There 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.
Classical Classroom is finally coming back. Dacia Clay will be asking even more, even dumber questions about classical music to really smart people like Joshua Bell, Sharon Isbin, Hillary Hahn, Miro Quartet, Jono Hill, Anne Akiko Meyers, and many, many more.
We just heard that Classroom guest Peter Boyer is up to some big stuff (go Peter, it's your birthday…): First, the National Symphony Orchestra – that's the orchestra in residence at the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington D.C. – will be playing Peter's work Rolling River (Sketches on "Shenandoah") on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol on September 3, 2017; And also, on September 9th, in an "It's a Small Classical Music World After All" moment, Classroom alum Brett Mitchell will b...
Greetings listeners! We're rerunning this episode of the podcast in honor of Karim Al-Zand's recent premiere of the new work, "The Prisoner," at the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California. The piece was inspired by the writings of a Guantanamo Bay prisoner. This episode is about something else: pattern preludes. Pattern preludes are enigmas inside of conundrums wrapped in a warm flour tortilla. No – wait. That's not right… Pattern preludes, according to composer Karim ...
How, exactly, does one know that he is a "light lyric tenor," or a "Spinto tenor," or a "dramatic tenor"? Is there like, a Tenor Task Team? Two members of the Texas Tenors – JC Fisher and John Hagen – teach the types of tenor to us. We also learn about "classical crossover" music and why it is a gateway drug, turning innocent classical music newbies into addicts by the thousands. By the way, if you like this episode, check out the Texas Tenors on Houston Public Media TV 8 Monday August 7, 2017 (...
This episode does double duty: teaches you all about the trumpet and trumpet playing, while carrying out the secondary mission of Classical Classroom , i.e., the humiliation of the show's host. Trumpet players George Chase and Jason Adams of the River Oaks Chamber Orchestra teach former trumpet player Dacia a trumpet lesson. Along the way, they say all kinds of important things about the history of the instrument. Plus, there are duck calls! Music in this episode: Brandenburg Concerto No. 2 in F...
The story of Mozart's death has, over the years, taken on an awful lot of…story. Extant theories regarding how he died number in the hundreds and are still emerging. Even yours truly did an episode of Classical Classroom to try to get to the bottom of the whole thing. In this episode, Dr. Robert Greenberg, a music historian and bestselling creator of courses for the Great Courses and the Teaching Company (and now, for Robert Greenberg Music ), explains the facts that we know that we know about h...
Classical music: the future frontier. These are the voyages of the podcast Classical Classroom. It's mission: to explore strange new music – Sorry. I'll stop. Where was I? Right! Composer, performer, and Mannes College of Music composition faculty member, Missy Mazzoli talks to us about the future of classical music, from the future, aka, New York. Also talked about in this episode: Beth Morrison , Schoenberg, David Little , pillow fights, Lars von Trier , eighth blackbird , Richard Reed Parry ,...
Pianist, Shepherd School of Music professor, and recording artist Jon Kimura Parker – or as we like to call him, Captain Jon Solo – talks about the hidden world of the guest soloist. From the singular experience of performing with an orchestra in one ear and a concert hall in the other, to rehearsal times that will give you stage fright just hearing about them, it's a behind-the-scenes tell-all exposé of concertic proportions. (That's a word. We swear.) Music in this episode was recorded live wi...
Violinist Rachel Barton Pine loves playing challenging music (and apparently, being on Classical Classroom, as this is her third time on the show). So it makes sense that she would want to play the musical equivalent of running a marathon for her latest album: Bel Canto Paganini: 24 Caprices. In this episode, Rachel talks about who Paganini was. As it turns out, he was much more than just a classical music proto-goth with what some thought was a supernatural ability to play the violin. Music in ...
This show is from the Wayback Machine, and Emily has done a lot since this. She currently does a podcast called Level with Emily Reese for one, and she runs a company called Joon Media . (I'll post what she was doing at the time of our interview below.) What I remember most about this interview is 1) having my mind blown about Beethoven's Fifth Symphony, and 2) Emily's laugh, which I think you'll agree is pretty great. ———————————————————————————————- Beethoven's Fifth. We've never done a show o...
