This Interplay, Conversations in Music, is with one of the most remarkable musicians I have ever worked with - **Matthew Kraemer**, music director and conductor of the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra and the Indianapolis Chamber Orchestra. A rare treat as Maestro Kraemer talks about what it is like to be a music director, how he came to this point, and where he hopes to go. A true revelation in every way!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this Interplay, Conversations in Music, I had the most informative and stimulating discussion with the greatest saxophonist in the world, **Timothy McAllister**. There is simply no one like Tim. His playing is so very superlative, and his words on the playing of his many instruments (please do listen to John Corigliano's remarkable TRIATHLON for saxophonist and orchestra in which Tim plays multiple instruments is only one testament) are pure revelation. What a great thrill!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Please join us for this exciting discussion on this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, to learn more.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

**Thomas Little** is widely known for his incredibly articulate and popular podcast The Classical Nerd. He is a wonderfully great teacher with an enthusiastic wit that compels the viewer to keep on watching and learning. But did you know Thomas is a versatile and brilliant composer?

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

I recently spoke on Interplay, Conversations in Music, with conductor **Donato Cabrera**, that rare musician whose every gesture comes from deeply profound musicianship and meaning. I hope you will delve into this talk with a wonderfully warm and engaging personality who is creating great art every moment with a special humanity and caring.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I spoke to the remarkable **Matt Haimovitz**, cellist, and leader in the expansion of the cello repertoire. We discussed the influences on Matt's playing, and why is his life and loves are rarely separate from his organic music making. A discussion not to be missed!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Attention musicians (and everyone else): if you're suffering from any discomfort or even pain, it's time to consult with **Jennifer Roig-Francoli**, a remarkable Alexander Technique teacher and miraculous violinist (and my teacher!). Her new book *Make Great Music with Ease!: The Secret to Smarter Practice, Confident Performance, and Living a Happier Life* is just out on Amazon.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

In this month's INTERPLAY, Conversations in Music, I speak to my dear friend **Kalena Bovell** whose conducting is widely recognized and appreciated for its sincerity, deepest musicality, and emotion. Kalena Bovell, conductor, is that rare person whose music making is a wonderful mix of intelligence, beauty, and that special quotient - making everything she touches sing with organic purity.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's INTERPLAY, my talk is with the remarkable violinist and composer **COLIN JACOBSEN**, co-founder of Brooklyn Rider and The Knights. Colin is a pathbreaking artist always seeking a vibrant path of expression in whatever he does. This Conversation in Music explores his many views on repertoire, chamber music, solo and orchestral playing. Every note he plays is magical, organic, and deeply felt. And all this comes through in our thrilling and touching INTERPLAY.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's Interplay, a most wonderful Conversation in Music with the uniquely gifted conductor **Alexander Soddy**. We met whilst he was in New York to conduct at The Met in the remarkable Anthony Minghella production of Puccini's *Madama Butterfly*. Soddy is a rarity - a musician who can bend a phrase in a dramatic setting with total musicality. Comparisons have been made in the press to Carlos Kleiber, and they are warranted, but Alexander Soddy is surely one of those special artists who puts his all into everything he does. He is an original.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's Interplay, Conversations In Music, I met with conductor and author **John Mauceri** about his important and crucial new book, *THE WAR ON MUSIC: Reclaiming the Twentieth Century*. This social history by a brilliant and consequential conductor is a must read and parallels Maestro Mauceri's work these past 30 years. A must watch and a must read as the issues presented are significant for all of us.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

I had the most enjoyable INTERPLAY Conversation In Music recently with the remarkable conductor **CARLOS KALMAR**. Longtime music director of the Oregon Symphony and Grant Park Music Festival Orchestra, Maestro Kalmar is now director of orchestral music at the Cleveland Institute of Music. He reveals his approach to the score, his background, and what he wishes to impart to his students. Endlessly fascinating!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I had the delightful experience of talking with mezzo soprano **Devony Smith** and pianist **Danny Zelibor**, two extraordinary musicians of peerless skills and immense interpretative range - and they are remarkable people. Please be sure to watch our enjoyable talk.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's INTERPLAY, I had a wonderfully engaging Conversation In Music with the musician I believe is the foremost cellist of his generation, **STEVEN ISSERLIS**. The conversation ranges over many topics, from his approach to learning new music to writing about composers with whom he has a special relationship, and the voice and range of the cello. Our talk went by too quickly. We could have spoken for hours. Watch and you will see why his vibrant personality is simply remarkable and compelling.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's Interplay, I had a truly wonderful Conversation In Music with **Wayne Marshall**, pianist, organist, conductor. Internationally famous and recognized as an OBE in the U.K., Maestro Marshall recently conducted the Berlin Philharmonic and many other well known ensembles. His discography is varied and compelling as a keyboardist and director with a humane and fascinating approach to music making. A not-to-be missed discussion about his approach to style and keyboard playing and his hopes for the future.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's INTERPLAY, please tune into a thought provoking conversation with violinist **Noah Bendix-Balgley**, composer of a brilliant new Klezmer (!) violin concerto, and the First Concertmaster of the Berliner Philharmoniker. Noah relates how he approaches different styles of music, applying the laser focus and total musicality that has brought him to the pinnacle of string playing into a compelling and revealing discussion.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this month's INTERPLAY, a Conversation In Music with the remarkable **Natasha Paremski**, quite simply one of the greatest pianists on our stages. This discussion delves into how her background in Russian pianism and schooling informs her playing. We discuss the position of the hands, how the fingers touch and release, and how relaxed the arm must be to accomplish unrivaled ease with the most difficult music. Ms. Paremski even makes Rachmaninoff concerti look easy. A dynamic conversation in music not to be missed!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

