A Musical Life with Hugh Sung

Temple University’s Music Preparatory Division, or “Temple Music Prep” for short, is a program located in the heart of center city, Philadelphia, that provides high quality, non-credit music and dance instruction, and related activities to the Community on behalf of the Boyer College of Music and Dance, and Temple University at-large. World-renowned violinists Sarah Chang and Elena Urioste, as well as several members of the Philadelphia Orchestra share something in common: they were all participants of Temple Music Prep. I also started my own professional career right after graduating from Curtis as a theory teacher and chamber music coach at Temple Music Prep. To this day, I’m not sure who had more fun in my theory classes - the kids jumping up and down on the shaving cream staff lines I painted on the floor or the parents laughing outside my class! Anyway, I digress. This month, Temple Music Prep will be celebrating 30 years of excellence with a series of performances featuring students from their Center for Gifted Young Musicians, culminating in a gala concert on Saturday, May 13, 7:30 PM at the Church of the Holy Trinity on Rittenhouse Square. Before we visit some of the amazing students and teachers at Temple Music Prep, I want to point out that Temple Music Prep provides quality music and dance instruction to everyone at all ages and ability levels, from their early childhood and Suzuki programs to adult classes and community ensembles. In fact, some of the students we will listen to started participating at Temple Music Prep when they were toddlers themselves. Links Temple Music Prep's website: http://www.temple.edu/boyer/community/music-prep/ Temple Music Prep's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TempleMusicPrep FESTIVAL OF YOUNG MUSICIANS Friday, May 5– Saturday, May 13, 2017 All performances are free and open to the public Friday, May 5 7:30 PM Chamber Players Orchestra Ensembles Concert Featuring members of the Chamber Players Orchestra - Temple University, Rock Hall 1715 North Broad Street Lot parking: Liacouras Center Garage - Fee required. Located at 15th St. and Montgomery Ave. (Enter from either 15th St. or Sydenham St.) Saturday, May 6 4:00 PM Youth Harp Ensemble Concert Featuring the Temple Music Prep Youth Harp Ensemble, Manijéh Pickard, Acting Director - Temple University, Rock Hall (See May 5 for address and parking) Friday, May 12 7:30 PM Showcase of Chamber Ensembles Featuring members of the Youth Chamber Orchestra, Charles Parker, Jr., Ensembles Coordinator - Church of the Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square 1904 Walnut Street Parking options: Street parking, public garages Saturday, May 13 2:00 PM Singular Strings: Large Ensembles in Performance Featuring Chamber Players Orchestra, Davyd Booth, Conductor; Baroque Players, Aaron Picht, Conductor - Church of the Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square 1904 Walnut Street Parking options: Street parking, public garages Gala Concert Saturday, May 13 7:30 PM Church of the Holy Trinity Rittenhouse Square 1904 Walnut Street Parking options: Street parking or public garages Featuring: Youth Chamber Orchestra Temple Music Prep Youth Harp Ensemble, Aaron Picht, Conductor with Elena Urioste and Paul Laria Guest violin soloists / YCO Alumni 2017 Inspiration Award Recipient Yumi Ninomiya Scott / Premiere of work by winner of the Boyer Composition Project Competition, Simeon Pate Church Alumni of YCO You are invited to join the celebration by performing a special piece with the current YCO. Please call or email for details and music in advance. Now available on iTunes – A Musical Feast: The Youth Chamber Orchestra in Concert – released on BCM&D Records. To contact Temple Music Prep: Call: 215.204.1512 Email: musicprep@temple.edu

Jeff Russo was one of the two founding members of the rock band “Tonic”, perhaps best known for their number one hit in the 90s, “If You Could Only See”. Nowadays, Jeff is in demand as a TV and film composer, having scored music for hit shows like “Fargo”, “American Gothic”, and can currently be heard on the new FX Marvel series, “Legion”. Welcome to A Musical Life. I’m Hugh Sung. Jeff Russo is a two-time GRAMMY® and Emmy-nominated musician who taught himself to play the guitar as a child before going on to become one of the founding members of the multi-platinum selling rock band, “Tonic”. Their debut album, “Lemon Parade”, posted three singles in the U.S. Mainstream rock Charts’ Top 10 back in 1996, with the song, “If You Could Only See,” rocketing to number one. Jeff is now a highly sought-after film and TV composer, having scored the music to the new show “Legion” based on Marvel’s mutant comic book characters and currently airing on FX. He’s currently working on the score to season 3 of the hit series, “Fargo”. Links Jeff's Website: http://jeffrusso.com/