Violist, composer, and educator Jessica Meyer has a unique story in the classical music world; it starts with a viola, and ends with a viola, but goes a lot of unpredictable places in between. Hear the story of her creative journey from focused specialist to Renaissance woman, and hear some of her incredible music along the way. Music in this episode (all written and performed by Jessica Meyer): "Source of Joy" "The dappled light just beyond her skin…" "But Not Until" (viola and cello duo feat. ...
Conductor Fabien Gabel came to Houston to conduct the Symphony in a program of pieces by Mendelssohn and Tchaikovsky. In this episode, he gives a primer on Mendelssohn, talks about what a "Fingal's Cave" is, and gives the world's first audible eye roll at the use of the term "Suicide Symphony" (re: Tchaikovsky's Pathetique ). Also discussed: the difference between love and obsession with regard to Mexican food. Music in this episode: Mendelssohn, The Hebrides, Op. 26 "Fingal's Cave," Slovak Phil...
Ravel's Boléro . Next to most of the soundtrack to Koyaanisqatsi , it's possibly the most repetitive piece of music ever written, amiright (respect, Philip Glass)? As it turns out, I am wrong, so wrong. In fact, Boléro is a piece built entirely around change. Howard Pollack , professor at Moores School of Music, author, lecturer, and guest on BBC specials and NPR shows like Morning Edition and Fresh Air , is our tour guide through this amazing piece of music by a very subtle and sneaky composer....
Violinist/fiddle player Gaelynn Lea came to Houston fresh off of performing at South by Southwest and spent some time with the Classical Classroom (and Skyline Sessions – check out her video performances! ). She talks about how music has gradually become her life. From first finding an instrument that was right for her body as a kid (she has a rare condition called Brittle Bones Disease that means she's got different physical challenges than others), to meeting and collaborating with Alan Sparha...
Note: This episode was originally posted on April 13, 2015. This week [see above], 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. ...
Simone Dinnerstein just came out with a new album called Mozart in Havana. While we weren't able to sync up our interview schedules this time around, we had to at least give her a shout out with this rerun because she is awesome. She may be coming to a city near you ! ———————————————————- Pianist Simone Dinnerstein talks all about her educational initiative, Bachpacking, and her community initiative, Neighborhood Classics, Bach Inventions, and how Led Zeppelin is more like Bach than Jay Z . Musi...
Concert pianist and entrepreneur Richard Dowling illuminates some of Chopin's pieces by "ragging" them on the piano. It's a lesson in classical music and ragtime all rolled up in one, topped with live performances, and served with a side of fries. Music in this episode includes live performances by Richard Dowling of: Frederic Chopin, Nocturne in E-flat Major, Op. 9 No. 2 Ethan Uslan, Chopin's Knocked Urn Frederic Chopin, "Revolutionary" Etude in C Minor, Op. 10 No. 12 Joseph Lamb, Ragtime Night...
Percussion is almost anything that we say 'yes' to playing." – Sean Connors Wait. A percussion-only ensemble? Is that, like, a fancy drum circle? Sean Connors of the Grammy-winning percussion quartet Third Coast Percussion explains that this is not too far off. But the operative word is "fancy." As Connors describes it, percussion ensembles are the mad scientists of the music world. Any object in the world is a potential instrument. And when they've run out of objects, they invent more. (Fun fac...
Craig Johnson wrote a beautiful piece of music that commemorates a tragic event: the brutal beating of a young gay man. The piece asks listeners to consider Matt Shepard , the person who lived through the event, and to consider the life Shepard lived prior to the beating. In this episode, part 2 of our 2-part series on activism in classical music, Johnson talks about his Grammy-nominated choral work, " Considering Matthew Shepard ." He also talks about the strong and effective tool that classica...
It's the first of April and we are welcoming a special guest (believe us: you will know him when you hear him). He introduces us to a fascinating mix of early music and Renaissance era instruments and performs examples of how each sounds. Music in this episode: Songs From The Labyrinth, by Sting Walsingham – John Dowling, composer /perf – Edin Karamazov and Sting Come Again – John Dowling, composer/ perf – Edin Karamazov and Sting The Art of the Bawdy Song , Baltimore Consort featuring Merry Com...
