Sunday Baroque Conversations

Grammy-nominated flutist Brandon Patrick George is a member of Imani Winds and has appeared as a soloist with soloist with the Atlanta, Baltimore, and Albany symphonies, American Composers Orchestra, and the Orchestra of St. Luke's, among others.  He's also on the faculty of the Curtis Institute of Music. Suzanne spoke with Brandon Patrick George about his debut 2020 solo recording, and welcomed him back in Fall 2023 to talk about his second solo recording, TWOFOLD, which pairs solo flute works by composers such as C.P.E. Bach, Ruth Crawford Seeger, and Claude Debussy with new works by composers including Reena Esmail, Saad Haddad, and Shawn E. Okpebholo.

As a music lover, you may be familiar with Melvin Chen for his recordings of piano music by Dmitri Shostakovich or Ludwig van Beethoven. He put his double degrees from The Juilliard School to work as Professor in the Practice of Piano at Yale School of Music and is Director of Norfolk Chamber Music Festival, which is Yale's Summer School of Music. Melvin Chen arrived at his career in music after earning degrees in chemistry and physics from Yale and Harvard. He spoke with Suzanne about how he has allowed his passion, energy, and curiosity steer his many diverse interests.

Acclaimed harpsichordist Mahan Esfahani - the first and only harpsichordist to be named a BBC New Generation Artist, and the youngest ever recipient of the Wigmore Medal – is an outspoken and passionate advocate for his instrument. Although the harpsichord is most closely associated with baroque music, Mahan Esfanai’s repertory is large and diverse, from Johann Sebastian Bach to contemporary commissions. He plays as a soloist, chamber musician, and even with symphony orchestras. Mahan Esfahani talked with Suzanne about his career path and his experiences working with (and educating) some of musical collaborators about the versatility of the harpsichord.

Loki Karuna (formerly Garrett McQueen) began his life in music as a bassoonist, earning degrees in music and performing in orchestras. His passion for music and justice propelled his career as a musician, leading him to become a radio and podcast producer, and an activist. An eloquent storyteller, Loki Karuna spoke with Suzanne about his weekly podcast Trilloquoy, his job as Director of Artist Equity of the American Composers Orchestra, and his nationally- syndicated radio programs - The Sound of 13 and Gateways Music Festival. He also shared some of his thoughts about diversity, disruption, and discovery in the world of classical music.

Howard Bass, Tina Chancey, and Susan Gaeta are the members of Trio Sefardi, a group they formed in 2010 to perform traditional songs of the Sephardim – the descendants of Jews exiled from Spain in 1492. They draw on their individual experience and expertise in many different genres of music, including jazz, folk, and early music, and they mine the rich song traditions of Sephardic communities from the former Yugoslavia, Greece, Bulgaria, Turkey, and North Africa. Trio Sefardi has a special place in their hearts for the traditional and original songs they learned from their mentor, Bosnian-born singer/composer and 2002 National Heritage awardee Flory Jagoda. Suzanne spoke with Tina Chancey and Howard Bass about their work with Trio Sefardi, and why this music is so personally important to each of them.

Tammy McCann loves music. She lives and breathes her craft, and starts each day acknowledging and celebrating Music's importance in her life. She talked with Suzanne about her life as a professional jazz singer, her start as an opera singer, and how playing the double bass is the instrument she feels she was meant to play.

Kelly Hall-Tompkins is a dynamo – full of energy, positivity, passion, and initiative. The talented violinist is an award-winning and acclaimed musician with an international career, as well as an entrepreneur, humanitarian, and social justice advocate who founded MUSIC KITCHEN – FOOD FOR THE SOUL. She brings together other professional musicians to share the uplifting power of music with unhoused people, and the movement continues to grow. Suzanne spoke with Kelly Hall-Tompkins about the power and passion of music, and how she loves to share it.

Award-winning and critically-acclaimed singer Elijah McCormack's repertory includes baroque music, contemporary music, and everything in between. He is a male soprano who grew up in a family in which music was and is an important priority – they all sing in the church choir, and his late father played viola in a local professional orchestra. (Growing up in Connecticut, Elijah has also been listening to Sunday Baroque all his life!) He didn't start considering music as his career path until he was already in college studying art and had the encouragement of teachers and mentors. Suzanne spoke with him about his growing career in music, including defining "male soprano" as compared to other vocal ranges, and his experience as a transgender musician.

Lauren Rico is a veteran classical music broadcaster who keeps countless listeners across the United States company with her friendly, down-to-earth approach. In 2016 she started sharing her passion for classical music with a different audience: readers of romance novels. Beginning with her self-published erotic thriller, REVERIE – in which she set out to "put the sexy back in Bach." She followed up with two more novels, RHAPSODY and REQUIEM. Lauren is my longtime colleague and personal friend, and we chatted about how and why she added "award-winning author" to her resume and (literally) wrote a new chapter in her career.

For as long as I can remember, naysayers have been predicting the "death of classical music." Audiences are aging, and ticket sales are often a struggle for classical music concerts, and some people are concerned that the art form will "die" as a result. Andrew Ousley leaned into that fear when he established his concert series, THE DEATH OF CLASSICAL, in 2015. He even holds the concerts in venues such as crypts, catacombs, and cemeteries. As a result, audiences are alive and well for THE DEATH OF CLASSICAL – attracting younger people and classical music newbies. Suzanne spoke with Andrew Ousley – an entrepreneur, writer, photographer, and public relations innovator – about his mission to give new life to classical music.

