Classical Schmassical
28 episodes - English - Latest episode: 10 months ago - ★★★★★ - 1 ratingClassical Schmassical: an Anti-Classical Classical Music Podcast is a new podcast about the world of classical music. Join me for weekly discussions with guests as we question what it means to be a classical musician in the 21st century, tackling everything from extended techniques to arts activism and much more.
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Episodes
Career Diversity, Physical Health, and DJ Violin: A Conversation with Asher Laub
September 11, 2023 02:00 - 45 minutes - 31.1 MBJoin me in conversation with Asher Laub about his career path as a multidisciplinary musician, shaped by changing goals, influences, and even his physical health. ____________________________________ Guest Bio Asher began classical violin training at the tender age of 2 and had already performed with the Buffalo philharmonic by age 13. Asher’s expertise in improvisation across multiple genres has led him to a career as a soloist in demand, performing at venues such as Madison Square Gard...
Iconic Composers and those who write about them: a Conversation with Emi Ferguson
June 17, 2023 16:00 - 46 minutes - 32.1 MBJoin me in conversation with Emi Ferguson about her work as a flutist, composer, and most recently, author, with the release of her new book Iconic Composers. ____________________________________ Guest Bio Emi is very proud to be named a 2023 Avery Fisher Career Grant awardee, and can be heard live in concerts and festivals around the world as a soloist and with groups including AMOC*, the New York New Music Ensemble, the Handel and Haydn Society, and the Manhattan Chamber Players. She ha...
Note to Self: Music Education and Building Community with Adrian Gordon
March 05, 2023 04:00 - 43 minutes - 30.2 MBJoin Murph and Alexa as they talk with composer, educator, and publisher Adrian Gordon about his career and new book, Note to Self: A Music Director’s Guide for Transitioning to a New School and Building a Thriving Music Program ___________________________________ Adrian Gordon is an internationally performed composer and seasoned music educator. After 17 years of teaching music in the classroom in South Florida and going through four music director job transitions in two different schools,...
Artistry with Joshua Roman
January 11, 2023 22:00 - 58 minutes - 39.9 MBJoin me (new host Murphy Severtson!) as I talk with Joshua Roman on what it means to be a soloist, artistry, collaboration, and chronic health. _________________________________ Joshua Roman is a cellist, composer and curator whose performances embrace musical styles from Bach to Radiohead. Before setting off on his unique path as a soloist, Roman was the Seattle Symphony’s principal cellist - a job he began at just 22 years of age. He has since become renowned for his genre-bending repert...
A Musical Mosaic: Individuality within a Composers Collective
December 15, 2022 05:00 - 58 minutes - 40.3 MBJoin me as I talk with the members of the newly formed Mosaic Composers Collective, of which I am a member! Collective Mission Statement: Mosaic Composers Collective, featuring Kevin Arthur Jr., Aidan Arbona, Naamia Rivera, Murphy Severtson, Alexa Letourneau, and Athos Maelstrom, is a gathering of composers in pursuit of an intimate – yet fearless – sound exploration of humanity’s many colorful spheres. Centered in curiosity, the Collective strives to create and curate that which challeng...
Percussion, Collaboration, and Crossing Genres
October 02, 2022 02:00 - 44 minutes - 30.6 MBJoin me as I talk with Robert Dillon of Third Coast Percussion about his work as a percussionist, composer, and ensemble member, including working with Philip Glass and their exciting upcoming season, both in Chicago and around the world. _________________________________ Robert Dillon is an Ensemble Member and Development Director of Third Coast Percussion. He has also performed as a substitute with the Chicago, Boston, and San Diego Symphony Orchestras, and served as principal percussio...
Arts Admin, Accessibility in Orchestra, and Community Engagement
April 30, 2022 16:00 - 31 minutes - 21.5 MBJoin me as I talk with arts administrator Christina Salerno about her artistic practice! Guest Bio: Appointed the Executive Director of Illinois Philharmonic Orchestra in January 2017, Ms. Salerno joined the symphonic world having spent seven years as Executive Director of Salt Creek Ballet (SCB). While at SCB, Ms. Salerno led a campaign to build all new sets and costumes for the company’s annual production of The Nutcracker and successfully brought live orchestral accompaniment back to the...
