Toledo SymphonyLab™: Recent Episodes
WGTE Public Media
Wednesdays at 3:00 p.m. Toledo SymphonyLab™ is an award-winning radio podcast series from WGTE Public Media in collaboration with the Toledo Symphony Orchestra, providing a weekly half hour behind-the-scenes look at the world of classical music. Every week, host Brad Cresswell and TSO personalities explore a theme inspired by a concert or other event from the symphony's season. With lively discussion, quizzes, and even audio "re-enactments" of historical events, Toledo SymphonyLab™ seeks to bring a pop culture aesthetic to the storied world of classical music. In addition to our regular panelists, the program often features special appearances by guest soloists, members of the TSO, and TSO Music Director Alain Trudel.
In our final episode of Toledo SymphonyLAB, we once again dive into the music of Gustav Mahler - whose Third Symphony brings the TSO season to a close. Special return guest (and musicologist) Effie Papanikolaou shines light both on the man and the music, joining conductor Alain Trudel and Mahler enthusiast Zak Vassar (who also happens to be the TSO's President and CEO).
We preview and celebrate the upcoming season of the Toledo Symphony Orchestra as they mark 80 years of serving the community with great music.
We welcome warmer weather with a preview of the Toledo Symphony's chamber program, Summer Music. In addition to seasonal selections from Samuel Barber and Wolfgang Mozart, we learn all about a world premiere on the program, called Mojave Sketches for brass quintet and percussion. The composer, Navdeep Singh Galen, plus one of the performers, TSO Principal Tuba David Saltzman, give valuable insight to the work, which was inspired by the seven magic mountains art installation in California's Mojave desert.
We spend the hour getting to know Kerson Leong, who brings his violin to the Peristyle as soloist for Béla Bartók's Second Violin Concerto. Kerson leads us through the intricacies of Bartók's music, and recounts his early interest in the instrument (that is, after his parents discouraged Kerson's original choice, the double-bass - fearing transportation issues). And for our quiz of the day, we check in with Kerson's updated answers to the Violin Channel's Q&A (available on YouTube) from 2016.
As the Toledo Jazz Orchestra offers up its final performance of the season, we take the opportunity to examine the complex and virtuosic artistry of Toledo's own Art Tatum. We hear behind-the-scenes stories and marvel at Tatum's uncanny ability to transform simple melodies into one-of-a-kind showpieces for piano. We also uncover some fun facts which you may not know about Toledo's Jazz maestro in our quiz of the day!
We celebrate the return of superstar cellist Yo-Yo Ma to the Peristyle with a full house of Toledo Symphony personalities, including special guest Amy Chang (who is also a cellist). Hear stories and get to know Yo-Yo Ma through our conversation (and "Quiz"-versation), as he's not only a performing artist, but a driving force in the effort to use music to address global issues. Also, not to be forgotten is Johannes Brahms, whose final symphony pairs nicely with Yo-Yo Ma's rendition of the Elgar Cello Concerto on the program. Find out what these seemingly disparate works have in common with each other!
We highlight the Toledo Ballet's production of Sergei Prokofiev's Cinderella with guest appearances from the show's choreographer Eric Otto and the conductor of the program Jonathan McPhee. Think you know your Cinderella? Find out in our Fairy-Tale Quiz of the Day!
We delve into the wonderful wide world of Dimitri Shostakovich and his powerhouse Symphony No. 5 (which the TSO plays this weekend!). Also, we welcome the star of the show, Canadian pianist Jon Kimura Parker, who makes his Toledo Symphony debut with one of the most beloved concertos of its kind, the "Tchaik I" - a.k.a. Piotr Tchaikovsky's first piano concerto. And Did You Know? Jon Kimura Parker goes by the nickname "Jackie" when offstage. We'll explore some other well-known "Jackies" in our quiz of the day!
