music Festival! For our next few shows, we’ll be interviewing festival leaders, musicians, and whoever else will talk to us. In this, the first episode of our miniseries, we spoke wit...
Classical Classroom, Episode 94: MusicWorks - Piano Man – Jim Kozak, Piano Tuner
July 20, 2015 16:48 - 27 minutes - 26.7 MBWhat’s in a piano? Jim Kozak has tuned a few, and he can tell you. He tunes pianos for the Houston Symphony, Da Camera of Houston, and for our own Houston Public Media. What does he do, and how does he do it? How does one become a piano tuner? Kozak tells all, including how a piano works, and why tuning for Alfred Brendel took two days. Music in this episode: “Montage” from the South Park episode, “Asspen“*. Written by Trey Parker. Ludwig van Beethoven, Bagatelle in A minor WoO 59 “Für ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 93: Everybody Dance Now! Joel Fan On Classical Dance Music
July 13, 2015 17:16 - 28 minutes - 27 MBWhat came before twerking, Harlem Shake-ing, and popping and locking? The Krakowiak, the Polonaise, and the Tarantelle (which have really cool names, now that we’re looking at it). Pianist Joel Fan teaches us all about classical dance music, the composers who made it, and the circumstances from which the dances emerged. Pianist Joel Fan. Courtesy of the artist’s website. Audio production by Todd “Pod God” Hulslander with moonwalking from Dacia Clay, and help from editor Mark DiClaudio an...
Classical Classroom, Episode 2: RERUN - Angela Mitchell Teaches Bel Canto Aria (With Bonus Material)
July 06, 2015 16:19 - 26 minutes - 25.8 MBSince the U.S. has been celebrating its beginnings this week, we thought we’d go back to ours. We hope you enjoy this throwback. And! Because we were in the holiday spirit, we added a little present for you at the end of the show. We hope you enjoy it. And that Tchaikovsky doesn’t turn over too hard in his grave when you play it. P.S., When we recorded this episode, Angela was indeed a “Schmidt.” Now, she is a “Mitchell.” As in, married to Brett Mitchell. As in, Assistant Conductor of the ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 92: Jonathan Biss On Schumann The Fanboy
June 29, 2015 17:09 - 27 minutes - 26.6 MBEvery good Beethoven deserves a fanboy, and Robert Schumann was that guy. Who was Schumann, and how was his work shaped by the influence of Beethoven? Pianist, Curtis Institute professor, and writer Jonathan Biss explains all – including his own (extremely cool) fanboy-esque immersion in the works of Schumann and Beethoven. Jonathan Biss. Photo by Benjamin Ealovega. Courtesy of the artist’s website. Audio production by Todd “Teletubby” Hulslander with frolicking by Dacia Clay and ed...
Classical Classroom, Episode 91: Wu Man, Pipa Ambassador
June 22, 2015 22:02 - 23 minutes - 22.9 MBWu Man, world-renowned pipa player, stopped by the Classroom while she was in Houston to teach all about the French horn. JK! She taught all about the pipa, of course! In this episode, she talks about the pipa’s origins, its repertoire, about how she began playing it, and she plays some sweet tunes to illustrate the instrument’s range. Dacia Clay, Wu Man’s pipa, and Wu Man in the Geary Performance Studio. Photo by Todd Hulslander. Music in this episode played live in the Geary Performanc...
Classical Classroom, Episode 90: Glenn Dicterow & Ingrid Hunter, Masters Of The Universe
June 15, 2015 22:25 - 22 minutes - 22.1 MBWhat is a concertmaster? We wanted to know, too, so we schlepped over to the Texas Music Festival (now happening at the UH Moores School of Music), found ourselves some concertmasters, and asked them all about what they do. Glenn Dicterow is the outgoing concertmaster of the New York Philharmonic where he’s ruled for over 34 years (his role will be assumed by the Houston Symphony’s Frank Huang), and Moores School doctoral student Ingrid Hunter was the week one concertmaster for the Texas Mus...
