OAMusic

A wonderful conversation with my dear friend Hyung-ki Joo for the OAMusic Podcast. We talked about comedy, Bach, Glenn Gould, Billy Joel, music competitions, deaf children experiencing music through vibration, the absurd seriousness of the classical world, and why communication ultimately matters more than perfection. One of the most fascinating musicians I’ve ever met — irreverent, brilliant, dee...

Writer, curator, and Wordless Music founder Ronen Givony joins the OAMusic Podcast to discuss his new book, Us v. Them , a history of the Brooklyn music scene in the early 2000s. We talk about DIY venues, Williamsburg, Glasslands, Death By Audio, Grizzly Bear, TV on the Radio, Death by Audio, Nonesuch Records, the post-Napster music world, and how indie music became both a scene and a marketing te...

In this episode, I sit down with composer, pianist, and accordion virtuoso Ronn Yedidia for a wide-ranging conversation on music, creativity, and the state of classical culture today. We revisit his extraordinary journey from child prodigy in Tel Aviv to Juilliard, and explore two major recent projects: his deeply expressive 24 Preludes and his jazz-fusion album Prophets . Along the way, we talk a...

In this conversation with composer and biographer Jan Swafford, we examine the growing role of DEI and “wokeness” in shaping the arts — and the consequences for music. Are artistic standards being replaced by ideology? What happens when politics begins to define value in art? A conversation on music, culture, and what ultimately endures. — Jan Swafford is a composer and the author of acclaimed bio...

In this episode of the OAMusic Podcast, pianist and cultural entrepreneur Orlando Alonso speaks with violinist and composer Yury Revich about his new album Peace. Based in Vienna, Revich has built an international career that bridges classical tradition and contemporary creativity. In this conversation he discusses the idea behind the album, the role of music in times of global uncertainty, and th...

I was born in Cuba and lived there until I was nineteen years old. In this video I reflect on what concepts like international law mean to people who actually live under a dictatorship. Much of the global conversation about Cuba happens in academic, legal, or political circles far removed from the lived experience of the Cuban people. For those who grow up under a system where basic rights are rou...

Actor Timothée Chalamet recently suggested that opera and ballet may be becoming irrelevant. Standing here at Lincoln Center in New York, between the Juilliard School, the New York City Ballet and the Metropolitan Opera House, I wanted to reflect on that idea. Inside Juilliard, musicians who began studying their instruments as children dedicate their lives to mastering their craft. Across the plaz...

What does genius look like up close? And what does friendship with genius demand? In this intimate and candid conversation, Pulitzer Prize winner Tim Page reflects on his profound friendship with Glenn Gould — not just the legendary pianist, but the private, searching human being behind the recordings. He also shares the remarkable story of how he rediscovered and helped rescue the writer Dawn Pow...

What makes Beethoven immortal? In this wide-ranging conversation, pianist Orlando Alonso sits down with acclaimed biographer and composer Jan Swafford to explore the inner life, artistic courage, and spiritual defiance of Ludwig van Beethoven. We discuss: The myth and reality of the “Immortal Beloved” The revolutionary force of the late piano sonatas Op. 111 and the transcendence of the Arietta Be...

Was Bad Bunny’s Super Bowl halftime show a cultural milestone — or something else? In this episode of OAMusic, Orlando Alonso examines the performance through the lens of art, representation, and cultural standards. Beyond politics and social media noise, this is a conversation about what we celebrate — and why.