Phillip Gainsley's Podcast

Phillip Gainsley
  • 4.9 (13)
  • Music Interviews
  • Updated Biweekly

Phillip Gainsley's Podcast

  1. 1d ago

    Daniel Okrent

    Daniel Okrent is the author of seven books, most recently, “Stephen Sondheim Art Isn’t Easy,” of which The Guardian said: “The entire book is sheer delight and Okrent, formerly an editor at The New York Times and a baseball fanatic who effectively invented the modern fantasy baseball league, does a terrific job of telling Sondheim’s life story alongside shrewd analysis of his body of work.”Other reviews have been just as positive, and why not?  It’s the most comprehensive story yet of Stephen Sondheim the man and Stephen Sondheim the composer.  It’s a real pleasure to have him with me on this episode.

    1h 5m

  2. May 17

    Steven C. Smith

    Steven C. Smith is an Emmy-nominated documentary producer, author, and speaker who specializes in Hollywood history and profiles of contemporary filmmakers. A four-time Emmy nominee and 16-time Telly Award winner, Steven has produced and written over 200 documentaries. They include The Sound of a City: Julie Andrews Returns to Salzburg; The Lure of the Desert: Martin Scorsese on Lawrence of Arabia; A Place for Us: West Side Story’s Legacy; and Thou Shalt Not: Sex, Sin and Censorship in Pre-Code Hollywood. He is the author of three acclaimed books: A Heart at Fire's Center: The Life and Music of Bernard Herrmann; Music by Max Steiner: The Epic Life of Hollywood’s Most Influential Composer; and, just recently, Hitchcock and Herrmann: The Friendship & Film Scores That Changed Cinema.  It's a real treat to welcome Steven back to my podcast!

    1h 10m

  3. May 3

    Donald Runnicles

    For over 45 years, Sir Donald Runnicles has built his reputation with several of the most significant opera companies and orchestras, and he is especially celebrated for his interpretations of Romantic and post-Romantic symphonic and opera repertoire which are core to his musical identity.      He has held chief artistic leadership positions at the Deutsche Oper Berlin (since 2009), Grand Teton Music Festival (since 2005), San Francisco Opera (1992-2008), BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra (2009-2016), and Orchestra of St. Luke’s (2001-2007).       Sir Donald was also Principal Guest Conductor of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra for more than two decades (2001-2023), and he is the first ever Principal Guest Conductor of the Sydney Symphony Orchestra (since 2019).       In February 2024, Runnicles was appointed as Chief Conductor of the Dresden Philharmonic, beginning in the 25/26 season.      Sir Donald spends his summers at the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming. This eight-week festival of symphonic and chamber music, five of which are conducted by him as music director, takes place amid the breathtaking beauty of Grand Teton National Park.  Come join our conversation about this hallowed festival.

    52 min

  4. Apr 19

    Max Volbers

    Max Volbers is one of the most versatile young musicians in the field of early music.  He’s  a recorder player, a harpsichordist and now a conductor. He’s a representative of the sound worlds of the 17th and 18th centuries, when musicians mastered several instruments without question. He also devotes himself to new music and regularly works withcomposers on commissioned compositions. Max has performed in major concert halls such as the BerlinPhilharmonie, the Berlin Konzerthaus, the Elbphilharmonie, the KKL Luzern, the Casa da Musica Porto, the Festspielhaus Baden-Baden, the Vienna Konzerthaus, and the Philharmonie de Paris. In addition to his concert activities, Max teaches at the Mozarteum University Salzburg and at various master classes.

    49 min

  5. Apr 5

    James Gaffigan

    American conductor James Gaffigan is recognized worldwide for his extraordinary collaborative spirit, and he has attracted international attention for his work as a conductor of symphony orchestras and opera.  James was recently named the next music director of Houston Grand Opera, and he will assume his new role in the 2027/28 season.  James is in demand at opera companies and symphony orchestras across the world. He serves as the general music director of Komische Oper Berlin, where he leads his third season in 2025/26. He also serves as music director of the Verbier Festival Junior Orchestra.  James Gaffigan has conducted for the Metropolitan Opera, Bayerische Staatsoper, Opéra National de Paris, Zürich Opera, Vienna Staatsoper, Deutsche Oper Berlin, Dutch National Opera, Glyndebourne Festival, Lyric Opera of Chicago, and Santa Fe Opera, among many others.  He regularly leads the world’s greatest orchestras, including the New York Philharmonic, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, San Francisco Symphony,Los Angeles Philharmonic, National Symphony Orchestra, Boston Symphony Orchestra, Cleveland Orchestra, Philadelphia  A champion of new music, James has led more than 30 premieres by composers including Thomas Adès, Kaija Saariaho, Anders Hillborg, Andrew Norman, Sarah Kirkland Snider, and Wynton Marsalis.

