Speaking Soundly

Grammy Award–winning pianist Evgeny Kissin has been a towering presence in the classical music world for decades and a favorite among audiences worldwide. Evgeny joins David to recall his legendary US debut recital at Carnegie Hall, why firemen closed down his performance in Bologna, and the reason his mother didn't want him to study music. 

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Renowned Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes brings a deep sense of introspection to everything he performs. Our guest reflects on his childhood playing the euphonium in a band compared with his lonely pursuit as a pianist, the moment he realized that "this would be his life," and his relationship with practice. Leif Ove discusses the piece of music of which he never tires, his Beethoven journey with the Mahler Chamber Orc...

Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall Clive Gillinson credits his previous career as a young cellist with the London Symphony Orchestra for shaping his creative approach to managing the world's most iconic concert hall. Clive sits down with David to discuss his kinship with musicians, how he became an arts administrator by mistake, and the secret to raising money. Reflecting on his early days as a musician, our gues...

Grammy Award winner Kayhan Kalhor is a world-renowned virtuoso of the kamancheh, the ancient Persian predecessor to the violin, as well as other instruments. He sits down with David to talk about the origins of the instrument, falling in love with it at age 10, and joining the Iranian National Radio and Television Orchestra at 13-years-old performing alongside musicians 4-times his age. Kayhan recalls how music ...

Alexa Tarantino is a dynamic saxophone performer, composer, and educator, who recently made history as the first female full-time member to join the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra with Wynton Marsalis.

She chats with David about role models, the importance of being fearless, her relationship to practice, and a chance encounter with Philip Bailey that led to her performing with Earth, Wind, and Fire while at the Eastman ...

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 w...

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 ...

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 spo...

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 childho...

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 ...

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 chu...

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 ...

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 inspirati...

Chief Conductor and Music Director of the Czech Philharmonic Semyon Bychkov is an artist whose commitment, passion, and obsession with making music is contagious. To kick off the conversation Semyon and David discuss the unique relationship between a conductor and a musician based on their own experiences performing together at the Metropolitan Opera. The Maestro recalls his earliest musical experiences at age 5 (he had perfect pit...

American tenor Michael Fabiano brings an intense passion to every performance. The recipient of the Beverly Sills Artist Award and the Richard Tucker Award joins David to discuss the obligation of every singer, challenges modern day performers face, the importance of being prepared, and how his analytic mind was made for a life in music. Michael divulges why his journey into opera is unique, how he credits his success to his busine...

Critically acclaimed American pianist and composer Aaron Diehl deftly traverses the jazz and classical worlds. The GRAMMY nominated artist discusses the music of his childhood (Stevie Wonder, Quincy Jones, Milt Jackson, Miles Davis, and Johann Sebastian Bach), early performances on stage at his family's church, and how he learned to play "Deck the Halls" on the piano at age 5. He tells David why loosening u...

American soprano Lisette Oropesa is one of today's most in-demand opera singers. After performing with the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra this past summer in Asia, Lisette sits down with David for our season premiere. To kick the conversation off she discusses what goes through her mind as she sings, how she avoids being a tortured musician, and David's faux pas in Tokyo. Reminiscing about her childhood as a fluti...

American conductor and cellist Jonathon Heyward is the Music Director of the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and the Festival Orchestra of Lincoln Center. It's remarkable that he's achieved such prominent positions at just 31-years-old. On this Season 5 finale of Speaking Soundly, Jonathon sits down with David to reflect on his meteoric rise, the serendipitous moments in his childhood that led to his flourishing career, his evolution ...

American mezzo-soprano and three-time Grammy Award winner Joyce DiDonato is "perhaps the most potent female singer of her generation" (The New Yorker), but her path to stardom was anything but easy and linear. In this special episode of Speaking Soundly, recorded live at Lincoln Center, Joyce discusses the challenges in her early career and how she moved through them with grit, how her father gave her permission to pursue a life on...