Episode 5: Michael Alexander Willens

Michael Willens, conductor and founder of period-instrument orchestra, Die Kölner Akademie, talks about his experiences as a musician of many different genres, and explains his reasons for performing 20th century music with historical instruments. He also shares some samples of various recordings he's made with Die Kölner Akademie.

Michael is the definition of a well-rounded musician, from an early focus on jazz and rock, to studying the classical bass at Juilliard, and eventually moving to Europe to found and conduct his own period-instrument orchestra. He discusses his past and how it has effected him as a historical musician and conductor today in the early music scene.