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.

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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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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.

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Violinist and composer Colin Jacobsen is “one of the most interesting figures on the classical music scene” (The Washington Post). The Avery Fisher Career Grant recipient joins David to describe his many musical families including the string quartet Brooklyn Rider, The Knights, an innovative orchestra for which he is the Co-Artistic Director with his brother, Eric, and the Santa Fe Pro Musica. Colin discusses childhood memories backstage at The Metropolitan Opera, the importance of playing with others, and what he loves about multi-generational musical experiences. Colin also reflects about the evolution of The Knights, which will perform at Carnegie Hall this season and his on-going collaboration with Yo-Yo Ma's Silkroad since its founding in 2000.

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For more information on Colin's musical families check out The Knights, Brooklyn Rider, Silkroad, and Santa Fe Pro Musica.

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Photograph of Colin Jacobsen by Marco Giannavola.

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.

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Grammy-nominated Mexican composer and this season's Carnegie Hall Debs Composer Chair Gabriela Ortiz is renowned for her vibrant compositions that celebrate and transcend musical traditions. To kick things off David shares his excitement about performing Gabriela's work with the Met Opera Orchestra this season and our guest describes what it's like to be paired with musical greats including Wagner and Beethoven, why she wishes she was at the premiere of Stravinsky's "The Rite of Spring," and where she finds inspiration as an artist. Gabriela reflects on the importance of intuition, falling in love with the work of Bartók, and the rich musical environment her parents provided for her as a child. On the back end the composer discusses how she nearly pursued a profession as a flamenco dancer, career challenges, what she did to get the attention of the Mexico City Philharmonic, and why she likes to sit among the audience when her music is performed.

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Photograph of Gabriela Ortiz by Marta Arteaga.

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.

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To close out the year, we're revisiting our interview with MacArthur Genius Grant Fellow and American classical cellist Alisa Weilerstein. The internationally celebrated artist discusses her first instruments (made by her grandmother!), her solo debut at age thirteen with the Cleveland Orchestra, and why she chose not to go directly to conservatory after high school. Alisa reminisces about performing at the White House and chuckles about receiving an apology from President Obama, as well as discusses her groundbreaking new solo concert series Fragments.

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Photograph of Alisa by Evelyn Freja.

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.

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

Grammy Award-winning violinist and conductor extraordinaire Maxim Vengerov is acclaimed for his concerts, recordings, and humanitarian work. The Siberian-born star discusses his discipline as a young musician, why he wanted to be a conductor by age 3, and how he knew at age 5 he had a natural gift for the violin. He reminisces about learning to play while wearing warm gloves, how music became his ticket to the world, and sets the record straight about why he punched his beloved teacher. To close out the conversation Maxim talks about a memorable experience as UNICEF's Goodwill Ambassador, David shares his excitement about performing with Maxim and The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra next month at Carnegie Hall, and our guest recalls "freaking out" on Carnegie's stage many years ago.

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Photograph of Maxim Vengerov by Davide Cerati.

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 © 2024 Artful Narratives Media.

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Two-time Grammy Award-winning soprano Angel Blue is a musical powerhouse. She and David discuss performing at The Metropolitan Opera together, the importance of the Prompter, how Angel draws on her own life experiences when singing, and why she says she is the "the annoying one in the rehearsal room." Reflecting on her childhood, Angel shares what opera she fell in love with at age four, the many voices in which she found inspiration (her father, Leontyne Price, Kathleen Battle), the first time she realized she could affect someone with her voice (in fourth grade!), and the parallels between her beauty pageant days and singing. To close it out, Angel shares her pre-performance ritual and David shares his excitement about performing with Angel and the Met Opera Orchestra later this season at Carnegie Hall.

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Photograph of Angel Blue by Dario Acosta.

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 © 2024 Artful Narratives Media.

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