We spend the hour with arranger, composer, Big Band leader, Pops conductor, pianist, saxophonist, and (whew!) vocalist, Matt Catingub – who brings his talents to the Peristyle with the Toledo Jazz Orchestra. Get to know Matt as he talks about his mother, the singer Mavis Rivers (who signed on with Frank Sinatra's label in the late '60s), tells stories and drops names (George Clooney and Toni Tennille among them). Plus, we uncover some "Frank Facts" in our quiz of the day for the Sinatraphiles in our audience!
It's our April Fools Day special, as hilarity ensues with special guests Tony Geftos and Derek Emch joining us in the studio. Learn about our favorite pranks, hear some fake news reports (thank you, Tony!), and play "one true, two false" with newspaper headlines. Care to test your trivia knowledge? Try our quiz about the many shades of April. Listen in and celebrate the time of year when we all say, "April Fools!"
It's opera enthusiast time, as we welcome tenor Zach Borichevsky by phone to talk about his upcoming Puccini extravaganza at Rosary Cathedral with the TSO. We also take the opportunity to get to know Zach and his Toledo history, plus we nerd out on great tenors in our "drop-the-needle-and-name-that-tenor" quiz. What makes a singer great? Listen and find out!
It's a one-on-one between TSO Music Director Alain Trudel and WGTE's Brad Cresswell, as they preview the Toledo Jazz Orchestra's concert on March 23rd. The concert throws a spotlight on Jazz at Lincoln Center, with charts from Duke Ellington and Billy Strayhorn, including some of their most popular songs. We also dig into Alain's dual life as classical conductor and jazz trombonist - and how the two complement each other. And even though it isn't really fair with just one contestant, we do have a quiz: Who Wrote It? Ellington, Strayhorn, both, or neither? Come find out!
We celebrate Music in our Schools month with an overview of educational activities from the Toledo Symphony, and get to know the TSO's latest addition: Community Engagement Coordinator Ellie Lee. Joining in the discussion is the TSO's Vice President (complete with fanfare) of Education & Community Engagement, Rachel Schultz. So you think you're familiar with great educators in history? Find out in our quiz of the day!
Get to know mezzo-soprano Nina Yoshida Nelsen, who solos with the Toledo Symphony in songs by Alma Mahler. We hear Nina's story (that's pronounced NIGH-na by the way), and we learn about her activism and work in creating the Asian Opera Alliance, which advocates for greater representation of Asian voices both on the stage and behind the curtain. And later on, test your knowledge of women pioneers throughout history in our "Female Firsts" quiz!
Classical and Hip-Hop collide in this episode, which features special guest Jorge Casco, Executive Director of the Fly Dance Company. Fly Dance joins the Toledo Symphony for one performance only, combining the visceral energy of street dance with the most popular tunes from the classical repertoire. Jorge provides a behind-the-scenes look at how the Fly Dance Company does this, and how they pique the interest of young people in a whole new world that is at once familiar and yet unknown to them. And don't forget to join our panelists as they match wits in our quiz of the day, covering classical, hip-hop, and street dance!
As the excitement builds for superstar violinist Midori with the Toledo Symphony, we offer a one-on-one with TSO Music Director Alain Trudel who gives expert insight into the program, including the piece that Midori brings to the Peristyle: the beloved Mendelssohn Violin Concerto. Listen in, learn all about the music on the concert — and even test your Midori I.Q. with our quiz of the day (spoiler: Alain wins!).
It's our Valentine's Day special, SymphonyLAB style! Join us for sweet radio bon-bons and other auditory treats as we swap stories and learn about the many facets of love in our Jeopardy-themed quiz of the day. And as our gift to you, we present a special radio play – but with a twist! For the first time in TSLAB history, we turn to artificial intelligence to script our play: the new ChatGPT from Open AI. In the words of our simulated playwright, "Be sure to get your Love-a-Tron 9000 today!"
