Grammy Award-winning Scottish-Italian violinist Nicola Benedetti captivates audiences with her passionate and virtuosic performances. The soloist and David kick off the conversation with a debate about the superiority of the trumpet vs. the violin and how Nicola has expanded her instrument's repertoire championing new works, including Wynton Marsalis's violin concerto. Nicola reflects on her childhood listening to classical music with her mom and sister, attending the Yehudi Menuhin school, and how she was badly advised early in her career. She goes on to share what she thought when she was asked to be the Director of the Edinburgh International Festival and how she juggles this role, her performance schedule, and her work as the Founder and Artistic Director Benedetti Foundation. To close it out, Nicola settles an outstanding question about her daughter.

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To learn more about the Benedetti Foundation visit them on the web. For more info about the Edinburgh International Festival check out their site.

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Photograph of Nicola Benedetti by Andy Gotts.

The Speaking Soundly theme song is composed by Joseph Saba/Stewart Winter and used by permission of Videohelper.

Speaking Soundly was co-created by David Krauss and Jessica Handelman.

This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format.

Episode copyright © 2025 Artful Narratives Media.

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Acclaimed piano soloist, member of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, and Artistic Director of the Bravo! Vail Music Festival Anne-Marie McDermott credits playing with others for shaping her own career. She joins David to discuss her childhood with her musical sisters, why a healthy sense of competition is helpful, and how the piano allowed her to come out of her shell. Anne-Marie recalls performing at Carnegie Hall unaware of the importance, when she quit the piano, and how fearlessness has propelled her. To close it out, David asks about when she was "booted" from Manhattan School for Music, what it's like to judge The Cliburn, and the difference of being a soloist vs. a chamber musician.

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Photograph of Anne-Marie McDermott courtesy by Anne-Marie McDermott/Bravo! Vail.

The Speaking Soundly theme song is composed by Joseph Saba/Stewart Winter and used by permission of Videohelper.

Speaking Soundly was co-created by David Krauss and Jessica Handelman.

This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format.

Episode copyright © 2025 Artful Narratives Media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.

Multiple Grammy Award winner and MacArthur Fellow Cécile McLorin Salvant is a fearless singer, composer, and visual artist who is one of the most highly regarded jazz vocalists of her generation. To kick the conversation off, David describes bonding with his daughter over Cécile's music at the legendary Blue Note Jazz Club. Our guest shares how the vibe of an audience affects a performance, the feeling of being in the spotlight, and her love of opera. Surrounded by music as a child, Cécile reflects on the times she tried to quit the piano, her long hatred for practice, how a small fender bender once saved her musical life, and an important lesson she learned from Wynton Marsalis. To close it out, David asks how the vocalist's visual art influences her music, why she plans to turn Carnegie Hall into a jazz club, and Cécile shares her recurring Met Opera nightmare.

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Check out Cécile McLorin Salvant on Instagram, Facebook, TikTok, X, YouTube, Apple Music, Spotify, or the web.

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Photograph of Cécile McLorin Salvant by Mite Kuzevski.

The Speaking Soundly theme song is composed by Joseph Saba/Stewart Winter and used by permission of Videohelper.

Speaking Soundly was co-created by David Krauss and Jessica Handelman.

This interview has been edited and condensed to fit the time format.

Episode copyright © 2025 Artful Narratives Media.

Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.