Scms: Classical Conversation Podcast

SCMS Festival Artist and cellist Sæunn Thorsteinsdóttir discusses her musical education in her home country of Iceland and in the United States, her collaborations and recordings, and her experience as a teacher.

SCMS Festival Artist and flutist Lorna McGhee talks about her musical background and training in Scotland, plays a Debussy excerpt, discusses the famous Alexander Technique. She also speaks about her husband (a violist) and her latest album, consisting of solo flute music.

SCMS Festival Artist and pianist Andrew Armstrong discusses his recent injury, his extensive collaboration with composer Lisa Bielawa, and his recent Canadian tour with SCMS Artistic Director James Ehnes.

SCMS Festival Artist and pianist Orion Weiss discusses his history with the SCMS Festival, several of his recordings, and his historical interest in World War I and the composers who lived through it. Listeners are also treated to an exclusive preview of music by Granados, Janacek, and Scriabin that will be featured on Orion’s upcoming album.

SCMS Artistic Director and violinist James Ehnes talks about the support he received from the Canadian music community, his friendship with pianist Andrew Armstrong, and his ideas for programming the Winter and Summer Festivals at the Seattle Chamber Music Society.

SCMS Festival Artist and cellist Julie Albers discusses the influence of her teacher Richard Aaron, her recordings with pianist Orion Weiss of the music of Robert Schumann and Sergei Rachmaninov, her teaching at the McDuffie Center for Strings at Mercer University in Macon, Georgia, her work with her siblings in the Albers Trio, and her first year as principal cellist of the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra.

SCMS Festival Artist and cellist Bion Tsang discusses his new CD project, 'Bion Tsang at Blue Rock', a collection 19 short virtuoso showpiece for cello and piano featuring Tsang transcriptions for the cello, the influence of his teacher Leonard Rose, his live performance with silent films, and his new cello made by a Texas-based luthier, Wayne Burak.

SCMS Festival Artist and violinist Karen Gomyo discusses her love of chamber music, the string quartets of Joseph Haydn, her upbringing in music and her study with Dorothy Delay at the Juilliard School, Profokiev’s Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 1 in F minor, Op. 80 and the power of music during tumultuous human experiences, Kodaly’s Serenade for Two Violins and Viola, Op. 12, her collaboration with the Finnish guitarist Ismo Eskelinen, her participation on a new documentary on Stradivarius, and her work with Pablo Ziegler and Ensemble performing the music of Astor Piazzolla.

SCMS artist and pianist Anton Nel discusses the music of Debussy, Mozart, Haydn, Brahms, Paganini, Ravel, his radio program Pianoforte on KMFA 89.5 (kmfa.org), his history with the SCMS Festival, his long-time collaboration with cellist Bion Tsang, his musical upbringing in Johannesburg, South Africa, and his teacher Bela Siki.

SCMS artist and cellist Edward Arron discusses his history with the SCMS Festival and his professional focus on chamber music, his collaboration with SCMS artists and pianists Andrew Armstrong and Jeewon Park, his role as artistic director of the Metropolitan Museum Artists in Concert, and his mother’s legacy as executive director of Carnegie Hall.

SCMS Festival artist and clarinetist Anthony McGill discusses his recording with the Pacifica Quartet of the Mozart and Brahms clarinet quintets, shares his musical up-bringing, his experiences working with Steven Stucky’s on his 2015 commission by SCMS’s Commissioning Club, Cantus, and talks about his work as Principal Clarinet in the New York Philharmonic as well as his performance for the inauguration of President Barack Obama in January 2009.

SCMS Festival artist, violinist and violist, Yura Lee shares her experience as a traveling musician, her recording of the music of Chevalier de Saint-George with the Bayerische Kammerphilharmonie (Reinhard Goebel, conducting), her double-career as a violinist and violist and its artistic implications, as well as her passion for food.

Cellist Robert deMaine shares his upbringing in music, his recording of Tchaikovsky’s Ballets, his work as principal cellist of the LA Philharmonic, his work with John Williams on Williams’ cello concerto towards a recently release recording, his own composition works and his work with the Ehnes Quartet.

Pianist William Wolfram shares his thoughts on the life and music of Franz Liszt, discusses the stylistic difference in piano performance from the late 19th century to today, his musical upbringing and experiences in competitions.

Harpsichord Luc Beauséjour discusses his collaborations with SCMS Artistic Director James Ehnes, shares his long relationship with J.S. Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier from an early-age, Vivaldi’s L’Estro Harmonico, Op. 3 and his musical up-bringing in Quebec.

SCMS’s cellist Efe Baltacigil shares his experience as principal cellist of the Seattle Symphony Orchestra with conductor, Ludovic Morlot, his musical upbringing in Istanbul, Turkey, his work with the Philadelphia Orchestra and Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and his performances during the SCMS Winter and Summer Festivals.

SCMS’s violist Cynthia Phelps shares her experiences during her long history with the Seattle Chamber Music Society’s Winter and Summer Festivals as well as principal violist of the New York Philharmonic. She describes her working relationship with conductor Lorin Maazel – touring in Italy and North Korea and recording Berlioz’s Harold in Italy in 2009. She recalls her upbringing with music and her paths to become principal violist of the NY Phil and an avid Chamber Music performer.

SCMS’s violinist Augustin Hadelich shares insights on his recordings, Sibelus / Adès Violon Concertos (2013), Echoes of Paris (2011) and Flying Solo (2009), on his upbringing as a violinist and the influence on of playing chamber music on his performances as a soloist.

SCMS’s pianist Anna Polonsky shares insights on her experience in recording Mozart’s piano concertos and in performing his chamber music, her work with pianist and husband Orion Weiss in performing 4-hand repertoire including Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring and Dvorák’s Slavonic Dances for piano, four hands, Op. 46, her work with violinists Erin Keefe and Amy Schwartz Moretti, her work in the Schumann Trio with violist Michael Tree and Clarinetist Anthony McGill, and her teaching experience at Vassar College - All musical examples are from Anna Polonsky’s recordings and archival recordings of the Seattle Chamber Music Society festivals.

SCMS’s violinist Ida Levin shares insights on her long history with the Seattle Chamber Music Society festivals, her musical beginning in Los Angeles, her experiences at Marlboro Music festival, her performance at the White House, her various mentors, her work with composer Leon Kirshner, her performances of the Tchaikovsky String Quartets - All musical examples are from Ida Levin’s recordings and archival recording of the Seattle Chamber Music Society festivals.