We take a look at the Toledo Symphony's all-French program, with special guest Mélisande McNabney, who solos in Francis Poulenc's harpsichord concerto at the Peristyle. Also joining us a bit later in the program is the Grammy award-winning conductor JoAnn Falletta, who provides insight into the music on the concert, which she leads with the TSO. And don't forget our quiz of the day as we test our panelists' knowledge of French composer facts! Photo of Mélisande McNabney by Matthew Perrin Photography
In this episode, we welcome soprano and arts administrator Mickey Emch back to the fold. Mickey is the vocal soloist for Elvis Costello's classical-esque take on one of Shakespeare's greatest plays, The Juliet Letters. We'll examine the music from this concert, including Beethoven's first string quartet and music for brass trio by Canadian composer Elizabeth Raum (who is also a friend and colleague of TSO Music Director Alain Trudel). And taking our cue from Beethoven's "first" in the quartet genre, we focus our quiz on various composer's very first published works.
We gear up for one of the most exciting family-friendly events of the season: Mary Poppins in Concert with the Toledo Symphony! Guest Conductor Daniel Meyer provides a glimpse behind the curtain of what it takes to bring this Disney film classic to life on the stage of the Stranahan Theater. We'll get to know Daniel inside and out, and of course, we'll test our Mary Poppins I.Q. with the quiz of the day. Tune in for a jolly 'oliday of a show!
We welcome dynamic pianist/composer Stewart Goodyear back to Toledo to perform his own music: the Caribbean-inspired dance suite for piano and orchestra, Callaloo. Not only do we hear what went into the creation of this saucy dish, we get to know Stewart himself through personal stories and shared insights. We also talk about two other "dance" works on the program: John Adams' The Chairman Dances, and Sergei Rachmaninoff's Symphonic Dances. And in keeping with tradition, we have a trivia-filled quiz of the day, Guess the Rock. Is it Sergei Rachmaninoff (AKA "Rach"), Dwayne Johnson (AKA "The Rock"), or Elvis (AKA "The King of Rock...")? Listen in and find out!
We continue our 2023 festivities with a "getting-to-know-you episode" featuring two recent additions to the Toledo Symphony family: Emily McCready (Marketing Manager at Toledo Alliance for the Performing Arts) and Georgi Dimitrov (Associate Principal Viola). Hear their stories, play some icebreaker games, and join us for a look both behind the curtain and in front of it from our special guests!
We ring in 2023 SymphonyLAB style with our predictions and resolutions — plus our favorite moments from the past year (and what we're looking forward to in 2023). And of course, it just wouldn't be a party without a quiz! Test your movie trivia knowledge with our Twixmas Movie Quote quiz! But most importantly, we wish all of you a Very Happy New Year!
In the midst of the Holidays, we find yet another reason to celebrate: Toledo SymphonyLAB's 200th episode! Our intrepid panel tests their TSLAB 101 as they take a walk down memory lane and talk about our favorite episodes from the past few years. Speaking of favorites, do you have a favorite special audio effect from the soundboard? Be sure to tune in and hear ours! crowd cheer with applause
It's A Swingin' Christmas as we welcome not one but two Scotts: Scott Lavender and Scott Potter, conductor and trumpeter/President respectively of the Toledo Jazz Orchestra. We hear the ensemble's backstory and open up the discussion with newly minted Artistic Director of the TJO, Alain Trudel. But wait, there's more... as we test our scottological IQ with our quiz of the day, "Great Scotts in History."
It's a full house as we celebrate the Toledo Ballet's 82nd annual Nutcracker! On the phone is the ballet's Artistic Director Eric Otto and in the studio are the Toledo Symphony's Music Director Alain Trudel - PLUS the TSO's Vanessa Gardner, Rachel Schultz and Natalie Frushour. Join us for a (mostly) made-up tag-team retelling of the Nutcracker story; insights into this newly choreographed, inclusive production, and of course, a Pop Up Plié Quiz!
It's Christmas at the Peristyle like none other, as we welcome singer and trombonist extraordinaire Aubrey Logan to the show. Fellow trombonist and conductor Alain Trudel is in-house for the panel, as we hear all about Aubrey's formidable talents. And we test our literary knowledge with a Christmas Quotes Gone Wrong quiz!
