Classical Classroom

In our second annual Classical Classroom Summer Music Festival Series, we hit the (sound)waves at the Music Academy of the West in sunny Santa Barbara, California! The third installment of our MAW series features composer, conductor, and pianist, Matthew Aucoin. Aucoin is a resident at that Music Academy of the West, and a sort of serial residentialist elsewhere (like the Peabody Essex Museum and soon, the Los Angeles Opera). He talks about what a “residency” is, and how it informs a composer’s creative process; plus, he gives us a sample of what he’s been busy creating while at the Music Academy. Music in this episode: Selections from Matthew Aucoin’s Second Nature, performed at the Music Academy of the West Audio production by Todd “The Bartered Todd” Hulslander with pirouettes by Dacia Clay and assistance from Mark DiClaudio. Thanks to the Music Academy for their help with this series, and special thanks to Kate Oberjat (oh-bur-yacht) without whom this series simply would not. Special thanks to Todd Reyn

There's a reason that great works in classical music have stuck around for so long. Once upon a time, it was all music composed by  groundbreaking artists, churning out new sounds and ideas never heard before. But at some point, it's like someone somewhere decided that the canon was complete. Why? In this episode, National Orchestral Institute director Richard Scerbo and recent GRAMMY nominee/past winner David Alan Miller (Albany Symphony Music Director) talk about the groundbreaking composers of the past and present.   Music in this episode:     Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough. 

One 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 Ensemble explain 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?” “The Pasture” “Fiddle Tune” “Eventide” From On the Shoulders of Giants: “Zikr”

There's a good chance that you've heard of Yale School of Music grad student and rising classical pianist, Tiffany Poon. Her YouTube vlogs have over 11 million views. In them, she talks casually with fans as she travels to gigs and invites them into the practice room. Her openness about her musical life and process has tapped into something for which fans are hungry. In this episode, Tiffany talks about Rachmaninoff 3 and about the community she created by prepping publicly for a performance of the piece.   Music in this show:  

JoAnn Falletta is celebrating her 20th anniversary as Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra, so we've gotta give her a shout out with this old gold from the Classroom vault! By the way, did you know that a 2014 survey found that in a list of the 150 top conductors in the world, only five were women? New episode topic? --------- 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 amazing lady, JoAnn Falletta. Music in this episode from the Buffalo Philharmonic’s recording of Rimsky-Korsakov’s “Sheherazade,” conducted by JoAnn Falletta. Audio production by Todd “Twister” Hulslander with high kicks by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiC

It's been nearly six years since we started the Classical Classroom podcast in a small shed that also housed producer Todd's lawn mower. Since then, a lot has happened. We've learned so much from our amazing guests, traveled to music festivals, had parties and game show quizzes, talked to the dead, had trumpet lessons, and we moved into a storage unit behind KING FM in Seattle. Todd also got a new lawn mower.  In this episode, we'll revisit some of our favorite moments from the last 200 episodes and hear from some friends of the show along the way. Join us, won't you?  

When you think of opera, words like "grandiose," "extravagant," and "whoa" come to mind. Those words all describe Georges Bizet's Carmen. Singing, dancing, costumes, sets, orchestras, fight scenes, wigs, drama! How on Earth does something with so many moving parts even get to the stage? Much less, successfully and entertainingly?! We wanted to know. And as it happens, the Seattle Opera was staging Carmen right down the street. So, we went on a field trip to see the show and - because we're us - badgered the cast and crew about their parts in bringing this magnificent beast of an opera to life. Learn all about the story - the one the audience sees and the one behind the stage - in this special Classical Classroom/Seattle Opera Podcast crossover episode.  All music in this episode from Seattle Opera's performances of Carmen.     P.S., The Seattle Opera is performing Carmen from May 4 - 19, 2019! Learn yet more about it (and hear more podcasts about it).

We love celebrating our alumni here at Classical Classroom, and Jade Simmons is one of our faves. This episode is from way back in 2013 when Jade was merely a very successful woman. Now, she's the host of iTunes #1 music podcast, Decomposed. A podcast rock star. We couldn't be more stoked for her. And we're kind of riding on her coattails by posting this rerun. Just a little.  -------------- Artists as entrepreneurs, Lady Gaga, horror movies, and Schubert! In this episode, concert pianist, author, lecturer, Huffington Post contributor, and probable superhero, Jade Simmons chats with Dacia about how Schubert's "Unfinished" Symphony changed her life. Audio production by Todd “ToHu” Hulslander with knowing winks of encouragement from Dacia Clay. Music from this episode includes: Schubert, Symphony, No. 8 in B minor D.759, aka the “Unfinished Symphony”

We're rerunning this episode with Awadagin Pratt basically because we felt like it. But we don't think you're going to mind, as he is awesome. Let his dulcet tones wash over you as Pratt teaches you all about why Brahms is one of the Big Daddies of classical music, what it has to do with Edith Bunker, and how the beard made it all possible. All music in this episode from Awadagin Pratt and Zuill Bailey’s CD “Brahms Works For Cello And Piano”. Audio production by Todd “Are You There Todd? It’s Me, Dacia” Hulslander with Tiger Eyes by Dacia Clay and editing by Mark DiClaudio. Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

April is International Guitar Month! In honor of that, we're bringing back this episode with one of our fave guitarists, Valerie Hartzell, creator/director of the Classical Minds Festival and Competition. Valerie 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 editing by Mark DiClaudio and bossing by Dacia Clay. Music in this episode: "Valerie Loves Me," by Material Issue “Rosita” by Francisco Tarrega. Played live in studio (also available on Valerie’s Ex Tenebris Lux CD). Chaconne in G Major by George Frideric Handel. Played by Ida Presti and Alexandre Lagoya.   Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

