studioHFL

Larry Powell

studioHFL - interviewing legends & legends in the making. Your host, Larry Powell, is a professional musician & educator & Performing Artist for both the Eastman Music Co. & S.E. Shires

  1. 6 days ago

    HFL169 Empress Audio

    HFL169 Empress (Shannon Rugari) Interviewed October 2, 2020 Interview released July 28 , 2026 From San Francisco Ballet to Broadway to “Empress”: Shannon on Owning Your Crown Host Larry returns to his Studio HFL interview series and speaks with Shannon, a former San Francisco Ballet dancer who later performed on Broadway in An American in Paris and now releases music under the stage name Empress. Shannon explains how “Empress” reflects taking ownership of her life and encouraging others to “own their crown,” and shares how music led her to dance, composing on piano from age four, singing publicly for the first time at 19, and creating as a “closeted” singer-songwriter during her ballet years. She discusses the physical and mental demands of ballet, career pressures around body image, how a raw foods diet helped her health and longevity, and the value of visualization, mentorship, and positive leadership from choreographers like William Forsythe. Shannon previews new releases starting in November and mentions composing a symphony during COVID. 00:00 Interviews Return 00:54 Meet The Guest 02:24 Empress Stage Name Origin 02:24 Why Empress 06:44 Own Your Crown 10:28 Composing At Four 13:13 Ballet To Broadway 19:59 Nutcracker Origins 23:34 Body Image And Health 23:39 Ballet Career & Body Image 29:34 A Ballerina Day 37:25 Mental Game And Mentors 39:14 Muscle Memory Mastery 40:01 Mentors And The Village 41:00 Dance As Meditation 42:57 Broadway Transition 42:57 Ballerina To Broadway 49:13 Broadway Confidence Vs Ballet 52:15 Building The Empress Empire 52:27 Music Career as Empress 56:15 Favorite Ballet And Leadership 01:00:44 Rite Of Spring And Music 01:03:26 San Francisco Reality Check 01:06:41 Warm Farewell And Next Steps

    HFL169 Empress Audio
  2. 22 Jul

    HFL168 Harry Miedema

    Harry Miedema — From The O’Jays to Building UIndy’s Jazz Program StudioHFL host Larry Powell interviews saxophonist Harry Miedema about his life and career. Harry discusses retiring from the University of Indianapolis about seven years ago, continuing to play weekly with his Florida-based Blue Heron Sextet (about 90 charts written), and missing teaching. He recounts joining UIndy as an adjunct in 1985 while touring, later directing the jazz ensemble after Jim Edison, and building concerts and a jazz series with help from Jamey Aebersold, including notable guest artists and Edison’s donated chart library. Harry describes 23 years touring with The O’Jays (1976–1998), his West Point band service, lessons with Joe Allard and David Baker, work hiring brass players, sharing a stage with Louis Armstrong in 1971, and recent projects including a clarinet analysis book and transcriptions. 00:00 Interviews Return 00:39 Sponsors Thanks 01:37 Interview Begins 02:12 Obituary Mixup 03:25 Blue Heron Sextet 04:43 Teaching After Retirement 05:19 Building UIndy Jazz 09:03 Concert Series Highlights 10:57 Life With The O'Jays 12:43 UIndy Recruiting Reality 14:34 Teaching Philosophy 15:03 Mentors Joe Allard 17:56 David Baker Influence 18:59 Indy Roots Larry Hall 21:13 Making It Happen 22:10 Learning on the Hustle 23:41 West Point Band Life 24:44 Mentors and Clarinet 25:34 Jamey Aebersold Connection 28:00 O'Jays Brass Hiring Stories 32:43 Louis Armstrong Encounter 34:29 Jazz Game Changers 36:35 Retirement Projects in Florida 38:51 Recordings and Radio Wrap-Up