Composing, Concert Programs, and the Latin American Baroque
April 02, 2022 21:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBJoin me as I talk with composer Reinaldo Moya about his artistic practice! Guest Bio: Reinaldo Moya is a graduate of Venezuela’s El Sistema music education system. He is the recipient of the Charles Ives Fellowship from the American Academy of Arts and Letter, the McKnight Composers Fellowship, the Van Lier Fellowship, and the Aaron Copland Award. He was the winner of the Ellis-Beauregard Foundation Composer Award, leading to the commissioning of his Piano Concerto for Joyce Yang and the Ba...
Radical Acceptance
March 06, 2022 05:00 - 57 minutes - 39.5 MBJoin us as Joy Guidry and I talk about their new album, identity in music, and how to fix the problems with the music community as a whole. Guest Bio: Radical self-love, compassion, laughter, and the drive to amplify Black artmakers and noisemakers comprise the core of NYC-based bassoonist and composer Joy Guidry’s work. Their performances have been hailed by The San Diego Tribune as “lyrical and haunting…hair-raising and unsettling.” A versatile improviser and a composer of experimental,...
How To Opera
February 26, 2022 21:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBJoin me as I chat with Wang Lu and Kelly Rourke about what it means to write an opera, as well as their most recent project, "The Beekeper." Guest Biographies: Composer and pianist Wang Lu writes music that reflects a very natural identification with influences from traditional Chinese music, urban environmental sounds, linguistic intonation and contours, and freely improvised traditions, through the prism of contemporary instrumental techniques and new sonic possibilities. She is current...
Conduct Yourself Accordingly
December 12, 2021 03:00 - 30 minutes - 21.2 MBJoin me as I chat with Lidiya Yankovskaya about her work as the first female conductor of a multi-million dollar opera company! https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bio: Russian-American conductor Lidiya Yankovskaya is a fiercely committed advocate for Russian masterpieces, operatic rarities, and contemporary works on the leading edge of classical music. She has conducted more than 40 world premieres, including 16 operas, and her strength as a visionary collaborator has gui...
Violinequality
October 31, 2021 04:00 - 31 minutes - 21.9 MBJoin me for a discussion with violinist Caitlin Edwards as we discuss her career as a violinist, the relationship and intersection between Classical and Black music, and her recent grant from 3arts Entertainment. Guest Bio: Caitlin Edwards is a classically trained violinist, arranger, recording artist, and teacher based in Chicago. She has performed with the Sphinx Symphony Orchestra, Nairobi Philharmonic, Grant Park Festival Orchestra, and Chicago Sinfonietta. She’s played and recorded wit...
Navigating Your Music
October 30, 2021 22:00 - 44 minutes - 30.3 MBElijah Daniel Smith and I discuss compositional process, pedagogical development, and his upcoming piece for the Chicago Symphony's Homecoming concert. Guest Bio: Described by the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as a “rising star”, composer Elijah Daniel Smith is quickly establishing himself as one of today’s leading young composers. From orchestral compositions to multimedia and interdisciplinary collaborations, Elijah’s affinity for dense and complex textures, rhythmic ambiguity and fluidity,...
Celebrating 55 Years of the AACM
October 30, 2021 20:00 - 45 minutes - 31.2 MBJoin me in conversation with powerhouse musicians Renee Baker, Adegoke Steve Colson, and Vanessa Rose discussing the upcoming anniversary concert, put on by the AACM, ACF, and Great Black Music Ensemble. Guest Bios: A visual artist, filmmaker, composer, violinist and re-contextualist, Renée C. Baker is an multi-disciplined engineer. She utilizes movement, film projections of real and imaginary objects, vignettes and sounds to create an exquisite arena of surrealist activity. Steve Colson...
Play It Like You Mean It
October 24, 2021 14:00 - 39 minutes - 26.9 MBToday on Classical Schmassical, internationallly renowned pianist and commercial musician Emile Pandolfi talks about his career, making his start, and bringing emotion into your playing, as well as his newly released book, "Play it Like You Mean It." Guest Bio: With over 30 recordings in his discography, Emile Pandolfi ranks among America’s most popular piano artists. With the majority of his performance repertoire being lush, intricate arrangements of Broadway and standards that form the c...
Trombone in a Million
September 19, 2021 00:00 - 25 minutes - 17.6 MBJoin me for a short and sweet episode of Classical Schmassical, where I talk to Lena Smith about trombone, mental health, personal identity, and belonging in the music world. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical
The GLORY of Composing
September 05, 2021 01:00 - 54 minutes - 37.3 MBClassical Schmassical returns with an incredible discussion featuring Marcus Norris, new composer in residence with the Chicago Philharmonic. Guest Bio: Marcus Norris’ first foray into making music came in the form of producing rap beats on pirated software, installed on a Windows 98 computer that he Macgyvered together from spare parts while laying on the floor of his childhood bedroom. Though he came to composing concert music later, he transferred that same imagination and ingenuity to ...