"When somebody shows you who they are, believe them." That's one of cellist Amanda Gookin's favorite quotes. And through the Forward Music Project , she's decided to show people who she is, and who women and girls are. Learn Amanda's story (which includes many digressions from, and returns to, the classical music world), and learn why she decided to aim all of her disparate passions at one target. Hear the innovate pieces that she's commissioned in what she calls a "giving project," which seeks ...
Happy birthday, Rachmaninov! Because Rachmaninov's birthday and our Spring Break lined up so nicely, it's obviously the perfect opportunity to repeat this episode. Back next week with more of the usual (i.e., heavy metal car racing stories with lots of explosions). Cellist Alisa Weilerstein's gives an introduction to the music of Sergey Rachmaninov. Who was this romantic man, and what makes him different from all the other guys – I mean, composers? Weilerstein walks us through Rachmaninov's Sona...
For starters, this episode was recorded on Groundhog's Day. Which is pretty perfect considering that this is the second time we've had the Cypress String Quartet on the show to talk about a "final" recording. Cypress cellist Jennifer Kloetzel swears that this really is the quartet's final final recording and assures us that this is not just a clever publicity gimmick. (Although for the record, if it was, we would gladly play along.) Kloetzel tells us why, for their final final recording, the gro...
It all started because Tom Steenland really dug the music of composer Tod Dockstader . He wanted the rest of the world to hear it, too. And so began the (thus far) 25-year DIY project born out of Steenland's passion for innovative sound that is Starkland Records , a label that specializes in experimental music, alternative classical, and the avant-garde. Since the label started in 1991 (AKA, the Year Punk Broke ), Steenland has almost single-handedly propelled Starkland's motor, doing the bulk o...
Collaborative pianist Madeline Slettedahl came to the Classical Classroom to describe the nuances of her trade. What's it like to play one instrument that's sometimes a stand-in for a whole orchestra? How is playing piano with a vocalist different than playing with an instrumentalist? Doesn't she like the glory of playing solo piano better? And why can't we call her an "accompanist" anymore? Madeline graciously answers all of our ridiculous questions and more. Also included: lots of fun and lots...
All of us have heard spirituals before – those sometimes jubilant, sometimes sorrowful songs created by African American slaves. But have you really heard them? As it turns out, these deceptively simple songs sometimes carried hidden messages, signals, and directions. Dr. Jason Oby, artistic director of the Houston Ebony Opera Guild, teaches all about this ingenious and soulful musical invention that was born out of oppression and necessity. He also talks about the spiritual's connection to clas...
Spoon boy: Do not try and bend the spoon. That's impossible. Instead, only try to realize the truth. Neo: What truth? Spoon boy: There is no spoon. Neo: There is no spoon? Spoon boy: Then you'll see that it is not the spoon that bends; it is only yourself. – from The Matrix Dr. George E. Lewis is the Neo of the classical music Matrix . He doesn't have a great deal of use for preconceived notions of genre and form and he doesn't have a lot of time to worry about definitions. That's because he's p...
Liszt's Transcendental Études are such popular pieces that pianists Kirill Gerstein and Daniil Trifonov put out recordings of them within a month of each other during 2016. Which made Classical Classroom ask, "What's with the étude, dude?" In this episode, Gerstein teaches what an étude is, and why Liszt's are "transcendental," using lots of skiing metaphors. Also included: a piano smackdown. All music in this episode from Kirill Gerstein's recording, Liszt: Transcendental Études, S. 139 . Audio...
It's entirely possible that cellist Matt Haimovitz has forgotten that composers other than Bach exist. On his last visit to Classical Classroom , he talked about Anna Magdalena's (Bach's second wife's) transcriptions of Bach's Cello Suites. On the visit before that , Matt and Christopher O'Riley talked… oh wait – that was about Beethoven. But still! The guy's obsessed! And we're glad he is. In this episode, Haimovitz talks about his CD Overtures to Bach , on which he commissioned 6 contemporary ...
Late last year, composer and Shepherd School of Music professor Shih-Hui Chen helped bring something called "nanguan" music to Houston. Specifically, she and Asia Society Texas brought the Lâm-hun-koh/Gang-a-Tsui Nanguan Music and Theater Troupe to perform this special kind of traditional Chinese music. We somehow squeezed all of the members of the troupe into our studio, including musician and ethnomusicologist Katie Chen, for this episode. Katie and Shih-Hui talk about nanguan music and some o...
