Interview with the acclaimed orchestra conductor Jessica Cottis. The podcast and video formats are linked here with the show notes.

In this wide-ranging interview you’ll gain insights into the special world of orchestral conductors and also some of Jessica’s interests in the natural world and the arts. She spoke to me about her musical path, from how she made her first trumpet, to life on a sheep farm, to her transition from a career as a concert organist, to lessons learned from conducting mentors including Colin Davis and Colin Metters. Jessica is such an articulate champion of the value of music and the arts, and I’ve also been privileged to have worked with her in my role as a violinist in Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. I have a special interest in synesthesia, so I was interested in hearing her experience of sound through colour, and if you look at the description of this episode, you’ll find detailed timestamps for the many topics covered, inluding some beautiful music from Julie Cooper’s new album Oculus with Jessica Cottis conducting. Jessica also shared her difficult recovery from a concussion and how her senses were further mixed for a period of time.

The transcript of my interview with Martha Mooke. The podcast and video format are linked here with the show notes. Martha Mooke is a pioneer in the field of the electric five string viola and transcends boundaries as a performer and composer. This episode features insights, stories and music, including from the beautiful album by Carla Patullo So She Howls which just won the GRAMMY® Award for “Best New Age, Ambient, or Chant Album.” as well as from several of Martha’s solo and collaborative albums. You’ll hear about the unique multi-style string program she’s helped launch at New Jersey City University, and about many of her mentors and collaborators from David Bowie to Tenzin Choegyal to Laurie Anderson to Jean-Luc Ponty. Martha is passionate about the breadth and diversity needed in music education for the 21st century, and it was a joy and an inspiration for me to be able to hear about the arc of her multi-faceted career so far.

The transcript of my 2024 interview with Pat Irwin. The podcast, video, show notes, and gallery of images are linked here, along with his website and my previous conversation with the renowned film and televison composer and multi-instrumentalist Pat Irwin, and we are featuring lots of Pat’s music for you today in different styles from many of his projects.

In my previous episode with him from 2023, Season 3 of this podcast, we talked about his days with the B52s and composing the score for Dexter: New Blood, and we also talked about his band SUSS and his work mentoring graduate students, and so much more and I encourage you to click on the link to that earlier episode if you missed it.

This interview jumps around Pat’s varied and fascinating creative life. You’ll hear more stories and music from some of his acclaimed cartoon music from Rocko’s Modern Life and songs from Pepper Ann. We talk about, and you’ll hear music from some of his projects, including rocking out with the PI Power Trio with Sasha Dobson and Daria Grace, and new albums coming out with Cynthia Sley, with SUSS and with Julia Heyward. I’m blown away by Pat’s detailed memory and this episode is rich with interesting stories, and also his down-to-earth advice.

This is the transcript of my interview with the Dutch guitarist and composer Marc van Vugt. The podcast and video with shownotes are linked, which also takes you to my first interview with him in 2022.

This is the transcript of my interview with the Euclid Quartet. The Podcast and Video versions are linked here, along with the shownotes. This world-class string quartet is celebrating their 25th anniversary with a fantastic album of short pieces, entitled Breve, and we are featuring several pieces from that album as part of this episode. In this conversation you’ll get to know each member of the quartet, which is in residence at Indiana University South Bend. I was curious to learn more about the many roles the quartet plays in their capacities as performers, educators and collaborators, and to hear them speak about the special joys and challenges of being members of a full-time quartet.

This is the complete transcript of my interview with Jennifer Roig-Francoli; the podcast and video versions as well as the show notes are all linked here as well.

The transcript to my interview with the jazz piano duo of Peter Hum and Steve Boudreau. The podcast, video and show notes are linked here as well.

Adam Blau is a composer and songwriter based in Los Angeles who has written the music for Netflix’s hit series Dead to Me (which I love), the Academy Award nominated short My Year of Dicks, and many other projects including You’re the Worst and Brockmire. In this wide-ranging conversation punctuated by music used with permission, we talked about many things including Adam’s many musical influences growing up in New York City, his work for the Fred Rogers Institute and his reflections as a parent. He has wonderful advice for composers interested into breaking into the film industry and shared some of his creative process with us. Adam is a warm and engaging musician with a real love for music across many genres; he shares how he pivoted from working as a performer to composing full-time, and we explored many of his diverse projects. Like all my episodes, this is available as a podcast on your favourite podcast player, a video on YouTube, and this transcript.