    HFL168 Harry Miedema
  3. 24 Jun

    HFL165 Andrew Hitz

    Andrew Hitz on Boston Brass, The Brass Junkies & TEM, Mentors, and Finding Creativity in the Pandemic The host returns to Studio HFL interviews begun in 2017, thanks past sponsors and supporters, and introduces an interview with tubist Andrew Hitz. Hitz discusses navigating the pandemic while helping his first-grade son Nicholas in online Spanish immersion, his wife’s work as a middle school band director, and how stepping off the road after 14 years in Boston Brass led him to be a stay-at-home dad and later refocus creatively. He recounts how he joined Boston Brass via an emergency sub gig arranged through Sam Palafian, reflects on early musical immersion at Tanglewood, youth orchestra experiences, and meeting mentors including Palafian and Arnold Jacobs. He describes his passion for Phish (201 concerts) and parallels between musical intensity across genres. Hitz explains how his network and desire to keep collaborating with Lance LaDuke led to The Brass Junkies and later The Entrepreneurial Musician (TEM), and how business learning grew from social media and arts marketing interests while he remains selective about performing. 00:00 Welcome Back Updates 00:43 Sponsors And Supporters 01:43 Interview Kickoff Praise 05:24 Life In The Pandemic 06:23 Stay At Home Dad Shift 10:55 Spanish And Early Listening 12:10 Joining Boston Brass 16:48 Youth Orchestra Pressure 28:12 High School Band Reality 30:51 Meeting Your Heroes 33:55 Why Phish Matters 39:08 Phish Shows And Tickets 40:47 Empire Brass Origins 41:41 Meeting Sam Pilafian 42:36 Empire Brass Seminar 44:19 Inside Open Rehearsals 45:26 Rolf Intensity Story 47:32 Chamber Music Dynamics 50:25 Empire Performance Fire 51:12 Mnozil Brass Magic 53:22 Touring Life Reflections 54:53 Starting Brass Junkies 01:09:38 TEM Business Origins 01:14:02 Playing Versus Podcasting 01:20:27 Wrapping Up and Thanks

    HFL165 Andrew Hitz
  4. 20 Mar

    HFL 163 Rob Roy McGregor 2nd Interview

    This is Larry's second interview with Rob Roy McGregor on Balquihidder Music, Publishing, and Practicing Trumpet Excerpts Rob talks about editing, trust, and avoiding gossip. They discuss publishing and distribution, including selling Balquihidder Music to Carl Fischer while keeping the Balquihidder imprint, moving eBooks onto Carl Fischer’s iTunes store, and placing Jean-Michel Pilc’s book It’s About Music for wider exposure. Rob explains how brass publishing relies on one-to-one promotion, social media, and high-profile performers, and why new repertoire struggles to displace standard works in education. He recounts founding Balquihidder in 1991, the origin of its name, expanding from his own excerpt materials to 180 titles, and his process-driven approach to preparing excerpts and piccolo trumpet parts by reducing tension and building range gradually. 00:00 Welcome Back Update 00:39 Sponsors And Support 01:24 Zoom Setup And Greetings 04:22 Interview Goals And Editing 06:16 Trust And Public Image 09:13 Selling To Carl Fischer 11:59 Books Worth Reading 14:24 Why New Music Struggles 21:38 Marketing And Word Of Mouth 25:23 Balquihidder Imprint Today 28:07 Origins Of Balquihidder 32:50 Naming And Early Growth 36:25 From Hobby To 180 Titles 38:31 Early Finale Struggles 40:31 Why Stick With Finale 40:57 Origins of Excerpt Books 42:03 Auditions and Musical Growth 46:45 Building Etudes for Students 48:54 Method Behind the Volumes 51:25 Context Beats Raw Chops 54:52 Practical Tools Approach 57:11 Piccolo Comeback at 70 01:02:20 Stepwise Practice Regimen 01:08:56 Air Management and Patience 01:10:40 Teachers and Growing Up 01:14:19 Closing Thanks and Farewell

    HFL 163 Rob Roy McGregor 2nd Interview

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studioHFL - interviewing legends & legends in the making. Your host, Larry Powell, is a professional musician & educator & Performing Artist for both the Eastman Music Co. & S.E. Shires

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