Strings Attached

Emmanuel Witzthum is a consultant and lecturer on such topics as - transformation processes in the arts and strategic business development in the arts in the 21st century. At the same time he combines work as composer, artistic director and creator of artistic digital experiences. He currently serves as Head of Creative Development for the Jerusalem Season of Culture and as the curator of the creative resident program at the ZEISS ...

Martin Fröst is a world known clarinet player. I had the fortune to share the stage with him a few times and see how he moves on stage, how he tries to create new pieces in order to change a bit the way we perceive classical music.

we spoke about different art forms, to look at the bigger picture, how struggling with your limitations could actually bring you further than you've imagined and that after all that we should try and enj...

Do music competitions help you to get your career moving? how difficult is it to prepare for a competition? 

I sat down with Juan Perez Floristan, winner of the Rubinstein piano competition to ask him exactly that and more. I found a very thought through young artist who spends a lot of time by himself, a teacher and a storyteller.

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Making changes in life is hard. leaving a job in the Berlin Philharmonic is even harder! 

Ori Kam made this transition from an all star orchestra to a top level string quartet - Jerusalem quartet. 

We talk about the difference between a large ensemble and a small one,  what is the pressure level like in the Berlin Phil, what does he love about the intimacy of the string quartet.

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I have been playing the violin since I was a child, checking off all the right boxes till I got the coveted orchestra job. In this episode I am talking to my friends whom I have known for years about their path and do they love playing in an orchestra. 

My guests are - Yoonshin Song - concertmaster of Houston Symphony,

Alexandros Sakarellos - Detroit symphony,

Filip Fenrych - Falls symphony,

Jeff Dyrda - Winnipeg symphony,

Vivek Ja...

Blythe and Martin Engstroem are a unique couple, there are a few years of age difference between them, She is a musician and he is the head of the Verbier Festival in the Swiss alps. Somehow together they manage to combine work and family life together, pushing this 30 years old festival forward, to create and manage the musical dreams of many more generations to come.

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Dietmar Mueller - Elmau is the owner of the magical Schloss Elmau luxury hotel in Germany. We speak about the differences between hime and his grand father from whom he inherited the hotel, about the war in Russia and the energy crisis and mainly about the importance of music in our lives. 

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There are a few people I can say for a fact that they influenced and challenged me to become a better musician. Gabor Takacs-Nagy is one of them! 

After having a successful career as a violinist in the world renowned Takacs quartet, Gabor had to leave the violin because of physical issues in his hand. This led to a beautiful and fruitful career as a conductor.

We talk about dealing with fears, team player vs solo person and how doe...

When Brendan Kane and I recorded this conversation a few months ago he was just a guest visiting Tel Aviv. In the mean time he moved here and got the principal bass player of the Israel Phil orchestra position. 

we talk about choosing the bass as an instrument, how did he prepare for his Met audition and can one teach to be a Groovy classical bass player?

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Hagar Ben Ari is a fantastic electric bass player. She is on prime time TV since many years as a Bass player on the James Corden show. She's a roll model for many women and speaks freely about being an only women in a men dominant environment. We talked about what's the Bass part in the band, why does she think that the bass is actually very feminine and what are her plans for the future.

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Herve Boissière is the head and founder of medici.tv

Thanks to his vision (and a bit of luck as he says) he founded a streaming service of classical music which became the standard of the way we consume concerts nowadays and in a way was ahead of its time. 

We talk about his passion for music, His adoration for musicians and what are his plans for the future.

Herve shares an advice I think I will try to implement in my daily life.

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How difficult is it to tell a story? an honest one that reflects the truth of all its participants. 

I sat down with Dina Kraft, an experienced  journalist (New York Times, Haaretz, Christian Science monitor) and tried to figure out how does she manage to bring to life different stories with her words.

Dina tells a few heart wrenching stories that bring both of us to tears.

I would love to dedicate this episode to my friend Josh ...

Sometimes it takes an open mic to have an interesting conversation with a friend. I had such a pleasure talking to my friend Ari Vilhjalmsson. Ari is a wonderful violin player from Iceland who moved a few years ago to Tel Aviv.

we spםלק about his interesting heritage, his story of getting to know Björk and what's it like for him to live in Tel Aviv. 

I am happy to shine a spotlight on a musician and a friend I think you should know...

For long time I thought there must be a connection between music and Math and what's the best way to find out if I am right - ask the Math professor. Marcus du Sautoy, a world known math professor, published numerous books, Ted lectures and of course a Netflix show! is a guest in this episode where we talk about symmetry, how to listen to a musical piece and film Good Will Hunting. 

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Siting with Maestro Zubin Mehta for a conversation felt like talking to a living legend. I was lucky to play with him numerous times and we got to know each other a bit. I share with him our first encounter.

He took me to his childhood musical memories, to his father that was his great inspiration, to some great conductors he was fortunate to study with. Listening to this episode one can learn a few things from this great man.

on...