This week's INTERPLAY features a Conversation In Music with a miracle of a musician, **ANDREW LITTON**. Conductor and pianist of undeniable gifts, Maestro Litton is a perfectly natural musician with organic attention to phrasing, style, and projection. We recall our many similar paths over the years, his conducting symphonic works versus ballet, building orchestras and audience across the globe, and how an attention to humanity informs everything he does. Please enjoy this sparkling discussion!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

This week's INTERPLAY is a Conversation in Music with the remarkable conductor and American in Paris, **David Stern**. At home in creating operatic gems in Europe with his Opera Fuoco and in the US at the Palm Beach Opera, Maestro David Stern, the scion of a legendary family, brings to his performances a unique perspective, passionate and organic. A lively and informative discussion!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this week's INTERPLAY, the great pianist **Anton Nel** discusses the master teacher's life during the Pandemic and his hopes for the future as a performing artist. His insights into piano literature, approaches to study, and his favorite works are illuminating. A wonderful talk with a wondrous intelligence and wit.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Anton's website: www.antonnel.com

**Jennifer Roig-Francoli** is my guest on this week’s Interplay, Conversations in Music. Jennifer is that rare combination of a wonderful musician (in her case a remarkable violinist) and a coach. Who else can one talk to about vibrato in Baroque practice at the same time investigating the beauty of Alexander Technique? Please listen in and observe a wondrous intelligence at play.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Jennifer's website: www.artoffreedom.me

On this edition of INTERPLAY, Michael Shapiro speaks with his longtime friend, composer **Alex Shapiro**, about her newest creations and the past, present and future of electroacoustic writing. A conversation between the Shapiros is always scintillating!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Alex's website: www.alexshapiro.org

On this week’s INTERPLAY, the remarkably gifted stage director **JAMES ROBINSON** joins us to talk about his work directing opera and theater throughout the world. I have long been taken with James’ natural way of directing, and this Conversation is no different for its clarity of purpose and beauty of expression. He is truly an American treasure. Come join us for an insider’s look at what makes theater of all kinds work – from the director’s chair.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

James' website: www.opera-stl.org/james-robinson

On this month's Interplay, Conversations in Music, I spoke to conductor **Nic McGegan**, who is the most delightful and insightful person. His visions and practice in Baroque and Classical repertoire are unmatched. His dozens of recordings bear witness to his extraordinary joy of life. I think you will agree that Maestro McGegan is unique and radiants a happiness that carries forth with a special love. Not to be missed!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this week’s INTERPLAY, conductor **Arthur Fagen** is featured in a vibrant talk. Music Director of the Atlanta Opera and professor of orchestral conducting at Indiana University, Maestro Fagen has conducted throughout the world and is highly regarded as one of the great conductors of his era. This Conversation in Music reveals his unique perspectives on the art of conducting combined with his wit and unique storytelling. A total joy for this musician to talk to this brilliant man.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Arthur's website: www.arthurfagen.com

**Alessio Bax** and **Lucille Chung** are remarkable musicians and a wonderful couple to talk to about music. Each a great pianist, they often join forces to play four-hand and two piano works. Those joint performances are magical as two unique players join forces to create something quite special. Their joint and solo repertoire is vast and thrilling to encounter. Their new festival in Siena is only one of the highlights of their international career. Please join us for a moving Conversation in Music in which they talk about their marriage in life and art!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Alessio's website: www.alessiobax.com

