Music Speaks

In this hilarious and insightful interview, Hunter and I sat down with the members of the Liminal Space Ensemble. Nicole Murray - Director of Marketing and Development Hope Wilk - Artistic Director Evan Courtin - Director of Education/community engagement and Composer in residence Juan Herrera - Director of Operations and Commissions Go check them out!

We sat down with Valerie Nuzzolo (3rd Timer), to discuss her new top ten playlist and testing her clarinet knowledge.

We sat down with returning guests Jeannette-Marie Lewis and Michael Stern to discuss the works of Jacob Collier. According to Wikipedia: Jacob Collier ( /ˈkɒliər/ [3] born 2 August 1994) is an English musician. His music incorporates elements from many musical genres, and often features extreme use of reharmonisation . In 2012, his split-screen video covers of popular songs, such as Stevie Wonder...

Mississippi native Kyle Moore currently serves as the graduate teaching assistant for the trombone studio and as trombone instructor for the Community Music School at the University of Georgia. As a winner of the 2019 Jacqueline-Avent Concerto Competition, he performed Ralph Vaughan Williams’ Concerto for Bass Tuba with the Festival Orchestra at the Sewanee Summer Music Festival. He has also appea...

Ricardo T. Brown is a native of Portsmouth, VA. The second child of Ricardo Sr. and Terry Brown. He received his high school degree from Churchland High School where he was selected to All District Band, All-State Band and Virginia Honor Band. He was also a student in The Governor's school of the Performing Arts under the baton of Mr. Ray Pancarowicz. He then went on to Norfolk State University in...

We sat down with Alyssa Comeau, to discuss her recent production of American Idiot, (during a pandemic) and how it happened and was successful. Enjoy!

Kam’ren Spence, also goes by Kam. He is 20 years old and a Junior Vocal Performance & Music Education major at Ithaca College. He is passionate about social justice and mental health. When he is not studying music, you can find him supporting organizations that aid in bringing awareness to an unjust system and breaking down systemic racism within our country. You can also see him supporting or...

Jeannette-Marie Lewis is a flutist and educator from Long Island, New York. Currently pursuing her D.M.A. in Flute Performance from the University of Maryland School of Music, Jeannette is exploring her passion for classical, jazz, and contemporary flute pedagogy. She completed an M.M. in Flute Performance from the Ithaca College School of Music, where she also holds a B.M. in Music Education. The...

Mary Haddix is an avid music educator, and has held private and group teaching positions with the Madison Central High School Band, George Rogers Clark High School Band, Bourbon County High School Band, Oldham County Schools, and Scott County Schools. Mary keeps a private studio that includes middle and high school horn students from Madison, Fayette, Clark, Scott, and Bourbon County. She has also...

We sat down with Julie Dombroski, who is a New York City-based trombonist and music educator. Originally from Ontario, New York, she moved to New York City in 2018 to pursue her Master of Music at the Manhattan School of Music studying with Colin Williams of the New York Philharmonic. Since moving to NYC, Julie has performed with the City Lyric Opera, the Montclair Orchestra, eGALitarian and is th...

We sat down with our returning guest Gabi Sigona to discuss her new musical playlist, and to find out "Who is the Smartest Italian in the Sigona Household?" Is it Hunter, our co-host, or is it Gabi, our guest! Tune in to find out! Here is a link to Gabi's picks:  https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0FEJGPco8XDuavxTp9M8Qc

We sat down the singer/songwriter, founder, and front woman for the group "Kendra and the Bunnies", talking about her band, her new album, and the songs and artists used as inspiration for said album. Here are links to Kendra's picks: https://youtu.be/HLXj0l9W8iE https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4uSiTfGeGntuQ5GsyfKJm3

We sat down with country artist and music businesswoman Sarah Harralson, discussing the country industry, life in Nashville, streaming royalties, and creativity in a time of COVID.

Ashley Killam is a multi-faceted trumpet player, educator, drill designer, entrepreneur, and public speaker. Ashley works as the General Manager for Rising Tide music publishing, the Chamber Music Database Coordinator for the Institute for Composer Diversity, and has spent her post-graduate school years presenting her lecture series, Fanfare for the Unheard, to high schools and colleges across the...

Jennifer Conti is a fine art hybrid film wedding and portrait photographer for the romantic at heart. She sees every scene and situation as a chance to make something beautiful. She plays with soft light and artistic elements to create images that will stand the test of time. She has a wild passion for travel and adventure that she also brings to my work. Her passions stem from being both fun-lovi...

Our guest today on Music Speaks is Caitlin Dee, an extraterrestrial abductee from Pasadena that now resides in Silver Lake with her cat Prince Charming. She spends her time writing songs and preparing for life on other planets. We sat down to talk about her interest of Falconry and the her album Tender, which was released on February 14, 2020. Stay on the look out for her new single to release soo...

We sat down with Skull Smith to discuss his new music video, "Ghost of Mr. Hyde," on YouTube (found below.)  We also talked about his new merchandise which is available also available now (which is attached below).   https://youtu.be/vMIhm2_XWl4 https://skullsmithmusic.com/shop  

I sat down with Jenna Brown to discuss why we love music. We talked about Bands that Perform Acoustic Music, John Williams and Much more! Go check it out!

We sat down with new music educator Stephen Ryan who discussed, "Music in our Schools," Pandemic Edition. Stephen explains why we need to be present with students and give them the motivation to be successful. You will also want to stick around to hear him nail his music history quiz!

We sit down with Nicole Murray to discuss why we need to start chamber ensembles, and be creative as a musician during the pandemic. She also reveals her new chamber ensemble with a feline twist...

We sat down with Ujjal Bhattacharyya to discuss what performances are like during COVID, what it is like to collaborate with composers, and the practical nature of becoming an online teacher in this day and age.

I sat down with my co-host, Hunter Sigona to do a deep dive into the acclaimed musical, Hello Dolly! Hello, Dolly! is a 1964 musical with lyrics and music by Jerry Herman and a book by Michael Stewart , based on Thornton Wilder 's 1938 farce The Merchant of Yonkers , which Wilder revised and retitled The Matchmaker in 1955. The musical follows the story of Dolly Gallagher Levi, a strong-willed mat...

We sat down with composer Nicko Villane and talked about his admiration for the works of modern composer Julia Wolfe. To hear the music that we discussed with Nicko, here is a link to the pieces: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/4hMUNyVWYlE1KVs81eob7e?si=zgZk5YcVQyCZeiV-Fer0Qw

We sat down with a previous guest Valerie Nuzzolo to come to reality with the impact of COVID-19 on Music Education.

In this deep dive, we sat down with previous guest Amy Zuidema to tackle the responsibilities as a musician and the impostor syndrome.