Q & A, Hosted by Jay Nordlinger

Kristina Hammer is the president of the Salzburg Festival —which in Salzburg, and Austria, and Europe, and the music world, is a very big deal. She grew up in Germany—the Black Forest—and studied in Mainz and Vienna. As a business executive, she worked in the department-store field for a while. And in cars: Aston Martins, Jaguars, Mercedes-Benzes, and other fine autos. Get this: She had a role in...

Julian Prégardien is a tenor from Germany—despite his French-looking name. On his father’s side, he is Belgian, Italian, and Dutch. “A true European,” he says, a real mixture. One of his ancestors is Sweelinck , an important composer in pre-Bach days. I talked with Prégardien at the Salzburg Festival , while conducting interviews for the Salzburg Festival Society . He was singing Mozart at the fes...

Aryeh Nussbaum Cohen is an American countertenor—a singer from Brooklyn, N.Y. How do you pronounce that first name? As he explained to me, think of three letters: R-E-A. “Ar-ee-é” (with the stress on the first syllable.) And his last name is not “Cohen” but “Nussbaum Cohen.” Delightful guy. Excellent conversationalist. I have sat down with him at the Salzburg Festival. I begin by asking—for all ou...

Rainer Honeck occupies an interesting, and important, perch: he is a concertmaster of the Vienna Philharmonic. I have sat down with him at the Salzburg Festival, in a series of conversations hosted by the Salzburg Festival Society . It was a privilege to talk with Mr. Honeck. He rarely gives interviews. He lets his violin do the talking. He also claims he is not very good in English—but he can cer...

Fleur Barron is a very interesting singer, and an exceptionally versatile one. This summer, she is making her debut at the Salzburg Festival , where I sat down and talked with her. She is singing Mahler—a composer she has been singing a lot lately. Where is she from? Well, her bio tells us this: “Born in Northern Ireland to a Singaporean mother and British father, Ms. Barron grew up in Hong Kong a...

Gilberto Morbach is one of the most impressive young intellectuals I know. He is a scholar of legal philosophy and related fields. He is interested in, and devoted to, the rule of law, above all. He is a Brazilian, and I have consulted him in the past about the politics—the turbulent and complicated politics—of his country. At the outset of our podcast, I ask him about his intellectual formation....

Seventeen times, Dottie Pepper won on the LPGA Tour. That includes two majors. In the years since, she has been a voice of golf: in particular, an on-course reporter for CBS Sports. With Jay, she talks about her life and this game that enchants, frustrates, and engrosses so many. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Waad al-Kateab is a Syrian journalist, filmmaker, and activist, in exile. Jay did a “Q&A” with her in 2021. And then wrote a piece about her, “ Witness from Syria .” Last month, the House of Assad fell, after about 55 years. Jay has spoken with Waad al-Kateab again. A moving and informative conversation. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Jay has frequent opportunity to talk with Ramesh Ponnuru and Richard Brookhiser , two of his colleagues at National Review. He figured: why not have a talk with them on the air? He has done that—about politics, the media, conservatism, presidents, America, and more. Join them. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

David Frum was born and raised in Toronto, the son of prominent Canadians. He has since become a prominent U.S. writer, and a U.S. citizen. Nevertheless, there is hardly anyone more knowledgeable about Canada: its history, its politics, its cultures—its spirituality, if you will. With Jay, he discusses Justin Trudeau, Pierre Trudeau, relations with the USA, and so on. Fascinating. (Really.) Get fu...

Ivana Stradner is an analyst of international relations. She is affiliated with the School of Advanced International Studies, the Foundation for Defense of Democracies, and other institutions. She was once a Jeane Kirkpatrick fellow at the American Enterprise Institute. Serbian-born, she is an admirer of Ronald Reagan and an advocate of freedom and democracy—one with clear, properly cold eyes. Wit...

Mark L. Clifford has written a biography: “ The Troublemaker: How Jimmy Lai Became a Billionaire, Hong Kong’s Greatest Dissident, and China’s Most Feared Critic .” Jimmy Lai is a political prisoner. Mr. Clifford has known and worked with him for many years. With Jay, Mr. Clifford discusses this extraordinary man. His release is wished for, prayed for, by freedom-lovers around the world. Get full a...