"Classical music is relaxing." "I listen to classical music because it's soothing." "I turn on classical music when I want to concentrate." These are all things we're guessing very few people have said about the composer you're going to learn about in this episode. Elliott Carter's music is about something much more vast and complex than chillaxing: it's about the full range of human experience. If you've been alive for long enough to read this, you know that being a person is not always easy - that, in fact, ease can't exist without difficulty. It's a thing that we expect other art forms to reflect. And in this episode, Austin Wulliman and Christopher Otto of the JACK Quartet teach all about a composer who used this music to convey It All, too. PS, You can go see the JACK Quartet perform the music of Elliott Carter, or go check them out at the Ojai Festival this summer. Find out more here. Music in this episode: Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

In the beautiful San Jacinto Mountains, southeast of Los Angeles, is a place that is basically the ultimate experience in music and arts education: Idyllwild Arts Academy. It's a residential arts high school where young people are immersed in their chosen practice every day. Here, music students learn alongside peers studying visual arts, dance, and more, and collaborate with them. One hundred per cent of Idyllwild grads go off to college. What does the dream of music education look like? What could music education be like? And how does it impact young people? President and head of the school Pamela Jordan and faculty piano instructor Doug Ashcraft tell all in this episode.  Music in this episode:   Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

Neither Sarah Perkins nor Michael Barber ever intended to become music and arts educators. No, they both had their sights set on the Big Time - performance and Broadway. But life presented each with opportunities to teach music to young people, and before they knew it, they Sarah and Michael were hooked. Now they're both staffers at a unique school in Houston, Texas called the Village School. In this episode, learn about what makes teaching music and the arts so rewarding, and about a school so amazing that even the dazzling lights and dizzying heights of Broadway can't lure educators away. Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough. 

March is Music Education Month on the Classical Classroom, but it's also Bach's birthday month. So, it's obviously the perfect time to revisit this episode with Simone Dinnerstein in which we discuss a music education program she started about the music of Bach. (Bam. Venn diagram intersection = achieved!) Learn about the music of Bach, and perhaps, take some cues from Simone on bringing music ed to your own community. Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

People are pretty much never just one thing. Each person is made of the stuff in their individual history, including the music. That includes Grammy-winning opera singers. Mezzo-soprano Joyce DiDonato recently completed a project that brought the disparate parts of her own musical history together. And because she's Joyce DiDonato, this meant bringing top notch performers from across the musical spectrum into the studio to work together. In this episode, she talks about the fascinating process of bringing jazz and Baroque together, and the surprising connections between the two.    Music in this episode: Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

March is Music Education Month! This month, we'll look at a range of people and institutions throughout the music education world in search of the real scoop: Is music ed, along with the rest of arts education, being eaten alive by STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math), thereby creating robotic, soulless drone humans instead of people? Or is music ed experiencing a renaissance, reaching populations who've never had it before and providing an essential dimension to the educational experience with innovative programs? Listen and learn, peeps! In this episode, Michelle Hoffmann, Director of Education and Community Engagement at Washington Performing Arts in DC, gives her perspective on music ed and talks about the amazing things the WPA does.    Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.

Grammy-nominated composer Mason Bates is also a bona fide DJ. As DJ Masonic, he brings classical music and electronica together on the dance floor. As a composer, he brings the sounds of electronica to classical music in places like the Kennedy Center. So it's fitting that Bates' first opera is about tech guru Steve Jobs. But can it really work to tell a decidedly 21st century story using a 400-year-old medium? Turns out, yes. In this Seattle Opera Podcast crossover episode, Bates explains why Jobs' story and opera go together like iPhones and jelly. Wait... Music in this episode:   Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough. 

To get ready for Bach's March birthday, we bring you the fascinating story of a man on a mission to bring Bach to the people. Bach's music changed cellist Dale Henderson's life. Though the concert hall was a fab venue for sharing this music, Dale wasn't satisfied to stop there. Bach's music, he felt, was for everyone  - not just classical music fans. So he schlepped his cello down into a New York City subway, and started playing "pop-up" concerts (for free). And thus, Bach in the Subways was born. The ongoing project now spans more than 40 countries where hundreds of musicians participate in their own cities' public spaces. Check out a video of Dale playing Bach at Classical KING FM (home of the Classical Classroom)! Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.   

Aleksey Igudesman and Hyung-ki Joo make up the classical music comedy duo, Igudesman and Joo. And though they will crack you up with their performances (which you can watch on their YouTube channel along with millions of other viewers), when they talk about why they do what they do, the two musicians become surprisingly serious. They firmly believe that classical music was always meant to be fun. In this episode, they talk about the history of humor in classical music (even Beethoven was funny!), the forces that conspired to make it stuffy, and what they're doing to change that, including their upcoming performance, The Clone, with Yuja Wang.  Music in this episode: Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough. 

Violinist (and veteran Classical Classroom guest) Rachel Barton Pine talks all about her Music by Black Composers initiative, a project that's been in the works for 15 years, and the companion album she recently released called Blues Dialogues, Vol. 1. She discusses why projects like this are important, especially in the classical music world, advocacy vs. cultural appropriation, and talks about the great music on the album. Music in this episode: Special thanks to Todd Reynolds for his music, Taskforce: Farmlab from Outerbourough.