Adam Hurt is an acclaimed clawhammer banjo player and one of my favourite performers in any style and I was absolutely delighted that he agreed not only to speak to me at length about his life and teaching of traditional music, but also perform for this episode some of my favourite music. His albums of gourd banjo music “Earth Tones” and “Back to the Earth” are beloved by a wide range of listeners, I think partly because the sound colour of the instrument is much more mellow than other banjos. Y...
Feb 18, 2023•1 hr 45 min•Season 3Ep. 7
Ineke Vando orn is a wonderfully expressive prizewinning jazz vocalist, author, composer and educator. We talked about overcoming voice problems, the craft of writing lyrics, teaching vocal improvisation, her book “Singing from the Inside Out”, and many of her fascinating creative collaborations.During the recording of this episode Ineke performed 3 times, and also check out the timestamps below for the many topics we covered. The link for both the video and the transcript is here: https://www.l...
Feb 10, 2023•1 hr 36 min•Season 3Ep. 6
Ali Omar El-Farouk is an Egyptian and Canadian oud guitar player, composer and teacher. Ali plays his oud and three other instruments during this fascinating conversation in which we talked about learning from a place of joy, connecting across cultures through music, languages, architecture, Istanbul, Spain, Umm Kulthum, Nubian music, jazz, and lots more. The link for the video version and transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/ali-omar-el-farouk Support this series through my Ko-fi pa...
Feb 07, 2023•1 hr 59 min•Season 3Ep. 4
Multi-instrumentalist Colleen Allen is a versatile and expressive performer based in Toronto, Canada. In this conversation, we talked about her perspectives on evaluating priorities, rising to new challenges, collaboration, teaching improvisation, and the physical challenges of playing so many different instruments. Colleen’s candid warmth and love of music really shine through in this wide-ranging conversation. Please help me keep this podcast going : https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Video and Tra...
Feb 04, 2023•1 hr 28 min•Season 3Ep. 5
I was honoured to speak with the inspiring singer, composer, choir leader, pianist and cultural activist Polina Shepherd. In this episode you’ll hear Polina’s stories from growing up in Tartarstan, in the former Soviet Union, finding a bridge to her Jewish identity through Klezmer music, collaborating with her mentors, founding Yiddish and Russian choirs in the U.K., and many other creative projects. During the episode she sings songs from different traditions, including one of her compositions,...
Jan 20, 2023•1 hr 22 min•Season 3Ep. 3
This episode features the fantastic drummer Mike Essoudry, who is a busy performer and composer in Ottawa, Canada, playing with many projects in the funk, jazz, and improvised music scene. He’s in the funk group Gephilte with a previous guest of this series, Josh “Socalled” Dolgin, and in the Together Ensemble with his partner Megan Jerome. Today also marks the release of my bonus catch-up episode with Megan, in which she shares how she and Mike fell in love as well as her new album and great ad...
Jan 14, 2023•1 hr 40 min•Season 3Ep. 2
This is a special bonus Catch-Up episode with singer-songwriter Megan Jerome. Today is also the release of my conversation with her husband, the jazz drummer Mike Essoudry. In this short episode, you’ll hear how Megan fell in love with Mike, as well as about the creation of her new album “Love” with the Together Ensemble including two songs from the album, “Hot Pink Heart”, and “Isn’t Life Grand”. She also talked about some valuable mentorship that helped her secure funding for the album. Megan’...
Jan 14, 2023•20 min•Season 2Ep. 10
Renée Yoxon is a trans non-binary singer, songwriter, jazz musician, and trans voice teacher. In this episode, Renee shares some beautiful and inspiring performances from their albums, as well as stories from life as a disabled person and how their disability and chronic pain has guided the direction of their career. We talk about their musical development, and their experiences both bad and good as they navigated their musical education (after finishing a degree in physics!). Renée explains the...
Jan 07, 2023•1 hr 24 min•Season 3Ep. 1
Leslie DeShazor is a multi-style violist, violinist and composer based in Detroit. She teaches students both through the Sphinx Organization and the Detroit Symphony as well as privately. She was named one of thirty Professional Movers and Shakers in the Performing Arts by Musical America in 2019 and in 2022 she released her jazz and R&B album “Journey With Me” which features herself as soloist, bandleader, and composer. Towards the beginning of this episode you’ll hear her composition “Simp...
Nov 26, 2022•1 hr 43 min•Season 2Ep. 30
The internationally renowned guitarist Derek Gripper is famous for his groundbreaking technique for evoking the West African kora on the guitar. During this episode you’ll get to hear Derek play quite a bit and you will hear his wonderful insights on how we listen to and learn music, the influence of Montessori and Alexander Technique in his life, his reflections on important collaborations in his career and his perspectives on changes that have been imposed on creators and performers. Please he...
