Sunday Baroque Conversations

Rafael Sanchez Guevara is a viola da gamba player and cellist based in his hometown of Mexico City. Suzanne discovered one of his exquisite performances on YouTube and featured it on her daily BEAUTIFUL MUSIC blog. She connected with the musician about his early introduction to music, his passion for the baroque era, and his international career as a performer and teacher.

Award-winning American musician Richard Danielpour is a prolific composer, and many of his high-profile works have embraced timely, topical and historic subjects. In early 2020, Danielpour was deeply troubled by COVID-19. Suffering from insomnia and anxiety, he found solace in pianist Simone Dinnerstein's Bach recordings. As he witnessed extraordinary heroism by so many people across the country, Danielpour wanted to honor them. It seemed only natural to write something for solo piano, and to ask Simone Dinnerstein to give the premiere of his composition, An American Mosaic. Richard Danielpour spoke with Suzanne about his new work, Bach, Simone Dinnerstein, and more.

Dr. Joyce Chen is an award-winning harpsichordist who performs frequently as a soloist and in various ensembles in the northeast US, across the country, and internationally. She is a woman of many talents, interests and accomplishments, and Suzanne was fortunate to speak with her about some of them, including her pandemic-era apprenticeship in making her own harpsichord!

Bassoonist Andrew Brady is at the top of the top tier instrumentalists. Immediately after graduating from the prestigious Colburn School in Los Angeles he won the audition to become Principal Bassoonist in the Louisiana Philharmonic in 2013. Soon after, he earned the Principal Bassoon job in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. The young virtuoso has also long been deeply committed to his family and to community service. Andrew Brady spoke with Suzanne about how he started playing bassoon, and what he hopes to accomplish in his future.

Acclaimed soprano Sherezade Panthaki has an international career as a singer, teacher, and expert in the field of baroque and early music. Born and raised in India, Ms. Panthaki began her musical education at an early age, first as an accomplished pianist, until she discovered that singing was a more personal and expressive means for her to connect with audiences. Sherezade Panthaki chatted with Suzanne about her career, and some of the music she finds most compelling.

Guitarist Richard Savino and his group El Mundo released a new recording in Spring 2021 featuring music from the Cathedral of Guatemala City. The Grammy-nominated musicians are exploring a rich variety of music from colonial Latin America during the baroque era. Richard Savino and two of the singers on the recording, Nell Snaidas and Jennifer Ellis Kampani, joined Suzanne for a conversation about how they chose, prepared and performed these lovely selections.

Musician, teacher and administrator Patricia Ann Neely has been Chair of Early Music America's IDEA Task Force, and she continues her ongoing conversation with Suzanne about making the world of early music more welcoming and inclusive for all. In this installment, Ms. Neely talks about the importance of ongoing conversations about how to move forward successfully together.

Patricia Ann Neely is a seasoned professional musician. She is an expert performer on a variety of early bowed string instruments including viola da gamba, an expert in historical performance practices, a music teacher, and an administrator. Ms. Neely is also Chair of Early Music America's IDEA Task Force, and she continues her ongoing conversation with Suzanne about making the world of early music more welcoming and inclusive for all.

Melanie Punter has had a busy career as a double bass player for decades. The versatile and talented musician is in demand in modern symphony orchestras, as well as for her work playing baroque and early music with period instrument groups. She spoke with Suzanne about her experiences coming up through the prestigious High School of Music and Art in New York, her work as a member of the Orchestra of St. Luke's and as Principal Bassist of the Tallahassee Symphony Orchestra, and why her position was often a lonely one. She even talked about her experience with a certain VERY big heartthrob musician, impressing Suzanne and the Sunday Baroque team into squeals! Find out who it was, and hear their full conversation.

Sallynee Amawat is a violinist whose passion is for baroque and early music. She was so young when she started playing that she doesn't remember life before the violin and making music! Now she imparts her passion to her own students, who range in age from toddlers to retirees. Sallynee Amawat also a co-founder of the Canadian quartet, Infusion Baroque. She spoke with Suzanne and shared her enthusiasm and perspective on music, teaching, and the importance of cultural relationships and cultural exchanges.

