Music Makers

Each performance at the Dallas Symphony begins long before the musicians play a single note on stage. There’s an entire world of preparation that happens behind the scenes, and today, we’re pulling back the curtain on one of the most essential – and least visible – parts of the orchestra: the music library. Today’s Music Maker is longtime Principal Librarian Karen Schnackenberg, who has dedicated...

Today’s Music Maker is Anthony Blake Clark, director and conductor of the Dallas Symphony Chorus, the all-volunteer official vocal ensemble of the DSO, just in time for our performances of Mahler’s Symphony No. 8. If you’ve ever experienced a performance of this monumental work — also known as the “Symphony of a Thousand” — you know it’s less like a concert and more like a force of nature. Nearly...

This week’s music maker is DSO Principal Viola Meredith Kufchak.  Have you ever wondered why the viola gets so much hate? As Meredith explains, there’s actually good reason — and it goes all the way back to the instrument’s earliest days.  Meredith is the youngest of six siblings, all of them musicians. She chose the viola at just four years old, inspired by her older sister, and grew up in a home...

Meet DSO violinist Jenna Barghouti! Jenna grew up in Ramallah, in Palestine’s West Bank, where she began music lessons at just six years old. At the time, she was one of only six students at her conservatory, and for much of her childhood, music felt like just a hobby. But with encouragement from her family and teachers, her talent quickly blossomed. She went on to join the Palestine Youth Orchest...

Today’s Music Maker is DSO violinist Daphne Volle. Daphne has been part of the orchestra since 1996 and has witnessed decades of change—from a new generation of musicians joining the ensemble to the DSO's expanded presence in the community. Originally from Lyon, France, she began playing the violin at just four years old and went on to study at the Paris Conservatory before making her way to D...

This week’s music maker is DSO’s Composer-in-Residence Sophia Jani, who spoke with us over Zoom from her homebase in Munich ahead of the world premiere of her new Violin Concerto. If you’re listening on February 12, tonight is the world premiere, and we’re bringing you a behind-the-scenes look at how it all came together.  So, what is a composer-in-residence? Sophia describes her role as championi...

This week’s music maker is DSO Principal Horn Daniel Hawkins! Originally from Chandler, Texas, about an hour-and-a-half southeast of Dallas, Daniel is no stranger to the Texas heat or our famous barbeque. And like many Texans, his early musical foundation was shaped through public-school band.  That path eventually led him back home, where he now performs with the Dallas Symphony, the very same or...

In today’s episode, you’ll meet the DSO’s Assistant Conductor, Shira Samuels-Shragg, who, at the time of recording this interview, had just finished her first season with us. A big part of Shira’s job is acting as a cover conductor, a kind of understudy who can step in should anything happen to the scheduled conductor. Shira shares what she’s learned in her first season with the DSO and what she’s...

Pour yourself some eggnog and cozy up for this episode of Music Makers because we’re introducing you to the maestro who has led the DSO's holiday concerts for nearly two decades, Lawrence Loh. In this very special, very festive episode, Chelsey and Larry talk all things Christmas, from his favorite traditions and how he came to be the DSO’s holiday pops conductor to the question on everyone’s...

In today’s episode, you’ll meet the DSO’s Principal Second Violinist, Angela Fuller Heyde (Barbara K. & Seymour R. Thum Chair)-- “Angie,” to her friends and colleagues. Angie and Chelsey cover a lot of ground, from the youth orchestra rehearsal that sparked her dream of becoming a professional violinist to a recent concert where she witnessed the true power of music and how it can really chang...

When you know, you know! From the moment she first heard about the harp at just four years old, Emily Levin decided she simply  had  to play it — and she didn’t stop asking until her parents finally found a teacher nearby. Flash forward to 2015, when Emily became the youngest principal harpist in any U.S. orchestra after winning her position with the Dallas Symphony. Now in her tenth season with t...

What if we told you that legendary composer John Cage paid for the birth of one of our musicians? You're intrigued, aren't you? Well, Principal Bassoon Ted Soluri drops this unforgettable fun fact in the very first episode of Music Makers — and that's just the beginning. Ted and Chelsey talk about his musical journey and how he found his way to the bassoon, one of the orchestra's m...