    1h 10m

  6. Mar 22

    William Eddins

    William Eddins is the music director emeritus of the Edmonton Symphony Orchestra.  He has also served as principal guest conductor of the National Symphonie of Ireland, resident conductor of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and associate conductor of the Minnesota Orchestra. Bill is co-founder of MetroNOME Brewery LLC, a socially-missioned brewery established in the wake of the public unrest during the summer of 2020 with the objective of nurturing outstanding music education in the Twin Cities Metropolitan area.   Proceeds from MetroNOME go to providing musical instruments, lessons, and education for underprivileged youth in the Twin Cities Metro.  Bill strongly believes that education in general, and music education in particular, is the gateway to a better, more fulfilling life, and he wants to ensure that any child who loves music should be able to find a way to play. Bill has an active and liberal life outside the music world. He is a certified Thai Yoga Massage practitioner who specializes in helping performing artists and athletes, an umpire for the United States Tennis Association, and is in an apprenticeship to become a concert piano technician. His many hobbies include road cycling, cooking, home brewing, and learning. Bill hopes that the music he makes brings you joy.

    1h 6m

  7. Mar 1

    Kent Nagano

    Kent Nagano is one of today’s outstanding conductors for both operatic and orchestral repertoire. He will be the next chief conductor and artistic director of the Orquesta y Coro Nacionales de España (OCNE) in Madrid starting in September 2026 and is the newly appointed principal artistic partner of Filarmonica Toscanini.  He has been honorary conductor of the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin since 2006, Concerto Köln since 2019, the Orchestre symphonique de Montréal since 2021 and the Philharmonisches Staatsorchester Hamburg since 2023 and is as patron of the Herrenchiemsee Festival.  Kent regularly works with leading international orchestras worldwide, 2025/26 season highlights include several projects with the Deutsches Symphonie-Orchester Berlin, the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, Maggio Musicale, the Tonhalle Orchestra Zurich, Opera de Paris, and the Philharmonia Orchestra amont others.    In 2015 Kent published "Erwarten Sie Wunder!" in Berlin Verlag, a passionate appeal for the relevance of classical music in today's world.  In 2019 the book was released in English by the Canadian McGill-Queen's University Press under the title “Classical Music - Expect the Unexpected.”   In September 2021, he published his second book with Berlin Verlag. In "10 Lessons of my Life", he recalls ten deeply personal encounters from which he learned important lessons, not only for his career but for his life more broadly. Among those experiences are encounters with the Icelandic pop artist Björk, Frank Zappa, Leonard Bernstein, Pierre Boulez and the Nobel Prize winner in physics Donald Glaser.  We’ll talk about both books!

    1h 20m

  8. Feb 18

    Fabien Gabel

    Fabien Gabel is Music Director of the Tonkünstler-Orchester Niederösterreich, leading concerts across the orchestra’s three venues in Vienna. He has established an international career with Orchestre de Paris, Chicago Symphony Orchestra, London Philharmonic, The Cleveland Orchestra, NDR Elbphilharmonie Orchester, Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra, Orchestre symphonique de Montréal, Seoul Philharmonic and Melbourne Symphony Orchestra. The 2025/2026 season is marked by important collaborations: Fabien made his debut at the Metropolitan Opera with Carmen; he lead a five-city tour of Spain with Yuja Wang and Mahler Chamber Orchestra; and he conducted premiere performances of Samy Moussa’s Concerto for Flute and Orchestra (with Emmanuel Pahud) with French National Orchestra and the Detroit Symphony, as well as Donghoon Shin’s viola concerto Threadsuns with Minnesota Orchestra and Tonkünstler-Orchester. Fabien works regularly with all major Parisian orchestras, having made his debut at the Opéra national de Paris during the 2022/2023 season. He recently led the recording of a new score for Abel Gance’s 1927 epic film Napoléon with the Orchestre National de France and Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France. The first part of the film was presented at the 2024 Festival de Cannes and shown in theaters, on French television, and Netflix. Born in Paris to a family of accomplished musicians, Fabien Gabel began playinghe trumpet at the age of six and honed his skills at the Conservatoire National Supérieur de Musique de Paris, and at the Hochschule für Musik Karlsruhe with Reinhold Friedrich.         Fabien Gabel was named ‘Chevalier des Arts et des Lettres’ by the French government in January 2020.

    58 min
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Ratings & Reviews

4.9
out of 5
13 Ratings

About

Phillip Gainsley's Podcast

Information

  • Creator
    Phillip Gainsley
  • Years Active
    2020 - 2026
  • Episodes
    100
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Copyright 2026 Phillip Gainsley
  • Show Website
    Phillip Gainsley's Podcast