How does a young boy from Lima, Peru grow up to become a world-renowned conductor? What is the role of the conductor in the music their orchestra is performing? What new goals do the Shepherd School of Music have for the 2025-2026 school year? Miguel Harth-Bedoya is an Emmy-winning and Grammy-nominated conductor, and also the Mary Franks Thompson Professor of Orchestral Studies at Baylor University and overseer of the Shepherd School’s preeminent orchestral programs in the 2025-26 season. Miguel and host David Mansouri discuss Miguel's journey to finding a love for music and he explains some about his philosophy on conducting. They talk about Miguel's educational initiatives, his thoughts on the future of classical music - the surprising reason why he wouldn’t use that word himself, and his commitment to community engagement, working with kids, and broadening the audience for orchestral music. Harth-Bedoya also discusses conducting Peter and the Wolf featuring John Lithgow in both English and Spanish, his upcoming role at Rice and his plans to enrich and expand the school's musical outreach. Let us know you’re listening by filling out this form. We will be sending listeners Beyond the Hedges Swag every month. Episode Guide: 01:21 Miguel Harth-Bedoya’s Early Life and Musical Beginnings03:18 First Steps into Conducting07:34 The Role of a Conductor14:27 Working With People Instead of Instruments16:08 Joining the Shepherd School of Music20:06 Community Engagement and Future Plans23:27 Creating More Opportunities for Young People27:43 Caminos del Inka and Musical Legacy35:04 Rapid Fire Questions and ConclusionBeyond The Hedges is a production of the Office of Alumni Relations at Rice University and is produced by University FM. Show Links:Shepherd School of Music at RiceRice AlumniAssociation of Rice Alumni | FacebookRice Alumni (@ricealumni) | X (Twitter)Association of Rice Alumni (@ricealumni) | Instagram Host Profiles:David Mansouri | LinkedInDavid Mansouri ’07 | Alumni | Rice UniversityDavid Mansouri (@davemansouri) | XDavid Mansouri | TNScoreGuest Profiles:Faculty Profile at BaylorMiguelHarth-Bedoya.comInstagramEpisode Quotes:Conductors works with people, not just with instrument 14:23: [David] How do you build a relationship with, or chemistry with, the musicians that you're conducting? What does that look like? Are there things that work particularly well, or things that don't work as well, in building that chemistry or relationship? 14:39: [Miguel] Well, you've hit another big, important aspect of what we do, is we work with people. And conductors need to remember that we are working with people, not with instruments. These are human beings, and each of them have their own lives, their own emotions, their own feelings, their own knowledge, their own background. And we all are sharing the same piece of music. Now, unfortunately, or fortunately, we are the individuals that have to bring units. And sometimes you have to agree to disagree or have others understand that maybe you did it this way, but I think it's this way. So understanding people's willingness and desire to sound good is number one. On building connections beyond music 26:22: I love being very active in connecting with non-musicians. As a matter of fact, what I bring to Rice, or what I will be doing at Rice, is what I've been doing officially since I joined academia, which is: I teach musicians, I teach artists, music teachers, and I teach music lovers. We, as musicians, have to know people in every aspect if we want to think about doing what we're talking about. You cannot have a plan about engaging people in what we do and not be part of it. So, in other words, you have to get your hands dirty. If you want to plant the soil, you cannot just correct from above and let others. How Miguel is opening doors to music and life beyond performance 34:26: In the current times that we live in, the 21st century, and with the technologies that we have available to connect throughout the world, I think creating the doorway—it's both literally a door to get into a building but also a virtual door to expose, first of all, what a musician is and what life as a musician is as well. And because we see somebody performing surgery, it doesn't mean we know the life of a surgeon. In creating more of that, in promoting that, that gateway is there early on, rather than waiting until you're out of high school before you dare to come to my building. And the one way I do this, personally, is by keeping in touch with the younger crowd.