Classical Classroom, Episode 89: Awadagin Pratt on Brahms, Brunge, and Beards
June 08, 2015 23:03 - 36 minutes - 34.7 MBThe pianist gives a lesson on one of the Big Daddies of classical music. Awadagin Pratt, a man so awesome that his website URL is just his first name, talks Johannes Brahms. Pratt is a recording artist, Professor of Piano, Artist in Residence, Chairman of the Piano Department, and Artistic Director of the Art of the Piano Festival at the College Conservatory of Music at the University of Cincinnati. He talks about who Brahms was, why he is one of the Big Daddies of classical music, what it...
Classical Classroom, Episode 88: Hilary Hahn’s View On Vieuxtemps
June 01, 2015 22:55 - 24 minutes - 23.3 MBThe violinist walks through a piece by a lesser-known composer who was once more famous than Mozart. Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn, who has played a few concerts in her day – somewhere around 1,437 of them – talks about Henri Vieuxtemps’ Violin Concerto No. 4, which she plays on her latest CD. Is music composed by a violinist for violinists easier or more challenging to play? How was it that Vieuxtemps was more popular than Mozart at one point and now…not so much? And most important...
Classical Classroom, Episode 87: Modigliani Quartet Does Dohnányi
May 25, 2015 18:00 - 34 minutes - 32.7 MBViolinists Philippe Bernhard and Loïc Rio talk about Dohnányi’s String Quartet No. 3. As you probably know and have been celebrating ’round the Festivus pole, May is National Chamber Music Month! In this episode we talk to real live chamber musicians, violinists Philippe Bernhard and Loïc Rio of the Modigliani Quartet. They talk all about ErnÔ Dohnányi’s String Quartet No. 3. This is, hands down, our most French (Frenchest?) show to date. Modigliani Quartet: (L-R) Philippe Bernhard, Laur...
Classical Classroom, Episode 13: RERUN - A lesson from a real live professor – Timothy Hester on Brahms
May 18, 2015 21:53 - 25 minutes - 24.8 MBBrahms’ Opus 118 – plus the first two Intermezzos played live! In this episode, Associate Professor Timothy Hester from the University of Houston Moores School of Music, teaches Dacia a bonafide lesson. Don’t miss Prof. Hester waxing nostalgic about his childhood love of Steppenwolf. Audio production by Todd “the Todd” Hulslander with post-hypnotic suggestions from Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio. Music used in this episode includes: – Brahms Six Pieces for Piano, Opus 118, In...
Classical Classroom, Episode 86: Christopher O’Riley & Matt Haimovitz Get Real With Period Instruments
May 11, 2015 22:01 - 35 minutes - 33.3 MBWhen pianist and From the Top host Christopher O’Riley and cellist Matt Haimovitz recorded a new album of Beethoven’s music, they decided to kick it old school: Chris played an original Broadwood fortepiano and Matt played a Goffriller cello with ox-gut strings. Why would these two artists – often recognized for their arrangements of Radiohead, for performing with young musicians, and for playing classical music in nightclubs – decide to play period instruments? Is there a true benefit to pl...
Classical Classroom, Episode 85: Mandolin Man, Avi Avital
May 04, 2015 21:31 - 19 minutes - 19.4 MBAccording to Deutsche Grammophon recording artist Avi Avital, while the bass is not bad, it’s more about that mandolin. Which is also what this whole episode is about! Avi tells all: Where did the mandolin come from? Who composes for it? Why does he advocate for such a strange instrument? And how much did he play that one REM song in high school? Learn all of this and more right here! Audio production by Todd “Terrific” Hulslander with electric slides by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiCl...
Classical Classroom Short: Dis-concerted
April 27, 2015 22:05 - 11 minutes - 10.6 MBWhat’s it like to be a classical music novice at a classical music performance? Host Dacia Clay goes to a rock show and a classical concert and compares the experiences. The parallels are telling. The disparities are despairing. What’s the deal?? We hope you’ll become part of this discussion! Email your concert experiences to [email protected]. PS, To read more about the history of applause at classical concerts, check out this essay by Alex Ross: “Applause: A Rest Is Noise Sp...