David Hart is the developer of the G4 Guitar Method, a method based on his two decades of teaching and opening schools throughout Australia. David’s G4 method not only teaches students the 7 essential skills of guitar playing - it also teaches teachers how to become entrepreneurs and open their own schools, as evidenced by the 50 franchises of the G4 Guitar method around the world. For most musicians, “sales” is a dirty word. “Art” and “business” are concepts that mix about as well as water and oil in their minds. But for David Hart, the business of music education is all about helping students succeed in becoming better players and teaching teachers essential entrepreneurial skills to grow and keep their student base. David himself learned to play the guitar in the early 1980's and spent many years performing on the Australian music scene in various cover bands as well as solo performances as a singer/songwriter. David discovered his passion for teaching at an early age, opening the first of several guitar schools in Australia back in 1987, and launching his G4 Guitar Method back in 2005. If you’re a music teacher struggling to find or retain your students, no matter what instrument or genre of music you’re in, you’re going to find this interview enlightening, inspiring, and practical. Links David's G4 Guitar Method: http://g4guitarmethod.com/

Carol Jantsch became the first female tuba player to win a major symphony orchestra position while she was still a senior attending the University of Michigan back in 2006. In addition to her duties as principal tuba of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Carol has been active as a tuba soloist, appearing in recital and in concerto settings with orchestras and ensembles around the world, and now has started her own tuba cover band called “Tubular”. Carol Jantsch is a stunning virtuoso musician, which is perhaps even more remarkable for the fact that she performs on an instrument that isn’t typically known for its virtuoso capabilities. As you’ll hear in this interview, Carol thrives on hearing folks exclaim, “I never knew the tuba could sound like that!” I recently had the opportunity to sit down with Carol after a reading rehearsal together, and learned that she is not only a musical virtuoso, but between her varied interests in ultimate frisbee, distance running, reading voraciously and writing her own solo and ensemble arrangements for her tuba cover band, “Tubular”, she is also a virtuoso in the art of living. Links Carol's website: http://www.caroljantsch.com/ Tubular's Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/TubularBand/

Sara Davis Buechner has been hailed by The New York Times for her “intelligence, integrity and all-encompassing technical prowess”. As one of the leading keyboard artists of our time, Sara has an active repertoire of over 100 piano concertos and has appeared with prominent orchestras all over the world. Sara was recently appointed to the piano faculty at Temple University's Boyer College of Music and Dance, in Philadelphia. Sara Davis Buechner first came to prominence as David Buechner, winning the gold medal in the 1984 Gina Bachauer International Piano Competition, and a Bronze Medal in the 1986 Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition in Moscow. Incidentally, as a result of being the only medal winner to perform on a Yamaha piano at the Tchaikovsky International Piano Competition, David was invited to tour Japan, and subsequently became the first American Yamaha artist. In 1998, David came out as Sara Davis Buechner, and underwent gender reassignment surgery in 2002. Now residing in Philadelphia, I had the opportunity to visit Sara for this interview at her new center city apartment. Links Sara's website: http://saradavisbuechner.com/

Sam Rao is a multi-discipline musician, entrepreneur, and developer of Practicia, an innovative app platform that helps students and teachers make practicing more fun and productive. As a musician, Sam studied composition and conducting at Oberlin Conservatory and the Aspen Festival. As an entrepreneur, he co-founded his own music school which grew to be one of the largest in Northern Ohio. Everyone knows that practice makes perfect, and no doubt you’ve heard the old adage, “how do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice, practice”. Ah, but practicing a musical instrument can be the bane of any student and a frustrating topic for teachers and parents alike. I’ll confess, I hated practicing the piano as a kid (and I still hate it as a professional). It’s just one of those “necessary evils” that you have to suck up and do, just like eating your veggies or sticking to your exercise plan, right? As a music educator himself and the co-founder of one of the largest music schools in Northern Ohio, Sam understands the challenges of practicing well. As the CEO and founder of Practicia, he’s introducing a radical new approach to help students and teachers make practicing a musical instrument profoundly more productive and - dare I say - fun? - with some really interesting accountability and gamification tools. Links Practicia website: http://www.practicia.com/ Link to App: https://itunes.apple.com/us/app/practicia/id1023124296?mt=8 Explainer Promo Video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q1NTxIwsafQ&t=26s Features Explained: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6JPOJfbEZHY Sam's email: sam.rao@practicia.com