Lucille's website: www.lucillechung.com

This week’s Interplay is a Conversation in Music with a miraculous musician, **Eric Jacobsen**. Founder with his brother Colin of The Knights, music director of symphonies in Bridgeport and Orlando, and a superb cellist, everything Eric touches sounds fresh and new. I first heard Eric conduct a Brahms orchestral work, and it sounded as if it was the premiere. Eric’s musicianship is exemplary and totally natural, like the man. I know you will enjoy our talk as much as I did. Cannot wait to attend another concert with Eric Jacobsen conducting.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Eric's website: www.jacobseneric.com

**Tim Fain** is the most remarkable musician I have ever worked with as a composer and conductor. There Is simply no one like him in my experience. Tim has performed all over the world as a soloist with orchestra, chamber musician with Simone Dinnerstein, in a duet with Philip Glass, been our Artist-in-Residence in Chappaqua, recorded my *Peace Variations* and *Second Sonata* for violin and piano with the equally incredible pianist Steven Beck, and played in three Oscar-winning films (*The Black Swan*, *Moonlight*, and *Twelve Years a Slave*). In addition to unique playing and film making, he is a composer and a prophet with a searing artistic vision. I even wrote a new violin concerto for him called 'At the Shore of the Sea' which will be premiered and recorded in coming seasons. Please welcome Tim Fain to this new episode of INTERPLAY, Conversations In Music!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Tim's website: www.timfain.com

This week’s Interplay is a Conversation in Music with conductor **Lidiya Yankovskaya**, music director of Chicago Opera Theater, and a remarkable force in the production and presentation of music theater. A fiercely committed advocate for Russian masterpieces, operatic rarities, and new works, Lidiya is that rare person, warm, highly skilled and insightful, with a personal commitment to truth and free expression. It was inspiring talking to Maestra Lidiya Yankovskaya!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Lidiya's website: www.lidiyayankovskaya.com

This week’s INTERPLAY is a Conversation in Music with our remarkable leader in American music, **Marin Alsop**, in which we share insights from our longtime friendship and her unique passion for justice and the expansion of the repertoire. A thrilling experience from Marin’s new home in Vienna!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Marin's website: www.marinalsop.com

This week’s Interplay, Conversations in Music, is with the remarkable and innovative conductor **David Leibowitz**, Music Director and Founder of the New York Repertory Orchestra. Maestro Leibowitz is deservedly recognized for his programming of not only the so-called traditional repertoire but of much other music that deserves a hearing and gets it in his orchestra’s vibrant repertory structure. David’s dynamic and insightful observations are a must!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

David's website: www.nyro.org

Michael Shapiro talks to the extraordinary **Jan Swafford** whose remarkable biographies of Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, and Ives are irreplaceable. No one can talk like a great biographer, and when that writer is also a fine and highly expressive composer, there is simply nothing like it. Not to be missed!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Jan's website: www.janswafford.com

This INTERPLAY features cellist **Maya Beiser**. Passionately forging her artistic path through uncharted territories, Maya Beiser has been captivating audiences worldwide, bringing a bold and unorthodox presence to contemporary classical music, experimenting with various musical styles, and defying conventional norms with her boundary-crossing performances. There is simply no one like the unique and captivating Maya Beiser, an extraordinary musician and world force for good.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Maya's website: www.mayabeiser.com

This Interplay digs into the remarkable work being done by five extraordinary conductors at our universities: **James Tapia** (Syracuse University), **Mathias Elmer** (Virginia Tech), **Carolyn Watson** (University of Kansas), **Kevin Suetterlin** (Concordia College), **James Allen Anderson** (University of Delaware). Our talk is a big longer than usual, but these five maestri have insights and an attention for what they do that is infectious and soul redeeming. I just love these fine musicians for their creativity and caring - a special Conversation In Music!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

On this latest Interplay, Conversations in Music, Michael Shapiro speaks to his longtime friend, composer **Malcolm Singer** about a lifetime spent in music, from the days of his study with Nadia Boulanger, to his work with Yehudi Menuhin as head of the Menuhin School, to his work with countless musicians, and his leadership in bringing along generations of young composers and players. A thrilling examination of a composer's life. Not to be missed!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Today's Interplay is a Conversation In Music with the dynamic and wonderfully unique conductor **Alexander Mickelthwate**, Music Director of the Oklahoma City Symphony Orchestra. Maestro Mickelthwate talks about his special programming, the musical life of his area, and his love for Bruckner in particular. Join us for his stimulating and thought provoking insights!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Alexander's page: https://www.okcphil.org/about-us/history/alexander-mickelthwate/