Classical Classroom, Episode 84: JoAnn Falletta Shares Scheherazade
April 20, 2015 22:43 - 33 minutes - 31.9 MBConductor JoAnn Falletta walks through Rimsky-Korsakov’s symphonic poem. Who was Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov and why does he have two last names? And why would a 19th century Russian composer write a symphonic poem based on a collection of West and South Asian folk tales written in Arabic in the 16th century? What does it all mean?? Most* of these questions and more are all answered within by Buffalo Philharmonic/Virginia Symphony Orchestra conductor, guitarist, music advocate, and all around ...
Classical Classroom, Episode 83: Nico Muhly Speaks Volumes About Listening To New Classical Music
April 13, 2015 22:24 - 25 minutes - 24.9 MBThis week, composer Nico Muhly is premiering a brand new work, How Little You Are, in Austin. He talks about the classical (or, concert) music world’s premiering process, and about how and why listening to classical music golden oldies is different than listening to a new work, about the inspiration for his new piece, and of course, about Prince. Music in this episode: – Mozart: Magic Flute. Conducted by John Eliot Gardiner. – Bach: Magnificat. – Stravinsky: Petrouchka. Michael...
Classical Classroom, Episode 82: Branford Marsalis Gives Classical Music Jazz Hands
April 06, 2015 19:00 - 30 minutes - 29.3 MBBranford Marsalis‘ stark 2014 solo album In My Solitude includes jazz standards like “Stardust” next to C.P.E. Bach’s Sonata in A Minor for Oboe, Wq. 132. His jazz discography is peppered with classical releases. What’s that all about?! Where do jazz and classical intersect? How is playing one different from the other – or is it? Find out in this episode! Branford Marsalis. Photo by Palma Kolansky. Courtesy of the artist’s website. Audio production by Todd “The Twister” Hulslander with a...
Classical Classroom, Episode 81: MusicWorks, TheHighSchoolForThePerforming AndVisualArts!
March 30, 2015 21:57 - 31 minutes - 29.9 MBMarch is Music in Our Schools month! In this second edition of our MusicWorks series, we take a field trip to an public high school that’s a kind of music education utopia – Houston’s High School for the Performing and Visual Arts (HSPVA) (or, Fame High School, as I like to imagine it). We chat with Brad Smith – HSPVA’s orchestra conductor – and with two student musicians about classical music’s role at their school and in their lives. Music in this episode all played by the HSPVA Orchestr...
Classical Classroom, Episode 42: RERUN - Amy Bishop On Awesome Female Composers
March 23, 2015 19:04 - 34 minutes - 32.5 MBProducer Todd thought he needed to take a “vacation” with his “family” last week, so we are giving you this month-appropriate rerun before returning next week with a slew, a treasure trove, a veritable cornucopia of new episodes. Meanwhile, sit back, relax, and learn about these great women of classical music. – Dacia —————————————– It’s Women’s History Month up in the Classroom! Houston Public Media’s own Amy Bishop (see also, Episode 9: Tone Poems) teaches us all about female classical m...
Classical Classroom, Episode 80: When Abigail Fischer “Roars”
March 16, 2015 17:58 - 28 minutes - 27 MBWhat’s it like to be more or less the only character in a live, full-length opera, playing the role of a real-life intense person who lived life intensely, while accompanied by an electric guitar? Mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer dishes about playing Isabelle Eberhardt, the inspiration for Missy Mazzoli’s opera Song from the Uproar: The Lives and Deaths of Isabelle Eberhardt, with the NOW Ensemble. Mezzo-soprano Abigail Fischer. Photo courtesy of Ms. Fischer’s website. Audio production by T...
Classical Classroom, Episode 79: The Women Of Classical Guitar With Valerie Hartzell
March 09, 2015 22:20 - 32 minutes - 30.8 MBWhy did the number of female guitarists diminish over time? Was it a comet?? Find out here! It’s Women’s History Month, and all month, we’re bringing you amazing women in classical music! In this episode, guitarist Valerie Hartzell, creator/director of the Classical Minds Festival and Competition, talks about the ladies of classical guitar. Who are they? Why did their numbers diminish over time? And what can we do about it?? Audio production by Todd “Not Tony Danza” Hulslander with editi...