Roger Ideishi is the Director of Occupational Therapy at Temple University in Philadelphia. He has worked to provide community access and opportunities for children with diverse sensory and cognitive abilities. Roger has worked with such arts organizations as the Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, the Pittsburgh Symphony, the Philadelphia Ballet Company and The Philadelphia Orchestra to help them build meaningful learning experiences for special needs children and their families. In many art performance experiences, such as the theater, the ballet, or a classical concert, there is an implicit expectation that audiences are supposed to remain silent and only express their appreciation through applause at appropriate moments. But for folks with sensory and cognitive challenges, such as Autism, it can be difficult to interpret the complex social cues in an artistic environment, and as a result, they can feel shunned, isolated, and disconnected from these communal experiences. Thanks to Roger Ideishi’s work, more and more arts organizations are finding ways to welcome special needs audiences and experience the power of the arts to connect all members of society in meaningful ways.

Eleanor Sokoloff has been teaching piano at The Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia since 1936. At the ripe young age of 102, she shows no sign of slowing down. Some of her most esteemed students have included the likes of Keith Jarrett, Lambert Orkis, Susan Starr, Leon McCawley, Meng-Chieh Liu, and countless others. This year, Eleanor Sokoloff will be turning 103 years old, and remarkably, she is still teaching piano at The Curtis Institute of Music and pouring tea at one of Curtis’ most beloved weekly Wednesday tea time traditions. This interview was originally recorded 2 ½ years ago as a 2 part video that was significantly edited down for time purposes, but thanks to the long form medium of podcasts, I thought it would be fitting to provide the full version of this wonderful interview with one of the most important piano teachers of our time. By the way, Mrs. Sokoloff was my piano teacher when I was 8 years old, and thanks to her I was able to enroll at Curtis under her tutelage at the age of 13. I should mention that at the time of this interview, there was a construction crew doing some repairs in an adjacent apartment, so I apologize for the drill and hammer sounds you’ll hear at times.

Steven Hackman is one of the most exciting hybrid classical and pop artists on the scene today. Steve has worked extensively with the hit classical crossover group, Time for Three, writing several of their unique arrangements, and is currently the Creative Director of FUSE at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Music Director of the 'Mash-Up' series at the Colorado Music Festival, and founder and creative director of his own music brand :STEREO HIDEOUT: I first met Steve as a young conducting student at the esteemed Curtis Institute of Music, studying under the legendary maestro Otto Werner-Mueller. But while he was pursuing serious classical music studies, he had a secret passion. One day, I happened to be walking by some of the basement practice rooms, and heard the most amazing pop piano and vocals coming out from one of them. You guessed it - it was Steve, who has an amazing voice, and is an incredible pop songwriter in his own right. As a conductor, Steve went on to work with the Reading Symphony and the Indianapolis Symphony. As a pop songwriter and arranger, he continues to collaborate with Time for Three, has a second album of his own original hip hop music in the works, and even had a run on season 7 of American Idol, placing in the top 64 out of 150,000 contestants. But what really got my attention was the amazing symphonic mashups he’s been creating, blending pop and classical mediums in a way that’s exciting new audiences everywhere.

Chad Seiter has composed and produced original music for several major Hollywood franchises such as Star Trek, Fringe, and Lost. He is also Composer, Music Director and Associate Executive Producer for Pokémon: Symphonic Evolutions and The Legend of Zelda: Symphony of the Goddesses touring concert series performing symphonic arrangements of classic Nintendo scores with hundreds of the world’s leading orchestras. Chad Seiter is one of those composers lucky enough to create music that encompasses his passions for movies, TV and video games. Chad started his career as an assistant to Academy Award-winning composer Michael Giacchino, and has produced music for some top video game titles, such as the 2013 ‘Star Trek’ video game based on J.J. Abrams’ reboot film, and 2016’s ‘ReCore’ from Microsoft studios. A die-hard retro gamer himself, Chad’s symphonic arrangements of themes from classic NIntendo games has been a huge success, and a great way to attract new audiences who have never been to a live symphony concert before. Links Chad's website: http://www.chadseiter.com/

At the age of 12, Mimi Stillman was the youngest wind player ever to be accepted for studies at The Curtis Institute of Music with the legendary flutist Julius Baker. Now, Mimi is not only a world renowned flute soloist, but she is also the founder and artistic director of the Dolce Suono chamber music ensemble, as well as an author, arranger, teacher, and lecturer with a doctoral degree in history. Back when I was the Director of Instrumental Accompaniment at The Curtis Institute of Music, I had the good fortune to work with Mimi Stillman, one of the most remarkable young flutists I have ever met. Mimi has gone on to do incredible things as a musical and artistic pioneer, championing new works by living composers, getting her doctoral degree in history from the University of Pennsylvania, and enriching the Philadelphia cultural scene with her remarkable chamber ensemble organization, Dolce Suono. Links Mimi's website: http://mimistillman.com/ Dolce Suono's Website: http://dolcesuono.com/

