Conductors' Brew artwork

Conductors' Brew

61 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 2 years ago -

Orchestra conductors Larry Spell and Matt Mainella discus with their guests the joys and challenges of working in classical music.

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Episodes

Fun With Flags!

June 20, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 58.4 MB

To celebrate Flag Day, we take an extended nerd moment on flags, of course. Plus, we discuss patriotic concerts and wind band music.

The Crew on Film

May 29, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 61.6 MB

The crew is back to talk film scores and our favorite movie music composers.

Guten Tag! It’s the Brahms Show

April 06, 2022 20:00 - 1 hour - 42.9 MB

The crew is back together to talk Brahms on the 125 anniversary of his death. Gab a bowl of Raisin Brahms and join us. 

The CODA Conference Returns!

March 13, 2022 00:00 - 1 hour - 80.4 MB

The College Orchestra Directors Association conference returned last month for the first time since the start of Covid. In this episode we discus the conference and how the organization stayed relevant during the pandemic with out-going CODA President Kimcherie Lloyd. Also, Larry interviews the students of the Washington and Lee University’s Instrumental Conducting Mentorship Program, an innovative initiative for undergraduate conductors directed by Dr. Chris Dobbins. 

Into the Time Machine!

December 17, 2021 15:00 - 1 hour - 45.8 MB

This episode we crank up the Conductors Brew time machine and whisk ourselves to the past to visit some of our favorite composers. Along the way we also get sucked into the Internet wormhole of technical difficulties. The time machine needs work.

Fighting Burn Out

October 25, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 65.6 MB

This month we talk about keeping work, school, and the challenges of life as a musician in perspective. 

We’re Back!

September 19, 2021 20:00 - 57 minutes - 39.4 MB

We’re back for season 2 of the show! We discuss our new format and look ahead to another season with COVID-19. 

Boldly We Go!

June 26, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

We conclude our first season with a nerdy voyage through the music of Star Trek. Plus the crew discusses our favorite symphonies and looks back on our first year. 

Composers and Critics on Music

June 19, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

To deepen our understanding of music we go straight to the source and read the writings of prominent critics and composers. Plus Brandon brings the jokes.

Making Connections with Our Audiences, Part 2

June 12, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 59.8 MB

User Experience (UX) professional Jess Vice joins the crew to continue our discussion on the concert experience. 

Making Connections with Our Audiences

June 07, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 51.6 MB

This week we welcome crew members Kate Campbell, Brandon Horrocks, Audrey Lund, Em Lund, and Ashkan Tabatabaie to discuss how orchestras can better connect with audiences.

The Concerto Show

May 29, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 86.4 MB

Matt returns for a conversation about conducting concertos, one of the trickier tasks a conductor undertakes.

The Salt Lake Symphony Returns!

May 23, 2021 21:00 - 29 minutes - 41.2 MB

The Salt Lake Symphony, one of Utah’s finest community orchestras, returns this month for a series of concerts featuring for the first time since the pandemic the full brass section. Join us for a sample of the concert and an interview with music director Dr. Robert Baldwin and assistant conductor Brandon Horrocks.

More Mahler

May 15, 2021 20:00 - 58 minutes - 40.4 MB

We’re back with the second part of our Mahler journey. This week Matt takes us through Symphony No. 9 and gives his opinion on what it’s all about.

Mahler

May 09, 2021 00:00 - 51 minutes - 35.1 MB

Join the crew for the first of two episodes on one of music‘s greatest conductors and composers, Gustav Mahler. Plus, we engage in coffee siphon combat!

The Era of “Isms”

May 01, 2021 22:00 - 55 minutes - 37.9 MB

Join the crew as we meander through modern music.

The Art of a Luthier with Ben Ward

April 25, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 54.4 MB

This week Ben Ward takes us inside the instrument, and explains the process and history of making orchestral strings. 

Bucket List

April 17, 2021 17:00 - 1 hour - 53.3 MB

Every conductor has pieces they dream about doing, or can’t wait to do again. This week the crew discusses which pieces are on our bucket list and which pieces we just can’t conduct enough.

Get With The Program

April 03, 2021 23:00 - 1 hour - 44.4 MB

Our thoughts on performing program music are truly fantastique.

Pulling Out All the Stops on Saint-Saëns’s Organ Symphony

March 28, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 45.2 MB

Dr. Robert Baldwin joins us and crew mate Matthew Makeever to discus Saint-Saëns’s magnum opus, his Symphony No. 3 “Organ.” Plus, Dr. Baldwin gives us a review of his COVID school year.

John on Jazz

March 22, 2021 00:00 - 59 minutes - 40.8 MB

Jazz bandleader and trumpet player John Olshinski join us to talk about the role of leading a jazz ensemble.

Holst: The Country and the Cosmos

March 14, 2021 05:00 - 1 hour - 42.2 MB

Brandon Horrocks joins Matt and Larry this week for a discussion of two of Gustav Holst's most beloved works, St. Paul's Suite and The Planets.

Nationalism in Music

March 07, 2021 01:00 - 1 hour - 50.7 MB

This week the crew discusses what makes a piece of music nationalistic and factors conductors might consider when programming these works.

History Is Here To Help

February 27, 2021 22:00 - 1 hour - 48.6 MB

Music isn’t composed in a vacuum. This week the crew looks at different periods in history and how it changed music. 

Our Conducting Origins

February 21, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 51.9 MB

We tell the stories of how we got into conducting. This week we’re joined by Matt Makeever and Ashley Sprangers, vocalist and theatrical music director. 