We preview and celebrate the annual Toledo Symphony performance of G.F. Handel's Messiah at Rosary Cathedral, alongside our customary TSLAB nod to Thanksgiving. Special guest Mickey Emch (who sings in Messiah) joins us for an extended dinner party, with plenty of music, fun, and quizzes – including a healthy dose of Handel and a dollop of Turkey trivia!
TSO Music Director Alain Trudel leads us into an in-depth exploration of The Great American Songbook, which is also the theme behind the Toledo Jazz Orchestra's debut concert as part of the TSO family (with Alain at the helm). We also touch on the upcoming concert with singing sensation Ledisi, who brings her Nina Simone tribute to the Peristyle. And, if you're a fan of Jazz and Big Band, you'll want to tune in for our quiz of the day!
It's all about the science of sound, as we welcome special guest Amanda Miller from Imagination Station. We'll talk about their partnership with the TSO, quiz our science knowledge, and try a crafting experiment in the studio - creating our own musical instruments.
We welcome concert pianist, conductor, professor, food and wine aficionado and all-around bon vivant Awadagin Pratt for a backstage discussion about his appearance with the Toledo Symphony. Awadagin brings a new work by Jessie Montgomery to the Peristyle, alongside two works that pay tribute to Music Director Alain Trudel and his five years at the helm of the TSO: Beethoven's iconic Fifth Symphony and Schubert's miraculous Symphony No. 8, the "Unfinished" Symphony.
We celebrate Halloween as goblins, ghouls, and ghosts rise to haunt the stage of the Valentine Theatre! It's a full (haunted) house as we welcome Alain TROLL-dell, Zak-O-Lantern Vassar, Merwin BOO, and special guest Robert "Bobbing-for-Apples" Clemens. Lots of spooky "treats" await, including our list of Top Ten Phobias, a Halloween Password game, and a deep dive into the TSO's Psycho (film with orchestra) program. As a coup de grâce, we offer up our own SymphonyLAB version of the Henrik Ibsen/Edvard Grieg classic, In The Hall of the Mountain King. Are you scared yet?
In advance of her appearance with the TSO, the wonderful pianist Élisabeth Pion joins us on the program to talk about her career thus far and the piece she brings to the Valentine theater, Wolfgang Mozart's Piano Concerto #24. It's an all-Mozart program (and podcast) which includes works written at various stages during Mozart's all-too-brief lifetime. We know about Mozart, but what were we all doing at ages 8, 17, and 29? Tune in to find out, and play along with our "Music in the Minor Key" Quiz!
We welcome the man, the legend, the conductor Carl Topilow to the show as he prepares to face the Toledo Symphony once more in a special program of favorites far and wide. We hear testimonials about Carl from his colleagues, and Carl recounts his work with the TSO and others over the years. Also, we talk up Carl's book, The Orchestral Conductor's Career Handbook, which provides a truly behind-the-scenes look at the responsibilities of the symphonic conductor. AND don't forget our quiz of the day - it's a clarinet quiz in honor of Carl's alter-ego as a virtuoso of that instrument (as we learn, Carl's clarinets come in many different colors!).
We welcome Eric Otto, the new Artistic Director of Toledo Ballet to the SymphonyLAB crew, along with TAPA Business Manager, repeat TSlabber (and former ballet dancer) Natalie Frushour. It's a getting-to-know-you episode, with games, quizzes and more!
Toledo Symphony Principal Keyboardist Valrie Kantorski joins us for a look under the hood of the TSO's new Taskin/Hubbard harpsichord, which is the focus of this program at the Toledo Club. Also, the TSO's David Dyer takes us to harpsichord school for some interesting historical facts (guillotine, anyone?), and we make up some new harpsichord-ish instruments in our quiz of the day!