Joseph Conyers is a remarkable musician, educator, and civic leader. In 2007, Ebony magazine named him one of ‘30 Leaders 30 and under’. In addition to his position in the Philadelphia Orchestra, Joe is the Music Director for the School District of Philadelphia's All City music program, and founder of Project 440, an organization that provides high school students with opportunities and tools for individual growth and community impact. Happy New Year! I hope you had a wonderful, restful holiday! What a great way to start 2017 interviewing one of the most remarkable people I know, Joe Conyers. I’ve known Joe since his student days at Curtis, and it’s been such a joy and an inspiration to see his incredible life journey and passion for giving to others, from his tenures at the Atlantic and Grand Rapids Symphony Orchestras, to his current leadership position in the Philadelphia Orchestra, All City Music Program, and his remarkable organization, Project 440. Joe was kind enough to take time out of his busy schedule to sit down with me backstage at the Kimmel Center to record this interview. Links Project 440 website: http://www.project440.org/ Joe's bio on The Philadelphia Orchestra website: https://www.philorch.org/about/musicians/joseph-conyers#/

For 40 years, Tom Di Nardo has covered the Philadelphia arts scene through his articles in the Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News. Tom recently published two new books: “Listening To Musicians”, a compilation of interviews and reflections on the conductors, musicians and artists associated with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and “Performers Tell Their Stories”, where Tom gets to share stories from his interactions with artists from the classical, jazz, opera, ballet, and pop worlds. Links Listening to Musicians Performers Tell Their Stories

Alan Morrison is recognized as one of America's premier concert organists, performing in prestigious concert organ venues across the United States and in Canada, as well as in international festivals. Alan is currently the head of the organ department at The Curtis Institute of Music, and is a faculty member of Westminster Choir College and College Organist at Ursinus College. I had the good fortune of attending The Curtis Institute of Music at the same time as Alan Morrison, who in reality is a triple threat as an organist, collaborative pianist, and harpsichordist. Alan was a close friend of Fred Rogers, and even appeared on a few episodes of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” back in 1994. If you don’t know anything about the organ, you’re in for a real treat with this interview, as Alan helps us unpack what all those thousands of buttons and switches do and all the components that make the organ the true “king of instruments”. Links Alan's website: http://www.alanmorrison.us/

Frederic Chiu is one of those renaissance polymath pianists for whom music is a prism for exploring life in its totality. From recording the entire oeuvre of Prokofiev’s piano literature to exploring the relationships between disparate cultures, interests in computer science and artificial intelligence, and even using the principles of cooking to explore deep learning principles, Frederic is a fascinating example of what a beautiful mind looks like in the world of music. Frederic Chiu’s latest album, “Distant Voices”, is a fascinating amalgam of exploring deep connections between diverse musical cultures while stretching the boundaries of music technologies - and even time travel - with the use of Yamaha’s DCFX, a Disklavier concert piano that features the world’s most advanced reproducing technologies where the subtlest keystrokes and pedal actions are captured in incredibly high resolution. The result is a blended experience, where listeners can have the option to watch Frederic on video connected to a Yamaha Disklavier piano that can play back a perfectly captured synchronized performance. Links Frederic's website: http://www.fredericchiu.com/EN/Welcome.html Beechwood Arts: http://www.beechwoodarts.org/Welcome.html Beechwood Arts' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beechwoodarts/?__xt__=31.[759463819%2C%22intro_card%22%2C%7B%7D]&pnref=lhc Classical Smackdown: http://www.fredericchiu.com/Classical_Smackdown/Welcome.html