Classical Classroom Research Presentation: 28 Classical Music Moments In Black History
March 06, 2015 23:00 - 11 minutes - 11 MBEach day during February, we posted a “Classical Music Moment in Black History” on our Facebook page to show the contributions of black artists to classical music throughout history. We’ve collected our twenty-eight February entries in this article. By the way, these entries were originally part of an episode of the Classical Classroom podcast (audio included below). Composer Chevalier de Saint-Georges. In the mid-to-late 1700’s, Chevalier de Saint-Georgeswas an Afro-French composer wh...
Classical Classroom, Episode 78: George Gershwin Is Alt Classical, With Simone Dinnerstein
March 02, 2015 20:44 - 20 minutes - 19.9 MB“Indie-Classical”, “Alt Classical”, “Nonclassical”… whatever you want to call it, George Gershwin may have been one of the first people to do it. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein explains Gershwin’s sound, its French influences, and what makes it uniquely classical. Pianist Simone Dinnerstein. Photo by Lisa-Marie Mazzucco. Courtesy of Ms. Dinnerstein’s website. Audio production by Todd “Teeny” Hulslander with editing by Mark DiClaudio, and one giant leap by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode:...
Classical Classroom, Episode 12: RERUN - The Continued Education of Tracy Jacobson – Debussy’s Piano Works
February 23, 2015 23:19 - 36 minutes - 34.3 MBThis episode is so old that Producer Todd didn’t even have funny middle names yet. But it’s so good that we wanted for you guys to hear it again. Because Debussy. And Tracy Jacobson. I mean, come on. Back next week with more new stuff! —————————– WindSync Wind Quintet bassoonist, Tracy Jacobson, takes Dacia along on her journey to continue her musical education as a professional musician. She steps outside of her comfort zone and into Debussy’s piano works. Come with us to Paris, talk in y...
Classical Classroom, Episode 77: Remembering Stephen Paulus, With Alex Freeman
February 16, 2015 23:14 - 41 minutes - 39.5 MBComposer Stephen Paulus passed away last October and left a void in many hearts along with an amazing legacy. Composer Alex Freeman teaches about Paulus the man, and the music he left for us. Music in this episode (both by Stephen Paulus): – Pilgrims’ Hymn – Concerto for Violin and Orchestra Composer Alex Freeman. Photo by Aino Launis. Courtesy of the composer’s website. Audio production by Todd “Tastee Freez” Hulslander with punches and kicks from Dacia Clay. For more about Stephe...
Classical Classroom, Episode 76: MusicWorks – How Sonya Got Her Opera On
February 09, 2015 23:09 - 27 minutes - 26.3 MBWe’re excited to share our new subseries, MusicWorks! It’s a show where you’ll learn about what classical music is doing in the world right now. You’ll hear inspiring artist stories, plus we’ll go into the sometimes unexpected places we’ve discovered classical music thriving while we’ve been learning about it on the Classical Classroom. We hope you dig it! In our first MusicWorks episode, soprano Sonya Yoncheva tells the story of how she happened upon her passion – singing opera – by being...
Classical Classroom, Episode 75: The Democracy Of Chamber Music With Cantus
February 02, 2015 22:00 - 30 minutes - 29 MBOne of the distinguishing characteristics of chamber music is its inherent “democracy” – each part is of equal importance. Aaron Humble and Paul Rudoi of the Cantus Vocal Ensembleexplain how it works when everyone involved in making the music is a special snowflake. Audio production by Todd “Sir Toddsalot” Hulslander with unflagging devotion to somethingerother by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode, all by Cantus: From A Harvest Home – “My Journey Yours” “How Can I Keep from Singing...
Classical Classroom, Episode 21: RERUN - Joel Luks On The Fierce And Foxy Flute
January 26, 2015 23:39 - 38 minutes - 36.3 MBOkay. So our HAL 9001 hasn’t come in yet, and you’re getting another rerun episode. But dang – it’s a good one! And! We have so much new stuff we can’t wait to share with you once HAL arrives. Stick with us! <3, Your friendly Classical Classroomproduction team ————————————————– All about the flute!! Joel Luks, CultureMap Houston editorial staffer and columnist, and classically trained flutist, teaches all about the history and surprising range of the dainty, lovely, badass, whale-sou...