Nury A. Turkel is a Uyghur-American lawyer and human-rights activist. Jay did a “ Q&A ” with him in 2018—when the world was first learning about the mass persecution of the Uyghurs. In 2022, Mr. Turkel published a book: “ No Escape: The True Story of China’s Genocide of the Uyghurs .” Last week, he had the best Thanksgiving ever: his mother, whom he hadn’t seen in 20 years, was released from C...

Joshua Roman is a cellist, a superb musician. Lately, he has been engaged in something called “the Immunity Project.” About four years ago, Roman contracted long COVID, which turned his life upside down. He is an example of resiliency and good cheer—an inspiration. He and Jay talk about the heart of things. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

The baseball season just past—Shohei & Co. The college football season in swing—too much professionalization? The NFL season (why are the Jets perpetually woeful?). The NBA season—amazing, that LeBron. The Big Three in tennis, and their departure from the scene. Finally, travel sports, and what this new reality in American life is doing to our youth. These are the topics of this “Q&A”-cum-...

Ron Blum is a correspondent for the Associated Press. He writes and reports on baseball. And opera. He is encyclopedic in each field. A pleasure to converse with. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Bernard-Henri Lévy , the French philosopher, writer, and activist, has been going to Israel his whole life, virtually. He went on October 8, 2023, the day after the attack. His new book is “ Israel Alone .” With Jay, he discusses various aspects of this war. Also Russia’s war on Ukraine. And the connectedness of things. A meaty and clarifying discussion. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www...

Natan Sharansky began life as Anatoly Shcharansky. He was a dissident and refusenik in the Soviet Union. For nine years, he was a prisoner in the Gulag. He then made his life in Israel: as a writer, a politician, a human-rights activist, and so on. With Jay, he talks about the war in which Israel is engulfed. And the Ukraine war. And the consequences of all this for the world. He also talks about...

We are in a general-election season and a baseball post-season. Prime time for George F. Will . He and Jay have a wide-ranging conversation. Whom would Will appoint as president, if he could? Is Shohei Ohtani a unicorn? Who is Will’s favorite player? What of immigration? What of transgenderism? What of . . .? There is no better conversationalist than George F. Will. Get full access to Onward and U...

As Jay says in his introduction, Jonathan Martin , a.k.a. J-Mart, is one of the best political reporters in America. He writes a column for Politico and pops up regularly on television. With Jay, he talks about his life and career—and the very serious game of American politics and democracy. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com/subscribe

Cornel West and Robert P. George are two famous intellectuals, who are famously friends. One is on the left, the other the right. They have a book coming out: “ Truth Matters: A Dialogue on Fruitful Disagreement in an Age of Division .” Jay talks with them about their friendship, their views, their personal experiences, their heroes—a range of issues. One can learn a lot from this pair. Get full a...

In this episode, Jay talks with two young colleagues of his: Kayla Bartsch and Haley Strack , who are William F. Buckley Jr. fellows at National Review. In a wide-ranging conversation, they talk about growing up, influences, conservatism, pronouns (as in “What are . . .”), music, and other interesting things. A relaxed yet meaty confab. Get full access to Onward and Upward at www.jaynordlinger.com...

Manfred Honeck is one of the leading conductors in the world—and one of Jay’s favorite musical guests. Maestro Honeck is the music director of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra. He comes from Austria, where he played in the Vienna Philharmonic. He and Jay sat down last month in Austria—before an audience of the Salzburg Festival Society . You can learn a lot from this man, Honeck. Get full access...

Kate Lindsey is a mezzo-soprano, from Richmond, Virginia. She is now based in the U.K. She is a versatile singer, singing opera roles and songs. A brainy singer, too. And a wonderful talker, about all aspects of her art and business. Jay spoke with her before an audience of the Salzburg Festival Society . It is a pleasure to listen to Kate Lindsey—when she is singing, of course, but also in conver...

Ausrine Stundyte is an opera star—a soprano from Lithuania. As Jay says in his introduction, “She is a phenomenal singer, and a phenomenal singing actress. She also has interesting things to say.” About singing and opera, yes. But about other things, too: such as emerging from Communism when she was about 14. Jay spoke with Stundyte before an audience at the Salzburg Festival last month. Enjoy. Ge...