Pianists with small hands have to overcome considerable physical challenges in order to be able to play great literature for the piano. Oftentimes those challenges lead to muscle strain and even career-ending injuries. To address the unique needs of smaller hands, engineer and business owner David Steinbuhler collaborated with pianist Christopher Donison in 1991 to develop a new set of standard sizes and prototypes of smaller piano keyboards. The magic for creating these smaller keyboards takes place in David Steinbuhler's Titusville, Pennsylvania ribbon factory, a family-run business that has been around since 1897 . Step inside and you'll see thousands and thousands of spools of ribbons and rolls of string made to create those ribbons, along with an endless array of machinery, much of it custom built by David's grandfather and uncle. Because they need to make their own parts and tools, David's factory uses a number of specialized machines called CNC, or Computer Numeric Control machines, which use computers to precisely design and cut out parts from wood. David's piano keyboard workshop can be found on the second floor of his factory, surrounded by old pianos and tools used to create his custom Donison Steinbuhler smaller sized keyboards. Note: This episode was originally produced as a video documentary. Be sure to visit amusicallife.com to watch the full video. Links Steinbuhler & Company Website: http://www.steinbuhler.com/index.html PASK Pianists for Alternatively Sized Keyboards website: http://www.paskpiano.org/index.html

Kayhan Kalhor is one of the greatest living masters of the Kamancheh, a 3 or 4 stringed Persian spiked fiddle and ancient predecessor to the modern cello. Kayhan performs around the world extensively as a soloist and collaborator with a wide variety of musicians, including Yo-Yo Ma and the Silk Road ensemble. The kamancheh is an incredibly soulful, deeply expressive instrument that can sound like the human voice or a woodwind instrument in the right hands. Talking with Kayhan gave me a wonderful opportunity to explore the world of Persian classical music, a field that is completely new to me, with an outside perspective that I imagine might be similar to someone who doesn’t know anything about Western classical music. What should I be listening for? What are the elements helpful to understand so that I can gain a deeper appreciation for the beautiful sounds I hear? Links Kayhan's website: http://www.kayhankalhor.net/ Silk Road Project: https://www.silkroadproject.org/

Hector Olivera was a child prodigy on the organ, having performed for the likes of Eva Perón, the first lady of Argentina, when he was only five. Hector has since become an international sensation, performing on all the great cathedral organs around the world, as well as embracing the possibilities of digital organs with his stunning live performances of classical as well as popular and movie transcriptions. The mighty pipe organ has been hailed as the “king of instruments”, with its ability to reproduce the sounds of entire orchestras, and actually has been in existence since the time of the ancient Greeks. Throughout its history, the organ represented the cutting edge of technological and musical capabilities. It’s rather curious that in recent times, with the advent of digital organ technologies that simulate the massive pipe structures and add more sound and performance capabilities, there has been quite a bit of resistance from traditional organists to embrace these newer, smaller instruments. Hector Olivera is a remarkable musician who freely embraces both traditional and digital perspectives, and his performances leave you wondering, “how is it possible that one person could play all those instrument sounds all at once?” Links Hector's Website: http://www.hectorolivera.com/

Seymour Lipkin was an esteemed faculty member of the Juilliard School and The Curtis Institute of Music. His understated persona coupled with a towering intellect resulted in a passionate fidelity to the composer’s intent on the score, as can be heard in his complete recordings of the Beethoven and Schubert piano sonatas. A longtime director of the Kneisel Hall summer chamber music festival in Blue Hill, Maine, Mr. Lipkin died near his beloved festival last year at the age of 88. On Wednesday, Nov. 9 at 7:30 pm, there will be a memorial concert in honor of Seymour Lipkin at Weill Recital Hall in Carnegie Hall, featuring his former piano students Koji Attwood, Steve Beck, Andrius Zlabys, Jenny Q. Chai, Rieko Aizawa, Lora Tchekoratova, and Ieva Jokubaviciute, with Laurie Smukler on Violin and Joel Krosnick on Cello. Visit http://amusicallife.com/lipkin for tickets and information. Links Seymour Lipkin's Website: http://seymourlipkin.com/

History is full of stories of great musicians with financial struggles - Beethoven, Schubert, even Mozart was said to have been buried in a pauper’s grave. The image of the “starving artist” tries to glorify the idea that great musicians are supposed to sacrifice everything in pursuit of their art and not expect any commercial gain, much less “stain” themselves with mundane business pursuits. But we forget that before these great musicians of the past were immortalized for their music, they too had to face the same career struggles as today’s musicians to find work, make money, and get recognized. And then there are the amazing success stories of musicians like soprano Jenny Lind, the 19th century “Sweedish Nightingale”, who earned an astonishing $9 million from her tour of North America. Musicologist Mark Samples has been studying the careers of the great musicians of the past, and has some fascinating takeaways for today’s musicians to help them break out of the “starving artist” mindset and show how both artistic and financial success don’t need to be mutually exclusive. Links Mark's Website: http://www.mark-samples.com/