AC23 - Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge

Mike Esneault interviews poet, author, and president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, Ed Ruzicka today. They discuss the release of Ed's new book "The Invention of Dreaming" and the inspirations for writing this new collection of poetry. They also touch on various subjects as they relate to the creative process and the arts industry.

Mike Esneault converses with James Fogle, for the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge’s AC23+ Artist Legacy Series podcast. James is the owner of Mid City Ballroom, Baton Rouge Music Exchange and Pop Shop Records. Through these ventures as well as his work as a musician/performer, James has greatly enriched the Baton Rouge arts community. They discussed this as well as other topics related to bein...

Mike Esneault talks and plays music with Louisiana Music Hall of Fame performer and song writer Chris LeBlanc. They discuss Chris' formative years growing up in a musical family in South Louisiana as well as being influenced by the blues and many other genres of music that he heard and played in his hometown of Baton Rouge. In addition, they play three of Chris' original songs.

Mike Esneault talks with radio personality, educator and musician, Rob Payer. They discuss Rob's history in radio, particularly as it relates to Baton Rouge Magnet High School and their long-standing radio educational program and his role as program director. In addition, they discuss many other topics including the rich musical heritage of South Louisiana, preserving that heritage through educati...

Mike Esneault converses with East Baton Rouge - Fine Arts Director, Dr. Sean Joffrion. They discuss the artistic environment and support of Joffrion's formative years and how this helped instill his deep love of the arts moving forward. They also converse on various topics including the importance of arts education as well as arts integration and the role it can play in a person's artistic and aca...

Mike Esneault talks and performs with Baton Rouge music icon David Hinson. They discuss his extensive career as a performer and educator in the greater Baton Rouge area. They touch on his experiences working in a wide array of musical genres, including orchestral music, jazz and rock, etc. as well as his thoughts and techniques on educating music students of all ages, including students in his lon...

Mike Esneault converses with Callie Smith, Educator and Programs Manager, for the LSU Museum of Art. Callie has a PhD in English as well as degrees in Creative Writing and English Secondary Education . They discuss how her background has helped play a role in her work at LSU MOA, touching on museum education, artistic programming within the museum or with outside organizations partnering with LSU...

Mike Esneault talks with Southern University Professors Harry Anderson and Darrell Roberson about the launch of SU's Digital Media Arts Program. This new degree program features the following concentration tracks: Digital Screen Arts Production, Digital Performance Fusion, Visual Arts and Motion Graphics, Digital Sports Production and Recording Arts. They discuss the origins and the vision of this...

Mike Esneault talks with the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's Artist in Residence and Artist Liaison, Mike Weary. They discuss various aspects of being a professional freelance visual artist as well as Mike's experiences working as an arts administrator, educator and gallery curator.

Mike Esneault speaks with visual artist BJ Smith, and his mother Kim Smith. 20 years ago, BJ arrived at the hospital as the result of an ATV accident and given a 10% chance of survival because of a severe brain injury. They talk about the power of the arts as a healer and how creating visual art has had a profound impact on BJ's ongoing road to recovery.

Mike Esneault talks with Chris Adams, Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge's "Director of Technical Operations", about the Bridges Project. This is a program featuring the debut of the theater production "Soundscapes" in which Chris will be directing and administering. The production will bring 14 students from 6 LA parishes to Scotland's Edinburgh Arts Festival to perform theater in front of an in...

Mike Esneault talks with dancer and vocalist Victoria Cave about her Red Stick Dance Project being offered on Saturdays at the Arts Council of Greater Baton Rouge. Her and Mike also converse about her growing up in an artistically rich family environment. They discuss her experiences as a professional dancer and vocalist in New York for 30 years working with artists such as Steely Dan as well as a...

Mike Esneault talks and performs with New York based guitarist Charlie Ruah about his performance career as well as his residency at Louisiana State University composing music for the LSU Veterinary School.

Mike Esneault talks and performs with saxophonist and LSU Associate Professor of Jazz Studies Doug Stone about his career as an international performer as well as his extensive career as an educator around the United States.

Mike Esneault sits down with Gino Marino, Larry Sieberth, Dr. Bill Grimes, Johnny Vidacovich and Ben Williams to recall the rich jazz musical tradition of Gino's restaurant during the 80's and 90's.

Mike Esneault talks and performs with New Orleans jazz vocalist Ed Perkins about his extensive performance career with artists like Branford Marsalis, Wes Anderson, Alvin Batiste and others as well as the influences of growing up in the musically rich environment of New Orleans. He also talks about being part of the blues and jazz music scene for many years in Baton Rouge.

Mike Esneault talks and performs with jazz saxophonist Don Evans about his performance and teaching career. Don reflects on growing up in the New Orleans and learning music in that rich environment and being part of the blues and jazz music scene for many years in South Louisiana.

Emmy award winning host, Mike Esneault interviews poet, author, and president of the Poetry Society of Louisiana, Ed Ruzicka today. Listen to their great conversation discussing his fourth book, "In the Wind". This is a collection of Ed's poems inspired by travel experiences throughout Europe, South America and other places.

Join host Pam Bordelon as she visits with Karen Soniat, the new executive director of the Louisiana Art & Science Museum, who is now back in Baton Rouge after several years in New Orleans working with the National World War II Museum. She's excited about her first LASM Gala -- Party in the Valley of the Kings, which takes place Oct. 4.

Join host Pam Bordelon as she talks with Baton Rouge native Louis Herthum about his upcoming role in the Netflix hit, The Night Agent, which is supposed to hit the screen in early 2025. They also talk about growing up in Red Stick and his 50-plus year career as an actor.

Join jazz aficionados, Arts Council CEO Jonathan Grimes and Mike Esneault, our director of arts education as well as an award-winning composer and jazz pianist, for an insider's glimpse and listen into the upcoming River City Jazz Masters Series! You don't want to miss this one!

For the September Alvin Batiste Jazz Society Listening Room, two Baton Rouge jazz greats are celebrating 40 years of making music together. Join host Pam Bordelon as she visits with pianist Willis Delony and bass player Bill Grimes as they take a stroll down memory lane and talk about this special anniversary collaboration.

In honor of Lafayette native and former LSU great Mondo Duplantis’ gold medal-winning pole vault in the just completed Olympics in Paris, we’re replaying host Pam Bordelon’s conversation with filmmaker Brennan Robideaux about his film, Born to Fly , the intimate story of Mondo and his rise to fame from child prodigy to the greatest pole vaulter of all time. His jump of 6.25m (that’s more than 20 f...

Host Pam Bordelon sits down with Callie Smith and Sarah Nansubuga on the project they're conducting in conjunction with the LSU Museum of Art's Clementine Hunter exhibition. They have been conducting oral history interview with members of Hunter's family, the results of which will eventually become part of LSU's T. Harry Williams Center for Oral History’s digital library.

In a very special iteration of the Alvin Batiste Jazz Society, local bass great George Bell, trumpet; Mike Esneault, piano; Bill Grimes, bass; and Jonathan Grimes, drums, serve as the house band for any musicians who want to join them for what promises to be an amazing gig.