Take a ride through the magical film scores of John Williams, as we take the Toledo Symphony's Music of John Williams concert as our point of departure. Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale... what famous TV show did JW write for? Tune in for our quiz of the day to find out!
As the new TSO season begins, we follow suit and embark on our own sixth season with all things Romeo and Juliet (musically, at least). We play some season roulette and preview what's to come. And don't forget to try your luck at our quiz of the day!
Toledo Symphony Principal Keyboardist Valrie Kantorski joins us for a look under the hood of the TSO's new Taskin/Hubbard harpsichord, which is the focus of this program at the Toledo Club. Also, the TSO's David Dyer takes us to harpsichord school for some interesting historical facts (guillotine, anyone?), and we make up some new harpsichord-ish instruments in our quiz of the day!
TSO Principal Horn Megan Amos is our guest for this episode, as she prepares to take the stage under the solo spotlight for Richard Strauss' first horn concerto. We hear the "helium-induced" version of Megan's story, and get the backstory on Strauss' horn concerto. Inspired by Strauss' relationship with his father (a famous horn player), we examine the parent/child relationship both in personal terms and in our quiz of the day. But wait, there's more – as we visit with the other composers on the program, J.S. Bach and Robert Schumann.
Take a ride through the magical film scores of John Williams, as we take the Toledo Symphony's Music of John Williams concert as our point of departure. Just sit right back and you'll hear a tale... what famous TV show did JW write for? Tune in for our quiz of the day to find out!
As the new TSO season begins, we follow suit and embark on our own sixth season with all things Romeo and Juliet (musically, at least). We play some season roulette and preview what's to come. And don't forget to try your luck at our quiz of the day!
TSO Music Director Alain Trudel puts on his composer hat for this episode, along with composer Christopher Dietz for a conversation about their music which is being premiered by the Toledo Symphony on June 3rd. Alain's new work is for piano and orchestra, called Alter(e), with star pianist Charles Richard-Hamelin, while Chris Dietz premieres his explosive work for orchestra, Origin Story. As Alain tells us, his piece took shape mostly during the pandemic (when he had time to write). As for Chris, his work's title can refer to many things, but in this case it's the story of "us" – the origin and evolution of the human species itself. Plus, we explore a different kind of "origin story" with our quiz of the day!
Looking to Memorial Day 2022 and this TSO program, we welcome special guest Rodney Miller - revered conductor and John Philip Sousa authority. Rodney tells us his story and all about Sousa. Be sure to test your Sousa IQ with our little quiz, Sousa or Barnum?
We offer a deep dive into the life and legacy of American icon George Gershwin, who dominated (and still does to a certain extent) the American Songbook - as well as classical music through his symphonic works like the Piano Concerto and Rhapsody in Blue. His opera Porgy and Bess still stands as a landmark work in the genre of opera, and is regularly performed by major opera houses around the world. The symphonic suite Catfish Row captures many of the opera's famous tunes, and is featured on the TSO's final concert of the season, America in the Key of Gershwin. It's a full house for this episode, with conductor Alain Trudel and our entire core group of panelists, as we also test our Gershin IQ in the quiz of the day "George or Ira."
All roads lead to Sergei Rachmaninoff in this concert from the Toledo Symphony that pairs his Symphony No. 2 with Canadian wunderkind André Mathieu's Piano Concerto No. 3 (starring guest pianist Jean-Philippe Sylvestre). Joining us for the hour is composer Evan Williams, whose a ghost wandering in a world grown alien receives its world premiere from the TSO. What does Evan have to do with Rachmaninoff, you may ask? Listen and find out!
May The Fourth Be With You! We celebrate Star Wars Day with trivia, quizzes, impressions, and much, much more – all inspired by the Toledo Symphony's live performance of John Williams' iconic score, accompanying The Empire Strikes Back on the big screen at the Stranahan Theater. Special guests include WGTE's Haley Taylor and 13abc's Tony Geftos (who – as you'll hear – not only does a killer Jar Jar Binks impression, but is also a master Elmo impersonator!).
