The Counterpoint Club

Unlike other genres of Western classical music like orchestras or solo performing, women have always had an important role in the development of chamber music. Sarah describes the history of women in chamber music and steps toward a more equitable future. Willie guides us through the steps we take in Skyros Quartet to include diversity in every program and resources to help others do the same. Sar...

Chamber music had its roots as a pastime for amateurs relaxing together in their homes and palaces, so how did it become a career path for professionals? The culture of chamber music has been through a seismic shift since its early days, largely because of how the tradition has been passed from one generation to the next. We look at the renaissance of this transfer of knowledge in the past few gen...

Sarah guides us through what HIP is all about, and why Skyros Quartet likes to use HIP to influence our own early music playing. Brandon leads us on an analysis of a Corelli Trio Sonata with some practical applications of style from the time period. We interview Rachell Ellen Wong, a violinist on the forefront of the baroque and early music movement. Rachell recently became the first ever baroque...

Our second episode of The Counterpoint Club Opus 2 is all about maximizing efficiency in practice sessions. Willie tells the surprisingly colorful story of the metronome in the history segment. All four members of Skyros share practice techniques to help you get the most out of your practice time. Practice guru and violist Molly Gebrian joins us in our interview, offering her advice and thoughts o...

The Skyros Quartet begins the journey into a new Opus of The Counterpoint Club by exploring the ways that folk music has influenced chamber music, both in composition and in performance. In the history lesson, Brandon discusses ethnomusicology and the ways that composers have incorporated folk melodies in music meant for the concert stage. In the technique segment, Sarah explores methods for resea...

Just like Opus 1, this series will feature 5 episodes, each centered on an important theme or aspect of chamber music. Support the show

Episode 3 of the podcast features a segment of Sarah and Justin's interview with John Largess, violist with the celebrated Miró Quartet . The full interview with John - available below - explores intonation tips and techniques used by the Miró Quartet to create beautiful chords and harmonies and much more. Skyros Quartet members also share fond memories of studying with John in their formativ...

Listen to the full interview that Skyros Quartet did with Shaunyce Omar, part of which appears in Opus 1, Episode 1 of The Counterpoint Club. Support the show

Episode 4 of the podcast features a segment of Sarah and Willie’s interview with Hyeyung Yoon , violinist for 18 years with the highly-regarded Chiara Quartet . In the full interview, you can learn about her journey exploring ways to bring chamber music closer to its audiences, the Korean music performance tradition of madang , and her work presenting the stories and music of Asian musicians in Am...

In Episode 2, Brandon Vance and Willie Braun talk with Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney of arx duo, a fantastic percussion ensemble based in Seattle. Yoshinaga and Arney are known as some of the leading pioneers in the percussion chamber music community. We were thrilled to have them join us for this conversation about pulse and all the incredible ways that the arx duo creates music. You can liste...

Episode 5 of the podcast featured a portion of Willie’s interview with Alyssa Saint. Alyssa shares the story of her career journey from music school, where she met Willie, to her current position as Associate Director of Admission at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. She shares her advice and observations on applying to a music degree program, the differences between a conservatory setting...

Episode 5 of the podcast features a segment of this full interview with internationally celebrated concert violinist, Augustin Hadelich . Mr. Hadelich is one of the great violinists of our time. The winner of numerous awards and prizes, Mr. Hadelich is known for his wide-ranging and adventurous repertoire and is often referred to by colleagues as a "musician's musician.” He is consistent...

The final episode of The Counterpoint Club’s first series, Opus 1, explores the wide variety of careers in the music industry. Justin first looks at the history of professional chamber music ensembles in America. Willie interviews Alyssa Saint, violinist and Associate Director of Admission at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, about her advice to high school students on the application proce...

The fourth episode of The Counterpoint Club explores the history and technique of musical performance. Willie looks at how classical music concerts have changed over the last several centuries, from the perspectives of both audience and performer. Sarah takes a page from sports psychology to guide an exercise on centering before performance, to let go excess performance energy. Our special guest i...

The third episode of the Counterpoint Club is all about intonation. Sarah guides a history lesson through different tuning systems used in all kinds of music. In the technique lesson, Brandon discusses tuning exercises that the Skyros Quartet uses in rehearsal, and how you might use them in your rehearsals. Our special guest is John Largess, violist of the Miro Quartet and Associate Professor of P...

In this episode of The Counterpoint Club, the Skyros Quartet discusses how pulse creates the musical heartbeat of a piece of music. Brandon analyzes the history of musical pulse, from the Ancient Greeks to modern times. Justin leads us through a rehearsal technique: counting out loud with a group to establish a unified pulse. Our special guests are Mari Yoshinaga and Garrett Arney of the arx duo,...

Episode 1 of The Counterpoint Club is titled Once Upon a Time. In this episode, we discuss creating characters in our music as we rehearse and constructing a narrative arc across each movement of music. Willie takes a deep dive into the second movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1, which is thought to be  based on the story of Romeo and Juliet. Support the show

Trailer for the launch of The Counterpoint Club Support the show