Episode 26: Shawn Kirchner

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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 fess up to right now- first, I think I said that ‘Memorare’ was premiered in 2015, when in fact, it was not. Also, I guessed Rumi where the quote was from S.T. Coleridge. So, there. Listen, I do great on those Facebook quizzes, so I’m not gonna sweat it. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy our talk!

Episode 16: Kaveh Cohen

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Founding partner of Ninja Tracks, Kaveh Cohen sits down with me to discuss composition, the business of music and the cognoscenti class. Having known Kaveh for quite some time, I was excited to hear some new insights about his process, background and his time behind the counter at Guitar Center- maybe he was saving it up for the podcast. Noticing I’ve started each of these sentences with a gerund is fun, too- hoping you enjoy this episode, am I.

Episode 13: Jeff Beal

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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 and composer. He records his work in the living room of his expansive, comfortable, tuscan-style villa in Agoura Hills, and mixes/masters/delivers it all from home. It’s a pretty sweet setup. Jeff is also scheduling more live performances, one of which I saw the terrific premier of late last year, entitled, “The Salvage Men”. Jeff’s upcoming engagements include “Blackfish Live” at the Hollywood Bowl (7/1/16) and a reprise of “The Salvage Men” later this year, in London, England, which is being conducted by our pal, Eric Whitacre. I hope you enjoy our chat, and thanks again for listening to Living With A Genius with yours, truly: Omar Crook.

Episode 10: Georgia Stitt

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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 complex, but whatever. Georgia is a delight, and I’m so flattered she decided to come over for some lemonade and a chat- Enjoy!

Episode 7: Charles Anthony Silvestri

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Polymath Charles Anthony Silvestri is a poet, historian, professor and painter. Oh, and he plays and dances traditional Irish music. And he has a PHD. I honestly don’t know what he’s doing hanging out with the likes of me, but I’m sure glad I have him fooled, somehow. Tony is a wonderful guy, too, and I was honored to chat with him. I greatly admire his fortitude, candor, and humor, and I hope you enjoy our conversation.

Episode 4: Hila Plitmann

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Hila Plitmann is a Grammy award-winning soprano, and one of my closest friends. Full disclosure: she’s married to Eric Whitacre, who is also one of my closest friends. She and I have a lot in common, but she’s just a lot more interesting. A great thinker, shrouded in modesty- she’s truly one-of-a-kind, as far as I’m concerned. I hope you enjoy our chat, because I’m sure there are many more to come.

Episode 2: Eric Whitacre

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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 friend. And handsome. Eric is really, really fucking handsome. I suspect he’ll be a returning guest, especially if it’s an excuse for us to hang out in the middle of the day again.