We bring two special guests into the studio to talk about two TSO concerts: Toledo Ballet Gala Featuring Dancing Wheels, and Historias de España (Spanish Stories). Toledo Ballet's Ann Heckler talks about her teaching and her work with adaptive dance, and introduces us to the Dancing Wheels Company (which appears on the program). Also, TSO Percussionist Keith McWatters makes a return podcast appearance to talk up the Spanish Stories program, which employs an encyclopedia's worth of percussion instruments, especially in Rodion Shchedrin's Carmen Suite (based on the opera by Georges Bizet). And finally, if you're a Tango whiz, then you're in luck: exercise your Tango chops in our quiz of the day!
It's that time of year when we preview what the upcoming TSO season has in store! Just to make it interesting, we pull out the old spinning wheel and play a game of "concert roulette" (well, sort of). Check out the exciting offerings coming our way in 22/23 at https://www.toledosymphony.com/subscribe.
We visit with the fantastic young cellist and musical entrepreneur Loa Cho, who, along with Dr. Jason Stumbo from University of Toledo, and the Toledo Symphony's Merwin Siu, tell us all about Loa's upcoming chamber music competition. Loa used her proceeds from the 2020 Toledo Symphony's Young Musician Award to create and fund the organization, which is found online at glasscitychambermusic.org. Also, WGTE's Spring fundraiser is underway – so in keeping with the theme, we present both an NPR and a PBS quiz!
We welcome special guest Megan Amos, principal horn of the Toledo Symphony. Megan is playing Johannes Brahms' horn trio in the TSO's chamber concert Brahms Trios. We not only launch into a detailed discussion of Brahms and his remarkable music, but we tip our collective hats to the great Bernadette Peters, who comes to the Peristyle this weekend.
Taking our cue from the upcoming Bartók and Brahms program, we focus on the extraordinary music of Béla Bartók – especially his spooky and tension-filled Music for Strings, Percussion & Celesta, which has been sampled in TV and film ranging from "Dr. Who" to Stanley Kubrick's "The Shining." As a sidebar (no pun intended), we test our "bar talk" (pun intended) IQ in our quiz of the day!
It's an Igor Stravinsky extravaganza for this episode of TSLAB, inspired by the TSO's A Soldier's Tale concert. Music Director Alain Trudel and Principal Second Violin Merwin Siu come together to talk about Stravinsky's chamber masterpiece, which involves a septet of musicians as well as actors. A Soldier's Tale isn't the only piece on the program, however – we also hear about American musician, author, and educator David N. Baker's jazz-infused Hommage a l'histoire, which counted Alain Trudel as the trombonist for its premiere.
We welcome the celebrated vocalist Joan Ellison to the show, who presents an evening hit parade of Judy Garland songs in the TSO's A Date with Judy Garland program. Also joining us are two guest panelists from the TSO marketing department: Allie Dresser, and TSLAB "newbie" Natalie Conklin. Join us as we put our guests through their paces and test their Judy 101 knowledge with our Wizard of Oz trivia quiz (spoiler alert: Joan wins!).
We get a backstage glimpse at what it takes to make a piece of symphonic music in this episode. Every year, the Toledo Symphony does a series of readings of new works by young composers from Bowling Green State University, and two of them join us today: Corey Brodack and Connor Gibbs. We're also joined by the composer Christopher Dietz, who is also on faculty at BGSU and runs the readings program. Rounding out the panel are the TSO's Merwin Siu and Alain Trudel, who conducts the TSO in the readings. And as an added bonus, see if you can identify the Mad Composers in our quiz of the day!
We take our cue from the TSO's Masterworks series concert Tchaikovsky's Fifth, which features, well, Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony. The concert marks a return to Toledo for the conductor Giordano Bellincampi, and star violinist Benjamin Beilman (who plays the concerto by Samuel Coleridge-Taylor on the concert) joins us by phone for a getting-to-know-you session (including a Twitter smackdown quiz!).
