Classical Classroom Dacia Clay

Some musicians slide into a symphony position like [image of child on slide]. Joel Dallow isn't one of them. It took 5 years to get his position in the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra. Now, he's on the other side of the audition table as a judge. Which makes him the perfect teacher for cellists who aim to join a symphony. And that's exactly what he does. In this episode, he breaks it down: what it's like to be on both sides of the audition table, what auditions entail, and what judges are listening for.

Joe Burgstaller may *seem* like a normal guy whose played trumpet since he emerged from the womb. But do not be fooled, listener. Something is amiss. (See: Joe's music videos, particularly the video we talk about in this episode which took 26 trips through a car wash to get juuust right.) Is it the lip pursing? Something in the brass? In this episode, Joe teaches all about arranging music---a creative feat that requires communion with dead composers across time.

When pianist Peter Dugan performed on NPR's From the Top at the age of 18, he had no idea that he would one day host the show. In this episode, Peter talks about how he came to be at the helm of a show that's been going for 25 years juuust before a pandemic began. He also teaches us about love, the magic the binds the molecules of music together. And he illustrates how collaborations between musicians have created that magic throughout history, and on From the Top, even in a global pandemic.

Ginger Turner is--excuse us--a brassy broad. She was in the Army and the US Army's Field Band for 27 years. So when it came time to put on the annual Holiday Brass Concert for the International Women's Brass Conference (IWBC) during the pandemic, she leaned right into the challenge. And what resulted was pure, live, holiday magic. Learn about Ginger, the IWBC, and the feats of strength it took to put on a beautiful Christmas concert *safely* during COVID. And how you can watch it!

We hope yule enjoy this holiday-ish show with Tristan Clarke, half of YouTube sensation, the Melodica Men. Learn how 2 Juilliard- and Peabody-trained brass musicians took a detour from their traditional classical music work to play toy instruments on street corners, how they blew up the internet with an 89-second version of "The Rite of Spring," and why they are completely mesmerizing to watch. Also, learn how they distilled "The Nutcracker Suite" down to around 2 minutes of pure Christmas magic.

Conductor and music director Stéphane Denève is busy. He's got at least 4 jobs on 2 continents. But thanks (?) to the pandemic, we caught him sitting still for long enough to teach the ENTIRE HISTORY of French classical music! He starts at the beginning with chant, and goes all the way through to contemporary composers. Learn about pivotal moments in French music history, hear its evolution, and learn what defines it. Oh! And hear him sing up and down the solfege scale so fast it will make you say, "oui!"