Violinist Yanet Campbell Secades is featured on the 2023 recording BREAKING BARRIERS with Carlos Bastidas leading Ontario Pops Orchestra. The Camagüey, Cuba native is one of three up-and-coming young women instrumentalists performing as soloists in concertos by Johann Sebastian Bach and Antonio Vivaldi. Yanet Campbell Secades joined Suzanne to chat about her early interest in and talent for music, what it was like having her professional-musician father as her first private teacher, making BREAKING BARRIERS, and what she's looking forward to next.

Alison DeSimone is a musicologist – someone who is a scholar of music and its relationship with a wide variety of other disciplines. She is an Associate Professor of Musicology at the University of Missouri-Kansas City – and she specializes in music of the Renaissance and Baroque eras. Alison DeSimone joined Suzanne to talk about what a musicologist does in general, her personal areas of expertise, and how she found a way to combine her passions for music and history into a career as a musicologist.

James O'Donnell is a Professor in the Practice of Organ at Yale University's Institute of Sacred Music and the Yale School of Music, where he teaches graduate-level organ majors and other students in sacred music. He also directs a newly-established professional liturgical vocal ensemble at Yale. James O'Donnell brings to New Haven his exceptional talent and vast experience as a concert organist, choral conductor, liturgical musician, and teacher, having served as Master of Music at Westminster Cathedral and Organist and Master of the Choristers at Westminster Abbey. Suzanne spoke with James O'Donnell about his life in music, including his work on such historic events as a 2010 service attended by Pope Benedict and the 2011 wedding of Prince William and Catherine Middleton.

There's a particular type of collaboration that exists in a chamber music ensemble. The award-winning Catalyst Quartet's collaborative efforts involved choosing projects and conducting scholarly research that will have maximum impact in their mission to achieve unity and celebrate composers of color whose works have been overlooked by the traditional canon. Catalyst Quartet cellist Karlos Rodriguez spoke with Suzanne about the ensemble's ongoing series of UNCOVERED recordings that highlight the musical genius of composers such as Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson, William Grant Still, and George Walker, to name just a few.

The talented young pianist Clayton Stephenson's story is more than just an inspiring example of the power of music. It is also a story of tenacity and resourcefulness, and the importance of teachers and mentors. The New York City native loves to immerse himself in the work of the countless musicians he admires. Clayton Stephenson is currently enrolled in a dual degree program at Harvard and the New England Conservatory of Music, and balancing a busy performing schedule as a concert pianist. He made time to come to the studio and speak with Suzanne about his zest for life and music, and to play a few tunes.

Violinist Holly Mulcahy is concertmaster of the Wichita Symphony, and has previously held that position in other symphonic orchestras across the country. She is also a busy soloist and chamber musician who regularly performs at a maximum security prison. Holly Mulcahy is the founder and leader of an organization that strives to " … help people in need through the power of art, culture, communication, and live music." She spoke with Suzanne about her passion for bringing music to EVERYONE, and the intelligence and deep thinking she regularly encounters from the inmates she meets.

Dr. Rochelle Sennet is a versatile musician, with a wide repertory. The prize-winning pianist has recorded (so far) two albums called BACH TO BLACK in which she combines works by Johann Sebastian Bach with works by Black composers including Samuel Coleridge Taylor, Frederick Tillis, and R. Nathaniel Dett, Florence Price, and many others. Dr. Sennet spoke with Suzanne about her life in music – beginning with her beloved first teacher and mentor – and some of the experiences along the way that have shaped her as a performer and teacher.

Randall Scotting's 2022 debut recording THE CROWN is a tribute to famed 17th century Italian castrato singer, Senesino. Scotting collaborated with the Orchestra of the Age of Enlightenment, conducted by Laurence Cummings, and their collection of these Heroic Arias is receiving critical acclaim. The countertenor spoke with Suzanne about how he found his way to a career in music, details about the countertenor vocal range and its pivotal roles, and about Senesino (aka Francesco Bernardi), who was the subject of Scotting's PhD thesis.

Since her 1984 debut with the Chicago Symphony at age 10, American violinist Rachel Barton Pine has been a trailblazer. Her musical tastes are broad and inclusive – from the baroque era, through all the major classical and romantic works, to contemporary commissions, and heavy metal – and she's a seasoned soloist and chamber musician. Rachel spoke with Suzanne about her career, including the recent 25th anniversary re-issue of her recording of VIOLIN CONCERTOS BY BLACK COMPOSERS, and her ongoing personal and professional commitment to promoting the artistic achievements of Black musicians.

Brooklyn native Eric Rice did not set out to become a professional musician and musicologist. He discovered early music while studying at Bowdoin College and, after four years as a schooner captain at the South Street Seaport Museum, he earned his PhD in Musicology and a Certificate in Medieval and Renaissance studies from Columbia University. He worked as Artistic Director of the Connecticut Early Music Festival and music director of the Boston-based ensemble Exsultemus. Dr. Rice is currently head of the Music Department at the University of Connecticut, where he teaches music history and directs the Collegium. He spoke with Suzanne about his career as a musician and educator, and his musical group, Ensemble Origo, and their 2021 recording of music by Orlando di Lasso for the 1568 wedding of the Duke of Bavaria.