Nov 19, 2022•1 hr 22 min•Season 2Ep. 29
This is a short bonus episode in my "Inspiring Excerpts" series, with the wonderful jazz guitarist and composer Roddy Ellias. The full episode is here, both video and podcast: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/e12-s1-roddy-ellias-guitarist-and-composer You'll get to hear some great stories from Roddy's early career in touring rock bands, connections between martial arts and music, and how he teaches students to get into the feel of flow. Guitar enthusiasts, you’ll be happy to know that this s...
Nov 12, 2022•9 min•Season 1Ep. 12
Marc van Vugt is a wonderful award-winning composer and jazz guitarist from the Netherlands. In this episode you’ll be introduced to several beautiful guitars in his collection that are featured in his new solo album, “The Lonely Coyote” and you’ll also get to hear stories from his travels and his perspectives about different musical scenes, composing, and some of the biggest challenges now for musicians worldwide. Please buy me a coffee! (and get access to unique perks) https://ko-fi.com/leahro...
Nov 05, 2022•1 hr 25 min•Season 2Ep. 28
This is a re-release with improved audio. I was thrilled to have a fascinating chat with the inspiring and innovative multi-style violinist/vocalist, author, composer, producer and educator Julie Lyonn Lieberman. I first learned about her when I bought her book You Are Your Instrument , which was the first book written about how to overcome and prevent musicians’ overuse injuries. In this conversation we discuss her unique path through world music, some of the research she’s done for her book an...
Nov 01, 2022•57 min•Season 2Ep. 7
Gary Muzsynski is a versatile percussionist and entrepreneur and this conversation delves into his experiences playing samba in Brazil, his discovery and exploration of the handpan, and some of his work as an educator in both community music projects and as an innovator using music in the corporate world. We also talked about his beautiful album "Roots and Wings - Medicine Music", which won the Gold Medal Best of Show in the 2021 Global Music Awards and features 25 master musicians from 8 countr...
Oct 29, 2022•1 hr 34 min•Season 2Ep. 27
Linsey Pollak is an Australian musician who is known worldwide as a passionate and creative advocate for community music. His life has been full of unusual opportunities to explore different styles of music, and his inventiveness has spurred him to create countless instruments from found objects. In this episode you’ll get to hear him play 4 different instruments in different improvisatory styles, and I’m sure that everyone will be inspired by stories from his life, describing some of his incred...
Oct 22, 2022•1 hr 44 min•Season 2Ep. 28
James Ehnes is known internationally as one of the foremost violin soloists. He’s a GRAMMY winner who’s created over 60 acclaimed albums. In this short episode you’ll hear him talk about the joys and challenges of squeezing in chamber music with the Ehnes String Quartet, his youth in Brandon and his studies with both Frances Chaplin and Sally Thomas. The episode ends with some great advice for all musicians! The full episode is available here, both video and podcast, along with the transcript: h...
Oct 15, 2022•7 min•Season 1Ep. 11
I was honored to have this conversation with Marilyn Lerner, who is a unique pianist and composer who is a powerfully expressive musician across a range of styles. She’s a wonderful improvisor and has performed worldwide, as well as recorded extensively as both a soloist and as an ensemble player. She’s also a therapist and psychoanalyst, and our conversation moved through many fascinating and important topics including ideas around identity and creativity. The video version is available here, a...
Oct 08, 2022•1 hr 17 min•Season 2Ep. 25
This episode features the wonderful Bulgarian gadulka player Hristina Beleva, and this project would not have been possible without the generous translation and voice-overs from fellow musician Milena Krassi. Milena was with us during the interview and it’s mostly her voice that you’ll be hearing. Hristina is a virtuoso of the traditional bowed instrument of Bulgaria, the gadulka, which looks a bit like an upside-down violin, with usually 3 main strings and several resonating strings, up to 16. ...
Oct 01, 2022•35 min•Season 2Ep. 24
Peter Purich is an innovative violin maker known for his unique personalized chin rest design. He’s also a multi-instrumentalist who plays in many different styles, and a dedicated violin and viola pedagogue. Because this conversation was extra-long it has been divided into two episodes. Part 2 continues with a lot of specifics about playing and teaching the violin, and he describes some of his innovative instrument designs, his unique shoulder support, and some great wisdom. If you missed Part ...
Sep 24, 2022•1 hr 8 min•Season 2Ep. 23
Peter Purich is an innovative violin maker known for his unique personalized chinrest design. He’s also a multi-instrumentalist who plays in many different styles, and a dedicated violin and viola pedagogue. Because this conversation was extra-long it has been divided into two episodes. Part 1 delves into his development as an instrument maker and innovator, and as a creative musician. He shows and describes some of his innovations with chinrest design. The episode ends with some improvisation a...