Composer Melika M. Fitzhugh is a multi-instrumentalist whose interests transcend centuries, from modern instruments and genres, all the way back to Renaissance and Baroque instruments and music. She especially loves composing modern music for historical instruments because of the unique "chocolatey" sound they impart. Mel Fitzhugh is energetic and upbeat about her life as a composer and music teacher, and she spoke with Suzanne about the process of composing, and some of the things that inspire and motivate her.

Like many musicians, Dr. Justin Bland has had to adjust his career and his expectations for life during COVID-19 lockdown. 2020 was supposed to be a big year for the American musician, who now lives in Denmark. His engagements as a concerto soloist were all put on hold, and he has used the time to practice and work on projects he might not otherwise have had time to tackle. You can hear some of his signature super-high trumpet playing on his many online video-selfies. Dr. Justin Bland spoke with Suzanne about how and when his love for baroque music began, the historical evolution of the trumpet, and the particular challenges of playing baroque trumpet.

Although Ann Hobson Pilot retired in 2009 after decades as Principal Harpist for the Boston Symphony Orchestra, she continues to make music and inspire others. The award-winning international musician spoke with Suzanne about her introduction to music, her trailblazing career as an orchestral harpist, and even how she stays in physical shape to play such a physically demanding instrument. Ms. Pilot also shared her perspective on helping classical music culture become more inclusive and welcoming.

Morris "Mo" Pleasure is a global artist with a career spanning more than three decades. He moves effortlessly between a wide range of musical genres including rock, R&B, and jazz, and his early training was in classical piano and gospel music. The Connecticut native is now based in the UK, where even the pandemic has not stopped his projects, such as an upcoming charity single with other stars, including Michael McDonald and Joss Stone. Suzanne spoke with the extraordinary all-around performer, her onetime college classmate, about his life as a musician.

Canadian musician Brandyn Lewis is a professional double-bass player, currently an interim member of the Montreal Symphony Orchestra, which he has called a "dream come true." He chatted with Suzanne about the trial and error process of finding the right instrument to play when he was still a child, the teachers, mentors and experiences he had along the way, and his growing career as a performer and teacher himself.

Oleg Timofeyev plays guitar and lute, and is a musicologist. The Moscow-born musician has a particular interest in reviving the Russian 7-string guitar and its repertory. He lives in Iowa now, where he teaches, and recently released a download-only album, MUSIC BY 18TH CENTURY WOMEN COMPOSERS. He spoke with Suzanne about his career, the Russian guitar, and his new recording and the collaborators who worked on it with him.

Kayoko Dan stands confident and poised in front of the orchestras she conducts, drawing on her extensive training as a conductor and educator, and her innate passion for music. So it's a bit disarming that she describes herself as "shy" and "introverted." She says she simply knows when and how to assert herself to get what she wants. That started as far back as when she was 3 years old, and convinced her non-musician parents to sign her up for music classes just like the 5 year old neighbor girl. Kayoko Dan is the 8th Music Director of the Chattanooga Symphony, and she spoke about her career with Suzanne.

Pianist Kyle P. Walker is a busy musician with a wide range of interests and activities: soloist, chamber musician, teacher, and social justice advocate. He says he, "believes music can speak to social issues better than verbal language can." Kyle P. Walker spoke with Suzanne about his career and collaborations, including The Dream Unfinished, an activist orchestra and collective which supports NYC-based civil rights and community organizations, and his solo performance project, Bach to BlackNotes, which features works of J.S. Bach juxtaposed with the music of neglected composers of color.

Have you ever seen a carillon? Better yet, have you ever heard one played? There are more than 150 carillons across the United States, and one of them may well be in your community. David Maker is a retired University of Connecticut music professor who became smitten with carillons many years ago when he learned there was one on the UConn campus. He has become an expert about carillons, and has played many of them all over the world. Suzanne (a UConn music department grad) interviewed her former Orchestration Professor about his passion for carillons.

Brought up in Israel, the eldest child of two University Professors, David Greilsammer is a curious man. He is curious about music, of course. But he is also curious about the world in general: the environment, social issues, and other important issues of our time. He spoke with Suzanne and shared a glimpse into his passionate curiosity, and his broad and inclusive approach to music and the creative impulse.