The Guitarist Was Not the Imposter
June 13, 2021 01:00 - 57 minutes - 39.3 MBJoin me as I talk with multi-instrumentalist and musical theater performer Meghan Doyle about guitar in different contexts, gear setup in a big city context, and dealing with imposter syndrome. Guest Bio: Meghan Doyle is a New Jersey based multi-instrumentalist. She is primarily a guitarist but also plays drumset, bass, a little bit of keys, and the occasional bit of banjo, mandolin, lap steel, and trombone. She also has a wealth of experience in both live audio and recording, and a bit ...
Keeping Score
June 06, 2021 02:00 - 53 minutes - 37 MBOn today's episode of Classical Schmassical, I'm joined by score-maker James Creed as we talk about a composer's role in music through notation, performance, score, and compositional voice. Resources mentioned: Piano Studies 1-6 Bandcamp: https://jamesmcreed.bandcamp.com/album/piano-studies-1-6 James' Scores: https://jamescreedmusic.wixsite.com/website/scores Talk with Lola de la Mata and Joanna Ward on open/text notation: https://www.mixcloud.com/Feminist_Library/lola-de-la-mata-and-jo...
Classical Schmassical: Now With Double the Flutist-Composers!
May 30, 2021 03:00 - 46 minutes - 32.3 MBJoin me as I talk with astrid [Seamus] hubbard flynn about being a composer-flutist and incorporating equity into artistic practice as white musicians. Resources mentioned: Alex Temple's article Composers Performers and Consent: https://nmbx.newmusicusa.org/composers-performers-and-consent/ Resmaa Menakem's book My Grandmother’s Hands: https://www.indiebound.org/book/9781942094470 Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discor...
Electronic Music? It's Electrifying!
May 16, 2021 06:00 - 59 minutes - 40.6 MBJoin me for a discussion on electronic music, education within the classical canon, and allyship in musical practice with Jonathan Baldwin. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bio: Jonathan Baldwin is an electronics and woodwind musician based out of Dayton, Ohio. Holding a BM in Music Education from Wrig...
Duck, Duck... Guitar?
April 24, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 46.2 MBGuitarist and composer Duck Armstrong joins me today to discuss guitar, genre, accessibility, and the way that art is all a social construct, and what that means for us as artists. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bio: Duck Armstrong (they/them) is a multimedia artist currently in Dallas, Texas. They f...
Frustrations of Voice and Voicing Your Frustrations
April 17, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 45 MBSoprano Jessica Lewis joins for a talk about effective use of the voice and the opera industry at large on today's episode of Classical Schmassical. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bio: Jessica Lewis is a young American soprano astounding audiences with her shimmering and agile coloratura. She is curr...
So Many Interests, So Little Time
April 10, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 46.9 MBOn today's episode of Classical Schmassical, Mark Mathison talks about being a multi-instrumentalist with degrees in bassoon performance and physics, and how such diverse interests can find balance in his life. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bio: Mark Mathison is a multi-instrumentalist composer from...
It's Trumpet Time
March 28, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 56.6 MBIn this episode, Connor Johnson talks about trumpet, composing, and accessing new genres of music! Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest bio: Hi, I’m Connor Johnson and I’m a trumpet player and composer from Michigan. I’m currently finishing up my undergrad at Michigan State University, where I’ve really g...
Theoretical Musings
March 20, 2021 18:00 - 56 minutes - 38.8 MBSam Moffett discusses theory, pedagogy, and the ways education shapes young musicians in today's episode of Classical Schmassical! Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical
zFestival zFriends
March 16, 2021 19:00 - 52 minutes - 36.2 MBIn this episode, Shoshana Klein, one of the two directors of zFestival arts organization, chats about building community, running a festival with only two months notice, and perfectionism in the music education system. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest bio: Shoshana Klein is an oboist and arts administr...
Double Bass, Double Trouble
March 06, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 51.8 MBFrom double bass extended techniques to how new music can fit in to the orchestral audition circuit, Dean Mason and Ian Fales share their thoughts on the music of the past and present. Subscribe to Classical Schmassical: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCKHLhYNkfCuZs6lu-7a3-wQ Join the Discord: https://discord.gg/Qc7mnVbB Follow Classical Schmassical: https://www.facebook.com/ClassicalSchmassical Guest Bios: Dean Mason is a composer and bassist from South Jersey. As a composer, he has cr...