“Live” from CODA, Day 2

February 14, 2021 01:00 - 28 minutes - 19.7 MB

CODA National Board Secretary and symposium tech maestro Chris Dobbins joins us to talk about how it all happened.

"Live" from CODA, Day 1

February 13, 2021 01:00 - 31 minutes - 21.8 MB

Matt and Larry go over Day 1 of the College Orchestra Director's Association 2021 Virtual Symposium.

Stravinsky

February 07, 2021 02:00 - 1 hour - 45.8 MB

Matthew Makeever joins us to talk Stravinsky. Oh the meter changes!

CODA and Why It’s Awesome with Kimcherie Lloyd

January 31, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 46.8 MB

For over 15 years, the College Orchestra Director’s Association has been the place for conductors in higher education to come together to share the joys and challenges of teaching. This week we’re joined by the president of CODA, Kimcherie Lloyd to discuss the mission of this vital institution. 

Bye 2020

January 23, 2021 18:00 - 1 hour - 43.1 MB

The crew takes a look back at 2020 and what had to be done to deal with the pandemic.

Music with a Message

January 19, 2021 00:00 - 1 hour - 45 MB

Emily Nelson returns to discuss the music of activism.

Music of America

January 09, 2021 21:00 - 1 hour - 48.9 MB

Join us for a walk through America’s rich musical heritage. The Eighteenth Century Singing School Masters, Charles Ives, William Grant Still, Aaron Copland, Henry Cowell, and more are our traveling companions.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 7, The Enigmatic Ninth

December 20, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 61.3 MB

For our last episode on celebrating Beethoven's 250th birthday the crew tackles his most massive symphony, The Ninth.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 7, The Enigmatic Ninth

December 20, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 61.3 MB

For our last episode on celebrating Beethoven's 250th birthday the crew tackles his most massive symphony, The Ninth.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 6, The Elegant Eighth

December 13, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 44.2 MB

Between the energetic Symphony 7 and the mighty Symphony 9 Beethoven composes his shorter and more traditional Symphony 8. Join the crew for a discussion of this often overlooked masterpiece.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 5, Dance Party

December 04, 2020 19:00 - 1 hour - 47.8 MB

We're back with Beethoven's no-stop dance inspired Symphony No. 7.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 4, Here Comes Fate

November 23, 2020 01:00 - 1 hour - 54.9 MB

Brandon joins us as we continue our journey through Beethoven's symphonies with a robust discussion of his epic Fifth.

In the Pit with Matt

November 13, 2020 19:00 - 1 hour - 45.1 MB

Matt takes us into the orchestra pit and behind the scenes of what it's like to conduct for a theatrical performance. 

Celebrating Beethoven Part 3, A Walk in the Woods

November 08, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 55.1 MB

The crew goes into nature with Beethoven's Symphony No. 6. We also discuss his Symphony No. 4 and why this piece should get played more.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 2, The Mighty Third!

October 30, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 116 MB

Continuing our celebration of Beethoven, we dive into his pivotal work the Symphony No. 3. Plus, we have a special musical bonus from the Wasatch Symphony!

Science!

October 26, 2020 00:00 - 57 minutes - 39.6 MB

Ashkan Tabatabaie returns to discuss James Tenney's piece "Critical Band" and the intersection of science and music.

So You Want to Go to Grad School

October 17, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 52.4 MB

This week the crew discusses all the stuff to consider when auditioning for a graduate conducting program.

Celebrating Beethoven Part 1, Slightly Spicy Haydn

October 11, 2020 02:00 - 1 hour - 51.6 MB

Makeever joins us to discuss Beethoven's Symphonies 1 and 2 in our first episode celebrating the 250th birthday of Ludwig van Beethoven. Also, Matt gets super nerdy with his coffee siphon.

An Orchestra For Our Community

October 03, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 48.7 MB

Working with a community orchestra can be an important part of a conductor's career. This week we're joined again by Matthew Makeever to dive into many of the aspects of being a music director of a volunteer ensemble.

Take Five, Rep-a-palooza is Back!

September 25, 2020 20:00 - 1 hour - 43.7 MB

Ashkan Tabatabaie, Brandon Horrocks, and Matthew Makeever return to the front yard for a nerdtastic discussion of famous fifth symphonies, from Beethoven to Prokofiev.

The Laban Way with Dr. Charles Gambetta

September 20, 2020 21:00 - 1 hour - 49.2 MB

Dr. Charles Gambetta joins us to lay out his Embodied Conducting method and the Laban Movement System it's based on.

A Walk Through the COVID Studies

September 13, 2020 22:00 - 1 hour - 52.9 MB

Matt gives us an overview of the COVID studies. 

Out and About with the Salt Lake Symphony

September 07, 2020 05:00 - 1 hour - 47.4 MB

This week we traveled to the Salt Lake Symphony's outdoor rehearsal and talked with director Dr. Robert Baldwin to discuss how his Covid plan is going.

Back to School!

August 29, 2020 23:00 - 1 hour - 55.5 MB

From the Zoom classroom to rehearsing under the big top, Matthew Makeever returns to walk us through the first week of school at the University of Utah. We also discuss what to consider when choosing a conducting workshop.

Yet More Rep-a-palooza

August 26, 2020 21:00 - 50 minutes - 34.7 MB

Not surprising we had more to say. So here's a bonus episode of Rep-a-palooza.