The Counterpoint Club

In this special roundtable discussion, Sarah, Brandon, Justin, and Willie, the members of Skyros Quartet, take on the roles of both hosts and guests. Get ready for an insightful conversation as they share their unique perspectives and experiences as both musicians and their own podcast guests. Support the show

Brandon and Justin have a fun, engaging interview with composer, producer, and violist Jonah Sirota.  Jonah’s varied career has taken him from violist of the renowned Chiara Quartet to composing for major film scores in LA.  Some of his recent film scoring credits include the 2021 Oscar-nominated short “If Anything Happens I Love You,” the 2021 Sundance film, Wild Hearts, and major cinematic relea...

Brandon and Sarah have a fascinating interview with the renowned violin soloist and composer, Curtis Stewart.  Curtis talks about his multifaceted career as composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The Juilliard School, and member of award-winning ensembles PUBLIQuartet.  He shares the ways in which he realizes a vision to find personal and powerful connections...

Sarah and Willie sit down with cellist and entrepreneur Jalayne Mitchell for a wide-ranging interview. Jalayne shares her musical journey, from a young child who became fascinated with the cello to a professional musician. Along the way, she started a business, Classical Wellness, that strives to create spaces for mental wellbeing and mindful practice for classical musicians (and creatives of all...

A new Opus of The Counterpoint Club begins with an exploration of the life and music of Maddalena Lombardini, an 18th-century violinist, operatic singer, composer, and businessperson and her integral role in contributing to the development of the string quartet. Support the show

In the final episode of Opus 4, the Skyros Quartet explores the ways in which we know we are done. For many musicians, creating a sense of completion in our practice and preparation is not always easy. In the history segment, Brandon and Willie discuss composers who both did and did not struggle with this. Next, Justin’s technique lesson examines healthy methods to recognize achievements by settin...

In I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Skyros Quartet talks about summer music festivals and the powerful impact they can have during a musician’s formative years. In the History segment, Justin covers the history and legacy of the Marlboro Festival, one of the most prestigious chamber music festivals in the world. Next, Sarah offers some practical tips and organizational tools to use when applyi...

In Rock ’n’ Roll Never Dies, the Skyros Quartet examines the relationship between classical music and rock ’n’ roll. In the history segment, Sarah rocks out to Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue and discusses the elements of rock that Beethoven wrote in 1826. Next, Brandon, (who plays violin in Skyros and a band called Keltoi, in addition to being an award-winning Irish fiddler and singer, and a fantastic c...

Each member of a chamber ensemble plays a unique and vital role. The Skyros Quartet explores competitive situations with musical colleagues and how to handle these situations with respect and grace. In the history segment, Willie looks at instances when well-known composers could have demonstrated more sportsmanship towards other composers. Next, all four members of Skyros offer reflections and ad...

In this fall-themed episode, the Skyros Quartet explores strange and occult music. In the history lesson, Sarah and Brandon discuss scary music and how composers used innovative techniques to portray these characters. Next, Willie introduces extended techniques, strange methods of playing an instrument to produce sounds that it is not normally intended to make, like creepy noises and otherworldly...

In this talk which combines the segments from episodes 2, 3 and 4, the Skyros Quartet takes part in a round table discussion with the Lafayette String Quartet discussing topics from chamber music from how to create a quartet sound to respecting and working well with your colleagues. The members of the Lafayette Quartet share their insights and experiences from a wonderful life-long career of perfo...

In this unabridged interview, Sarah Pizzichemi and Willie Braun speak with cellist Greg Beaver. Greg is an incredible musician and as a member of the Chiara Quartet, was a very influential mentor for the Skyros Quartet during graduate school. In this conversation, Greg reflects on how music shapes his life, his recent creative pursuits, and offers some fantastic book recommendations. Support the s...

In this unabridged interview, Justin Kurys and Willie Braun speak with violinist, violist, and conductor Mr. Dennis Bourret. Mr. Bourret directs a string youth orchestra program called Tucson Junior Strings that trains all students in all six levels to perform without a conductor. In this conversation, Mr. Bourret shares his insights into this pedagogical approach and the intersection of chamber m...

In the fifth episode of Opus 3 “Play It Like Chamber Music” the Skyros Quartet looks at how the chamber music and orchestra genres are intertwined. Brandon examines the historical links of the two traditions, starting with composers such as Lully. Next, Sarah explains how chamber music techniques are also effective orchestral techniques, including leading from every seat and purposeful listening t...

Finding the right balance between each individual voice in a chamber ensemble isn’t easy. In the history segment, Willie discusses the hierarchy of voices in an ensemble and how these roles changed and evolved across different eras. Justin explores a method to balance voices in rehearsal and performance, using the tasty analogy of a layer cake. Our guest interview features the third and final inst...

In the third episode of Opus 3, “Transfigured Night,” the Skyros Quartet dives into the ever-mutable subject of transitions. Sarah and Willie begin with a conversation about the complex emotional transformation depicted in Schoenberg’s famous “Transfigured Night” for string sextet. Next, Justin talks about some of the practical techniques Skyros uses to really iron out those transitions. This epis...

Have you been wondering what’s with all these Pencil Gnomes? Where do they come from? Why do they need pencils? What tried and tested techniques does Skyros use to keep them away from our pencils? We’ll have answers to these questions and more, as well as a rare and exclusive interview with Nim the Gnome, chief representative of the Gnome Union! Support the show

 In the second episode of Opus 3 of the The Counterpoint Club, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Skyros Quartet explores how to work with your colleagues in a respectful and constructive manner. Sarah explores how Haydn wrote parts that were more equal in interest across all four voices in his Opus 20 string quartets. In the technique segment, Willie outlines strategies that will allow all members of an ensemble...

The Skyros Quartet begins the third season of The Counterpoint Club with an episode about organization. In the history segment, Justin explores how famous string quartets got started. Next in technique, Brandon discusses a great organizational method called Scrum that creates maximum efficiency in team settings. Our special guest is cellist Gregory Beaver, who joins Sarah and Willie for a fantasti...

In the final ENCORE Interview for Opus 2, Willie and Justin speak with violist James Dunham . This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the fourth episode: How to Train Your String Quartet . This episode diverges from our standard TCC format, featuring a series of conversations about chamber music pedagogy, the methods used to teach chamber music. In addition to the interview wi...

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In this ENCORE Interview for Opus 2 Brandon and Justin speak with violinist Annie Fullard . This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the fourth episode: How to Train Your String Quartet . This episode diverges from our standard TCC format, featuring a series of conversations about chamber music pedagogy, the methods used to teach chamber music. In addition to the interview with...

In this ENCORE Interview for Opus 2 Sarah and Brandon speak with violinist Rachell Ellen Wong . This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the third episode: “ Performing From The HIP .” In this episode, Sarah guides us through a history of HIP, which is an acronym for “Historically Informed Performance”. In the technique portion, Brandon explores some of the ins and outs of how...

In this ENCORE Interview for Opus 2 Sarah and Justin speak with violist Molly Gebrian , assistant professor of viola at the University of Arizona. This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the second episode: No Time to Practice . In this interview we talk about new approaches to practicing that go against convention, and move our ideas forward into the future based on scientifi...

In this first Opus 2 ENCORE interview episode, Sarah Pizzichemi and Brandon Vance are joined by the internationally-acclaimed Gothard Sisters. The Gothard Sisters are originally featured in Opus 2 Episode 1, Got Folk?! In Episode 1, we explore the ways that folk music has influenced chamber music, both in composition and in performance. In the history lesson, Brandon discusses ethnomusicology and...