The Musician Centric Podcast

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Our guest in this episode is Eva Cappelletti Chao, a professional violinist and life coach who specializes in working with her people: classical musicians! Early in her career as a performing musician, Eva was forced to confront very personal and persistent challenges. We talk with her about her struggles and how they led her to pursue her work in life c...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-salacious-episode. In this series we follow Hailey, t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Our guest in this episode is Brian Fitzy, a central PA native, and friend of the pod! From his humble beginnings as a violinist to literally performing on the Grammy’s with the Foo Fighters, Brian has had an extremely varied performing career. Not only does he play, but he produces and records for clients all over the world. We talk with Brian about his...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! S3:Bonus - Mozart in the Jungle (MITJ) Season 1  And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-sala...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Our guest in this episode is American bassist Joseph Conyers! Thanks to social media, Joe (@weatherclef) has become known worldwide for his approachable and warm personality as well as his absolutely stunning sound and technique. We had the pleasure of getting to know Joe on a more personal level, talking about his humble beginnings in Georgia, and how i...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-salacious-episode. In this series we follow Hailey, t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-salacious-episode. In this series we follow Hailey, t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Our guest in this episode is violist Matthew Lipman, one of his generation’s great talents! After sufficient fan-girling, we got to ask Matt all of our burning questions about life in the most high-profile of freelancing careers: as a soloist and professional chamber musician. If there’s anything universal about a career in music, it’s how we stitch our...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! S3:Bonus - Mozart in the Jungle (MITJ) Season 1  And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-sala...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Today we’re talking with our friend and fellow DC-area freelancer, percussionist Donnie Johns! Donnie is the founder of the DMV Percussion Academy which aims to fill in the gaps in training for percussion students in the DC/Baltimore/Virginia region. We talk with Donnie about the value of community for students, the problem with elitism in our field and...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-salacious-episode. In this series we follow Hailey, t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! As freelance musicians, we have a very unique income situation. Our guest on this episode is no stranger to the financial insecurity of freelancing, and has made it her mission to give us the tools to feel more in-control of our money. Anamarie Diaz, also known as ‘The Financial Flutist’, has taken it upon herself to translate the world of finance for mu...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! And now for something completely different! As a big fan of reality show podcast recaps, Steph convinced Liz to dive into the MITJ universe. Neither of us have watched this series or heard much about it, and you can bear witness as our innocence is ripped away! Join us as we recap Season 1: episode-by-salacious-episode. In the pilot, we’re introduced to...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! If you are/were a music student or have taken an audition in the past 12 years, you know our guest, Noa Kageyama! Through his blog “The Bulletproof Musician” and more recently his podcast of the same name, Noa has made the field of performance psychology digestible and accessible for musicians. He tells us about his musical upbringing, what led him away...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! In this episode, we learn about what happened when two freelancers: Ellen Trainer and Marjorie Goldberg, started a movement for change in the Philadelphia Musicians’ Union: Local 77. A true story of grassroots organizing in the musician community, Ellen’s and Marj’s experiences with poor working conditions and treatment by management inspired them to run...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! In this episode, we talk with someone (way) funnier than us: stand-up comedian and classically trained violist Isabel Hagen! From her appearance on The Tonight Show with Jimmy Fallon to her headlining gig at the American Viola Society Festival in June of 2022, she is becoming known for her unique brand of…sometimes musical… comedy. Isabel is very open ab...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! In this episode, we talk with collaborative pianist (and freelancer!), Dr. Elizabeth G. Hill who’s known for her work as a solo performer, chamber musician, educator, and lecturer. Liz dedicates much of her career to bridging cultures together through music, and is a recognized leader in contemporary music advocacy. In this conversation, Liz tells us abo...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! We’re back! In this episode we talk with the recently unmasked Monochrome Viola , Lauren Spaulding! Lauren is an avid chamber musician, performing with her viola duo Talla Rouge and the acclaimed Thalea Quartet which is currently in residence at the University of Maryland. She is very forthcoming about her challenges in early music education and how it t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! In the first ever ViolaCentric LIVE podcast event, we got to go back to college and play musical trivia games! This episode was recorded live at The Loft in Columbus, SC, just a stone's throw from Columbus State University. It was part of the late night cafe events for the American Viola Society Festival/International Viola Congress which was held i...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! In this, the last episode of Season 2, we talk about adjusting to the return of regular freelance work and finding a new ‘normal’ of work/life balance. The inner workings of the music community are probably a microcosm of what the world has been experiencing in this phase of the pandemic and the adjustment is REAL. We reflect and wrap up the roller coast...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Liz and Steph have a delightful conversation with violist CAROL RODLAND! Carol enjoys a distinguished international career as a concert and recording artist whose playing has been described as “larger than life, sweetly in tune and infinitely variegated”. Ms Rodland is also currently professor of viola and chamber music at the Julliard School, where she...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Liz and Steph welcome celebrated violinist Melissa White to the pod! As an early first-prize laureate of the Sphinx Competition, Melissa burst onto the concert scene in the early 2000’s, and has been a trend-setter and trail-blazer ever since. A founding member of the Harlem Quartet, she reflects on how their joint experience led them (uncomfortably at t...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Liz and Steph welcome Tanner Guss of The Happy Musicians Podcast! Freelance drummer Tanner Guss is making his way in the New Orleans music scene, navigating pandemic life and learning what he can about happiness from his musical guests - and giving us the nuggets he’s gleaned so far. We talk about getting back to work, finding your true musical purpose a...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! Liz and Steph welcome Venezuela-born, Philadelphia-area violist, Adriana Linares! Starting on violin in her native Venezuela, Adriana had always experienced music as a community activity. Through her work in chamber music as the violist of the award-winning Dali quartet, and the founding of ArCoNet, a Pennsylvania-based Arts and Community non-profit, Adr...

Stories? Questions? Thoughts? TEXT us here! We chat with violinist and arts activist Laura Colgate! As colleagues in the Washington, DC freelance scene, we’ve seen Laura enjoy a versatile career as a chamber and orchestral musician, soloist, educator, curator, activist, and innovator. Not only does she serve as the Concertmaster of the National Philharmonic, she is the founder of the ground-breaki...