This week’s Interplay with composer **Michael Schelle** is a joyous experience. There is such energy and strength in everything Michael does as a composer and teacher. His wit is unmistakable coupled with a sense of caring and individualism unique in its power. Rejoice in this wonderful Conversation in Music!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Michael's page: https://www.butler.edu/directory/user/mschelle

This weekend's INTERPLAY is a fascinating Conversation In Music with **Gerard Schwarz**. Maestro Schwarz's musicianship is a miracle. His breath of experience and the revelations of his work as a conductor, composer, and arranger are unique and truly astonishing. He is quite simply a world treasure.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Gerard's website: www.gerardschwarz.com

Interplay this week, a Conversation in Music, was with violinist **Gil Shaham** and composer **Scott Wheeler**. What could be better than a composer talking about his work with a great musician, and the musician talking about the work the great composer gifted to him. And it's called *The Singing Turk*, which has to be one of the best titles one has ever heard! I so enjoyed this trio talk of wit, grace, and Baroque homage and am sure you will also.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Gil's website: www.gilshaham.com

Scott's website: www.scottwheeler.org

This week on Interplay, conductor **Giancarlo Guerrero** joins me in a Conversation In Music about his pathfinding discoveries in new American music and the influence of Serge Koussevitzky on that quest. As music director of the great Nashville Symphony and guest at the great orchestras of the world, Maestro Guerrero's elan and joyful spirit are irresistible and profound.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Giancarlo's website: www.giancarlo-guerrero.com

On this week's INTERPLAY, Conversations in Music, Michael Shapiro talks to the extraordinary violinist **Chee-Yun**, whose wondrous and radiant playing has thrilled audiences worldwide.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Chee-Yun's website: www.chee-yun.net

This week's Interplay is a conversation with the extraordinary conductor, **Deborah Simpkin King**, music director of Ember, a dynamic choral group in the metropolitan area that champions new music. Composers and audience just love Maestra King's musicianship which is full of life and deeply profound. In addition to her conducting, she is a widely read writer on music and promoter of additional performances of new choral work in her Project Encore series. Deborah enriches everything she touches with her wishes for joy and peace.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Deborah's website: www.deborahsking.com

This week's INTERPLAY is with the joyously profound **Daron Hagen**, composer, director, writer, producer, teacher, etc. infinitum. A delight in every way, Daron brings an expertise and joie de vivre to everything he touches. Enjoy this wonderful Conversation In Music and Daron's unique thoughts on music and Orson Welles!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Daron's website: www.daronhagen.com

This weekend's INTERPLAY is with one of my favorite people, composer **Jennifer Higdon**. Jennifer is that rare artist, whose compositions reflect the very essence of her wondrous intellect, humanity, and warmth. I just loved doing this Conversation In Music and hope you will enjoy watching it as much as I had in talking about her remarkable music making!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Jennifer's website: www.jenniferhigdon.com

Conductor **Michael Christie** is an American treasure. Recently named music director of the New West Symphony, Maestro Christie has always been equally at home in opera and symphony. His championing of new American works is a mark of his dedication to the expansion and enriching of his art. With an unusual command and interest in bringing classical music to more people, he has an unmistakable warmth and connection.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Michael's website: www.michaelchristieonline.com

Interplay, Conversations in Music with **Sara Karloff** and tales of her father **Boris Karloff** in *Frankenstein* (1931) and at home.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

**Blind Mississippi Morris** is that rare kind of musician. Master of the Delta Blues and virtuoso of the harmonica, he is the King of Beale Street and anywhere he performs. Not only a unique Conversation In Music with a great artist, this is a special look into the origins of his music making and why his message to the world is so important and crucial now. I know that my life is forever blessed by his music making. You will never feel the same after experiencing his supreme gift.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Morris' website: www.blindmississippimorris.com

In this week's Interplay, Michael Shapiro talks to **Iván Fischer** about his remarkable compositions, many centered in Jewish culture and European Kultur, his background as a renowned Hungarian musician, and the practical experience of the international conductor.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Michael Shapiro talks to the extraordinary cellist **Sara Sant'Ambrogio**. Her joie de vivre is unmistakable, reflected in her vibrant and profoundly musical playing which comes directly from her magnetic personality and brilliance. A joyous conversation about her life and abundant zest for communicating. Rapturous!

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Sara's website: www.sarasantambrogio.com

This INTERPLAY features a wonderful conversation with pianist **Simone Dinnerstein**, whose interpretations of music by Couperin and Bach to Gershwin and Glass are luminous and unique. Find out how she learns every work through deeply felt study. A remarkable look into the mind of a poetic artist.

Find out more at www.michaelshapiro.com

Simone's website: www.simonedinnerstein.com