Episode 84: Composer, pianist, arranger, producer – Stephen Edwards
Composer, arranger, producer, Stephen Edwards is on the show! With more than 175 soundtrack and composer credits to his name, Stephen is one of Hollywood's most productive composers. He's also written classical compositions, most notably his Requiem For My Mother,...
Episode 79: Conductor, composer, professor – John Alexander
Choral titan, John Alexander is my guest this week. This was a very personal chat for me- John was my champion all through college, giving me most of the tenor solos and giving me my first professional opportunities as a singer. He's the real deal, and I hope you...
Episode 75: Composer, conductor, arranger- Victor Vanacore
Victor Vanacore has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of pop music- Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole and many, many others. In 2004, Victor won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for, "Over...
Episode 73: Jasper Randall
Jasper Randall is my guest this week! Jasper is one of the very few titans of Hollywood vocal music in the world, having worked on COUNTLESS blockbuster soundtracks over the last two decades- little films like Frozen, X-Men, La-La Land, and the upcoming movies, It,...
Summer Break Flashback: Jeff Beal
Jeff Beal!! One of my favorite humans is making his re-appearance for my Summer Flashback extravaganza! Jeff is everywhere- I honestly don't know how he does it all, and he really does do it all (unlike some other film composers we know who shall go unnamed). Jeff and...
Summer Break Flashback: James Conlon
Maestro James Conlon, y'all! I bet you're curious how one becomes the Music Director of Los Angeles Opera and Principal Conductor of the Italian RAI National Symphony Orchestra- well, here's your chance! We cover it from nuts to bolts- stories, stories, stories- Maria...
Summer Break Flashback: Grant Gershon
Continuing my summer break, I’m reissuing another one of my favorites: Grant Gershon! The LAMC, LA Opera and the International stage are his homes. A master musician, Grant is not only one of the best in the biz, he's also unbelievably pleasant, inspirational and...
Episode 69: Miah Im
Pianist, conductor, coach, prompter and erstwhile violinist, Miah Im is my guest this week. She's one of those people who almost always has a smile on her face, despite the fact that she's a musical force to be reckoned with. That seem like a rare find in any field,...
Episode 60: Sharon Farber
Film and TV composer, Sharon Farber, is my guest this week. I've known Sharon for a number of years, and I'm always excited to bump into her around town. She's a brilliant composer of concert music (as well as the Hollywood stuff), and through her music, she is also...
Episode 57: Tali Tadmor
This week, I got to sit and chat with another one of my dear friends, the indomitable Tali Tadmor. An extraordinary pianist and collaborator, Tali makes the rounds around town with the best singers and organizations- and when I say around town, I mean from LA Opera to...
Episode 51: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 2
Here's part two of my chat with Eric Whitacre. This is how we talk a good part of the time, so I hope you enjoy this meandering conversation between friends. We cover a lot of ground, and I tend to talk less on this one, so that's a plus. Thanks for listening, and...
Episode 50: Eric Whitacre 2017 – Part 1
Part one of a two-parter with Eric Whitacre. Eric and I have been friends for the better part of two decades, and that's what you get with this chat. We ramble, laugh, joke, and get into some pretty serious issues- You know, all the stuff that friends talk about. It's...
Episode 49: Eric Whitacre 2016
Eric, Eric, Eric. I thought I'd keep on with the theme. Last week you heard some of my past guests answer Eric Whitacre's infamous question, asking, "What do you know now, that you didn't know at this time, last year?" This week, we're looping back to my (second)...
Episode 43: Matthew Aucoin
Born in 1990, Matthew Auc.... BORN IN 1990?? Yup. Welp, despite my crushing feeling of inadequacy and confusion about my life choices, I'm super-excited to have 26-year-old conductor, composer, pianist, and poet, Matthew Aucoin as my guest this week. He's made his...
Episode 39: JonathanTalberg
Choral director Jonathan Talberg is my guest, this week. We chat about everything from the state of music education, to the "Eric Whitacre effect" and a whole bunch of other stuff. Enjoy!
Episode 36: James Conlon
Maestro James Conlon, folks.
Episode 35: Anne Tomlinson
Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Children's Chorus, Anne Tomlinson is my guest this week. We've worked with the kids from LACC at the opera for years, and they always turn in wonderful work- the kids are amazing. Having a son and a daughter, I was personally...
Episode 26: Shawn Kirchner
Composer, pianist, vocalist and peace-lover, Shawn Kirchner is my guest this week. I had a great time getting to know Shawn over the course of our chat and as it goes sometimes, I feel like we left a lot of subjects untouched. Also, I made a couple flubs that I'll...
Episode 25: Edie Lehmann Boddicker
I'm thrilled to have as my 25th guest, Edie Lehmann Boddicker. Most of us around town know her as a vocal contractor, but there is definitely more than meets the eye. She's had an amazing career here in tinseltown- from concertizing as a classical pianist and learning...
Episode 23: Grant Gershon
Mo. Grant Gershon is my guest this week. He's an amazing pianist, conductor and colleague. He holds the titles of Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. Our conversation whizzed by and I was left with a...
Episode 17: Lesley Leighton
Lesley Leighton is the Associate Conductor for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Artistic Director of the Los Robles Master Chorale. She is also a certified chef and a former member of Michael Bloomberg's inner circle, during his mayorship of NYC. Lesley is...
Episode 13: Jeff Beal
Composer Jeff Beal is widely known for his work on such films as Blackfish, Appaloosa, and Pollock, and for his work in television- Monk, Carnivàle, Rome, and the current HBO hit, House Of Cards. Jeff is a generous, magnanimous fellow, and one hell of a great musician...
Episode 11: Christopher Allen
Conductor Christopher Allen became a friend of mine through this interview, I can safely say. We got on so well, we’re getting together outside of work, now. It’s one of the best things about this podcast for me- meeting people I connect with. Despite my outgoing...
Episode 10: Georgia Stitt
Pianist, composer, arranger, orchestrator and friend: Georgia Stitt. What can I say- she does it all. Oh, and she juggles a busy home life with Jason Robert Brown and their two beautiful daughters- I swear, my guests usually give me a deep, lingering inferiority...
Episode 6: Robert Istad
Robert (Rob) Istad is one of my favorite folks. We were housemates in college… I can still remember his audition at CSUF, and boy, has he come up the ranks. He is the current head of choral studies at Cal State Fullerton, Artistic Director of the Long Beach Camerata...
Episode 2: Eric Whitacre
Eric Whitacre is one of my oldest friends, so why not give it a shot with him early on? It was his idea, anyway. All the things you hear about him are true- he’s a sweet guy, for real. He’s super-smart, interesting, funny, candid and an extraordinarily considerate...
Episode 1: James Martin Schaefer
For my pilot episode, I picked James Martin Schaefer. I’ve known Marty for twenty years and we’ve been through a lot together. We both perform regularly at the Los Angeles Opera Company as soloists and choristers. This was my first-ever in preparation for this podcast...