Sep 17, 2022•1 hr 15 min•Season 2Ep. 23
In this Inspiring Excerpts short bonus episode, you will hear violinist Aaron Schwebel's reflections on the best environments for learning and growth, on how the pandemic has affected his priorities, and some of the unique benefits and challenges of a life of a professional musician. Aaron Currently holds the positions of Concertmaster with the National Ballet of Canada Orchestra and Associate Concertmaster with the Canadian Opera Company. He is a member of the LARK ensemble and the Rosebud Stri...
Sep 10, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 10
Raphael Weinroth-Browne is an internationally renowned Canadian cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He merges his classical cello training with a love of progressive metal and Middle Eastern music, and has formed several acclaimed ensembles including The Visit, Musk Ox, and Kamancello (this duo is with a previous guest of this podcast, kamanche player Shahriyar Jamshidi). Raphael has been touring with the Norwegian progressive band Leprous since 2017, and has appeared on over 150 studi...
Sep 10, 2022•48 min•Season 2Ep. 22
Raphael Weinroth-Browne is an internationally renowned Canadian cellist, multi-instrumentalist, and composer. He merges his classical cello training with a love of progressive metal and Middle Eastern music, and has formed several acclaimed ensembles including The Visit, Musk Ox, and Kamancello (this duo is with a previous guest of this podcast, kamanche player Shahriyar Jamshidi https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/shahriyar-jamshidi-kamancheh). Raphael has been touring with the Norwegian progr...
Sep 03, 2022•1 hr 26 min•Season 2Ep. 22
The incredibly charming American musician Janie Rothfield is a great traditional fiddler, banjo player, educator, composer, and so much fun to talk to! This episode features quite a bit of music on both fiddle and banjo. The conversation delved into the best ways to teach music, learn tunes, play with ease, accompany dancers and most importantly find connection with others through music! We talked about her childhood, learning violin in one of the first Suzuki classes in the United States with L...
Jul 23, 2022•1 hr 23 min•Season 2Ep. 21
Violinist Veronica Thomas talks about her diverse career, her musical training, her inspiring mother Belva Boroditsky Thomas, and the wonderful work the Centre Préville is doing, including their uniquely flexible and high-quality video-conferencing platform and the incredible arts outreach they've been doing with remote Indigenous communities and more. She is General Director of the Préville Fine Arts Centre which her mother started in 1974. https://centrepreville.org/ The video version of this ...
Jul 17, 2022•39 min•Season 1Ep. 6
Mark Ferguson is a jazz pianist, trombonist, composer, arranger, producer and music educator. In this episode you get to hear him perform 3 of his original compositions on piano. We talk about his mentors, perspectives on music education and the interesting twists and turns in his varied career. He’s performed with many of the world’s great artists including Ella Fitzgerald, Tony Bennett, Gil Evans, Aretha Franklin, Rob McConnell and the Boss Brass, Holly Cole and Manteca,. Mark Ferguson website...
Jul 16, 2022•1 hr 19 min•Season 2Ep. 20
In this episode I speak with a wonderful colleague, the Bass Trombonist Douglas Burden, who has recently retired from Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra after 50 years. He shares his perspectives on his career, including wisdom passed down from some of his mentors including Emory Remington and Arnold Jacobs, and the lessons he learned about staying healthy and keeping his playing at the highest level. Doug is also well-known as an educator and will continue to teach at the University of Ott...
Jul 09, 2022•1 hr 37 min•Season 2Ep. 19
Tracy Silverman is truly an inspiring musician in every respect and it was such an honour to meet him and be able to record this memorable episode! This interview is also available as a video, and the transcript will soon be published, everything linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/tracy-silverman-electric-violinist-and-author-of-the-strum-bowing-method We talked about his classical roots, studying with legendary teachers Lewis Kaplan and Ivan Galamian, his rejection of the classic...
Jul 02, 2022•2 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 18
I find my colleague Anna Petersen is such an inspiring person both as an incredible musician in her role as an oboe and English horn player and teacher, and as founder of Passionflower Yoga. In this conversation, we talk about life’s challenges as a performer and the dangers of perfectionism and the importance of self-compassion, and how her experience as a yoga practitioner and teacher have supported her both physically, psychologically and spiritually. Anna’s positivity really comes through in...
Jun 25, 2022•1 hr 6 min•Season 2Ep. 17
In this short bonus episode with the inspiring trumpet player and educator, Karen Donnelly, Principal Trumpet of the National Arts Centre Orchestra, she shares stories of her outreach during the pandemic lockdowns, her role as mentor and her role in the The Canadian Women's Brass Collective, and finally wonderful advice for all musicians about improving. The full episode is available in both video and podcast format, with the full transcript all linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/blog/kare...
Jun 18, 2022•6 min•Season 1Ep. 9
