Music Speaks

We discuss Bach's chamber work Brandenburg Concerto No. 1 According to Wikipedia: Bach's reference to his scoring the concertos for "several instruments" (Concerts avec plusieurs instruments) is an understatement. Bach used the "widest spectrum of orchestral instruments … in daring combinations," as Christoph Wolff has commented. "Every one of the six concertos set a precedent in scoring, and ever...

Shaun and Hunter sit down to discuss Bach's Magnificat. According to Wikipedia: " Johann Sebastian Bach 's Magnificat , BWV 243, is a musical setting of the biblical canticle Magnificat . It is scored for five vocal parts (two sopranos, alto, tenor and bass), and a Baroque orchestra including trumpets and timpani. It is the first major liturgical composition on a Latin text by Bach . In 1723, afte...

Shaun and Hunter sit down to talk about psychological interests in the artist Sphie's life and how it has impacted her day-to-day life.  We also discuss the songs on her album, Home , which debuted last year. Sphie is a singer, songwriter, music producer and visionary. She is motivated by a deep compassion for all humanity. She invests her time in empowering the world through music, movement,...

Shaun and Hunter sit down to talk to a Hip-Hop artist from Virginia Beach, Brandon Law. In his bio he writes, "My name is Brandon Law, I aspire to be great, but I know I can't get there by myself, I need a team, I need the listeners.  I appreciate every last one of the people who listen to my music because I know they don't have to, they make the choice, just like I choose to be honest with a...

Hunter sits down to interview Shaun about Leonard Bernstein's musical, "Wonderful Town." SYNOPSIS via Playbill: "Ruth, an aspiring writer, and Eileen, her prettier, aspiring-actress younger sister, arrive in New York from Ohio in the 1930s and find frustration, career hopes and romance in the city of their dreams." Check it out!

We sat down with composer, arranger, podcaster, author and first-responder Joseph Melvin to talk about his inspirations, compositions, and writing work.  Follow him @thejdmelvin

We sat down with Annie Stachura to talk about her experiences with theater and overcome her stage fright as an actor. Annie Stachura is currently a research analyst at Ipsos and an aspiring writer and is excited to be alive and explore various creative outlets. She is also the co-host of the infamous Absolutely Starving Podcast. Please check it out! (This following podcast contains material that w...

We sat down with Marymount Manhattan graduate, theater lover, and healthcare worker John Ammatuna to talk about his theater preferences and some singers that really made an impact on him.  To hear his choices: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/2FMfXyrq0mCp7JSJDn0JF2?si=7da631c8d332438b

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss one of their favorites, "How to Succeed in Business Without Really Trying." According to Musical Theater International, "Big business means big laughs in this delightfully clever lampoon of life on the corporate ladder. A tune-filled comic gem that took Broadway by storm, winning both the Tony Award for Best Musical and a Pulitzer Prize, How to Succeed in Busin...

We sat down with returning guest, Mary Haddix to discuss her top ten contemporary musical choices. 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...

Hunter and Shaun sit down with Maestra Meredith Neumann, to discuss her career as a teacher and her top ten playlist. Meredith Neumann is Choirmaster of the Cathedral of Saint Joseph in downtown Hartford, conducting the Schola Cantorum and the Cathedral Youth Chorus. She was formerly the Director of Connecticut Children’s Chorus and conductor of the Hartt Camerata at the University of Hartford. Sh...

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss their favorite musical, West Side Story. According to Wikipedia, "(West Side Story) is a musical in which a modern day Romeo and Juliet are involved in New York street gangs. On the harsh streets of the upper west side, two gangs battle for control of the turf. The situation becomes complicated when a gang member falls in love with a rival's sister."

We sat down with returning guest Skull Smith to discuss his top ten playlists. Please enjoy! Skull Smith is your everyday eccentric composer, buzzing around at all hours of the night, fiddling with synthesizers and synthesizing fiddles. With music constantly playing in his head, Skull has spent this past year devoting his time to transferring this music--some of which has been circulating up there...

Today we will sit down with my friend/co-host of this show, Shaun, who performed the role of Father in COE, to talk about Children of Eden , the Stephen Schwartz musical, which Wikipedia describes simply as “[a] musical is based on the Book of Genesis, with Act I telling the story of Adam and Eve, Cain, and Abel, while Act II deals with Noah and the Flood.” Please Enjoy!

We sat down with Victor to discuss his career as a musician in NYC! Please go check it out now! Victor V. Gurbo is a Brooklyn-native musician, artist, and luthier.  Active since 2012, Victor and his band have played at iconic NYC venues such as The Greene Space, Brooklyn Academy of Music, City Winery, The Highline Ballroom, and many more. His songwriting is inspired by traditional Americ...

Hunter and Shaun sit down to discuss the musical Crazy for You! Crazy for You is a romantic comedy musical with a book by Ken Ludwig , lyrics by Ira Gershwin , and music by George Gershwin . Billed as "The New Gershwin Musical Comedy,” it is primarily based on the songwriting team's 1930 musical Girl Crazy but incorporates songs from several other productions as well. Crazy for You won the 1992 To...

We sat down with Monica to discuss her thoughts on performing new music and performance anxiety. Please go check it out! Monica Ramich is a classically trained soprano, voice instructor, and church musician. On the operatic stage, her credits include both full productions and select scenes in the roles of Laetitia (The Old Maid and The Thief) , Cinderella ( The True Story of Cinderella), Susanna (...

We sat down with Joel Kayser to discuss his top ten jazz tunes! Go check out now!

We sat down with my friend Nick Harriau to break down some of his favorite Wierd Al' Songs! Alfred Matthew " Weird Al " Yankovic (born October 23, 1959) is an American singer, songwriter, musician, record producer, satirist, actor, music video director, and author who is known for humorous songs that make light of pop culture and often parody specific songs by contemporary musical acts. He also pe...

Ashley Killam (she/her) is a trumpet player, educator, drill designer, entrepreneur, and international speaker. Ashley works as the founder and owner of Diversify the Stand and the General Manager for Rising Tide Music Press and has spent her post-school years researching and presenting across the country. Dr. Carrie Blosser is a trumpet performer and music educator. Her experiences range from bei...

We sit down with return guest Tyler Suarez to discuss his three favorite composers: Trent Rezner, Phillip Glass, and David Byrne. To wrap up the weird times we lived through in 2020, Tyler's new EP " Weird Times " comes out on December 31st. Please go check it out! Here is a link to his picks on Spotify: https://open.spotify.com/playlist/11joU0rplWHxX0HD0NzplY

Hunter and Shaun talk through the Proust Questionnaire (Music Edition). Check it Out!

Our guest today is Aleyna Ashenfarb. She finished her (B.M. Music Education and Trumpet Performance at Ithaca College and has studied abroad in Vienna, Austria through the IES Abroad Music History and Performance Program one summer. She has taken trumpet lessons with Rudolf Amon, a member of the Vienna State Opera Orchestra. We sat down with Aleyna to discuss her playlist and test her knowledge of...

Jake Gunnar Walsh is a composer, performer, and educator from Chepachet, Rhode Island.  A recent graduate of Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, he earned a double Masters Degree in Oboe Performance and Music Composition studying oboe with Linda Strommen and Roger Roe, and composition with Claude Baker and David Dzubay.  Jake graduated from Ithaca College in 2015 with a double B.M...

Shaun and Hunter sat down with Ciara Solby, a Master in Music clarinet student at Western Michigan University. Ciara discusses her first semester as a grad student discussing the conditions ensembles and lessons have gone under during the pandemic. We also test her orchestral knowledge on clarinet, Go check it out now!