Speaking Soundly

We're back with three more inspiring conversations featuring pianist Gabriela Montero, pianist Jeremy Denk, and cellist Alisa Weilerstein.

Thanks to our good friends at Ravinia for helping to make the…

Preeminent Principal Tuba for the Santa Fe Symphony and New Mexico Philharmonic Dr. Richard Antoine White's personal journey to the stage is astonishing. He shares how he overcame the circumstances o…

Six-time Grammy Award winner and Oscar nominee Terence Blanchard is a famed trumpeter, band leader, and composer. Recently, he also became the first Black composer commissioned by the Metropolitan Op…

American Violinist David Chan is the esteemed Concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra, an honored position he's held for more than two decades. He's also made a name for himself as a respec…

Grammy nominated artist Missy Mazzoli has established herself as one of the top composers of her generation. In 2018 she made history when she became one of the two first women to be commissioned by …

Internationally recognized trumpet player Tine Thing Helseth is the first ever classical artist to win Newcomer of the Year at the Norwegian Grammy Awards—the Spellemannprisen. Tine talks about her e…

Two-time Grammy Award winner James Ehnes is one of the most sought-after violin soloists on the international stage. James and David discuss a shared performance at Carnegie Hall and an unexpected mi…

Acclaimed composer, multi-instrumentalist, and Silk Road Ensemble member Kaoru Watanabe began playing Western Classical music at a very young age. After graduating from conservatory as a jazz flutist…

Pop artist Rufus Wainwright is one of the most gifted singer-songwriters of his generation. He's recorded ten studio albums and composed numerous film soundtracks, as well as two operas. Born into mu…

The only conductor to receive a MacArthur "Genius Grant" Fellowship, trailblazer Marin Alsop is the first woman to lead a major orchestra in the United States, in South America, in Austria, and in Br…

Grammy Award-winning American countertenor, actor, and producer Anthony Roth Costanzo has enthralled audiences with his artistry in the greatest opera houses worldwide. He talks about his distinct, c…

Two-time Grammy Award winner, MacArthur “Genius Grant” recipient, and folk artist Rhiannon Giddens is a musical polymath. Defying the odds, she enrolled at Oberlin College to study opera without bein…

International superstar and Grammy Award nominated French-Lebanese trumpeter, composer, producer, and arranger Ibrahim Maalouf's music traverses genres and pushes creative boundaries. He reminisces a…

We're back with more inspiring conversations featuring singer-songwriter Rufus Wainwright, folk artist Rhiannon Giddens, trumpeter Ibrahim Maalouf, conductor Marin Alsop, violinist James Ehnes, and m…

In this bonus episode, David reflects back on guests from the first season of Speaking Soundly who spoke about their growth as musicians. Hear from Ray Chen, Joyce DiDonato, Christian McBride, and Dr…

In this bonus episode David talks about how Speaking Soundly got its start, what he loves most about interviewing his friends and colleagues, and his own musical background and relationship to practi…

Performing as Principal Flute with the Boston Symphony Orchestra while simultaneously initiating a gender discrimination lawsuit against the organization for equal pay was the most difficult period i…

Celebrated American composer Nico Muhly’s brain is wired to work at the speed of sound. His compositional style embraces old and new, and he rebels against the old-fashioned notion of being a torture…

Despite multiple injuries, a pivot to seek out a degree from Columbia University, and a burgeoning corporate career, Alicia Graf Mack was always destined to be in the dance world. As the youngest and…

American mezzo-soprano and three-time Grammy Award winner Joyce DiDonato compares singing into a packed opera house to Roger Federer’s swing, as an effortless, efficient flow that feels like you’re o…