We welcome A.J. Lambert to the show! The daughter of Nancy Sinatra and the granddaughter of Frank Sinatra, A.J. is performing her famous grandpa's album Only the Lonely at the Peristyle with the Toledo Symphony (her first appearance with full orchestra, using the orchestrations by Nelson Riddle – which is a story in itself). Hear all about A.J.'s role as the "heir apparent" to the musical mantle of her family, and we test our Sinatra 101 with the quiz of the day!
The Canadian Brass are descending on the Toledo Museum of Art Peristyle with the Toledo Symphony. We mark the occasion with a tribute to one of the most popular classical groups of all time. Stick around and test your All-Canadian IQ with a collection of quizzes, one about Canadian slang, one about the Canadian Brass in particular, and two about Canada itself.
We talk about one of the TSO's most important programs, the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras. Joining us for a conversation about how the TSO is preparing the next generation of musicians (or just instilling important values through music), are four special guests: Rachel Schultz, Director of Education; conductor Chad Hutchinson (who leads the Symphonic Orchestra in an upcoming program); TSYO Coordinator Samantha Zelnick, and longtime (now retired) manager of the Youth Orchestras, Dorothy Coats.
It's a one-on-one conversation with Toledo Symphony Music Director Alain Trudel. We not only talk about Alain's path to Toledo, but also dig deep behind the curtain and survey the celebrated conductor's preferences, both professional and personal. If there's one takeaway to this episode, it's the gaurantee that after listening, you'll be much more familiar with Alain than ever before!
In advance of her performance with the TSO at the Peristyle, singer-songwriter Shayna Steele joins us by phone to preview the concert, which pays tribute to the reigning divas of Soul and R&B. We hear Shayna's story and tales of working alongside luminaries like Bette Midler and Kelly Clarkson, and we test our general (and not-so-general) knowledge in our quiz of the day, Queen of Soul or Queen of England? (hint: think Aretha Franklin vs. Elizabeth II).
We welcome a Toledo SymphonyLAB newbie into our midst with TSO violinist Cheryl Trace. Cheryl is playing in a Felix Mendelssohn string quartet this weekend, as members of the TSO gather to play chamber music by some of the 19th century's greatest composers (also including Franz Schubert and Samuel Coleridge-Taylor). We learn all about Cheryl, discuss the composers and their music, and lighten the load with our 19th century pop quiz of the day!
We jump into the New Year with an all-American program, featuring Adolphus Hailstork's Three Spirituals for Orchestra and Samuel Barber's Knoxville: Summer of 1915 (featuring soprano Janinah Burnett). Finishing off the program is Antonin Dvořák's "New World" Symphony, which was written while Dvořák was living and working in the United States. Multiple Grammy winner and guest conductor JoAnn Falletta (pictured) joins us for a lively discussion of these works, her personal friendship with "Dolph" Hailstork, and her remarkable career and musical journey. Oh, and there's even a classical guitar quiz (before she was a world famous conductor, JoAnn Falletta was a guitarist). Photo: Cheryl Gorski
As we begin the New Year, our intrepid panel looks back on 2021 and highlights some of the best moments of the past year, both professionally and personally. We also re-visit quizzes from the past year and see if we picked up any useless trivia during the 2021 season.
As we wrap up 2021 and look to the New Year, our intrepid panelists share their hopes and dreams for the future. We also revisit everyone's New Year's resolutions and offer our predictions for the year. Lastly, we test our totally random and useless knowledge with our Totally Random and Useless Quiz™.
Welcome to our 2021 Christmas Special! This year we revisit the ghosts of Christmas Past, Present, and Future through discussion and games, including Christmas Question Roulette ("What was the worst gift YOU'VE ever received?"). Our special guest is TSO Marketing Manager Allie Dresser, who gives us the scoop on her highly sports-oriented Wintertime traditions. We also hold our very first SymphonyLAB gift give-exchange (or "not-so-secret" Santa, as it were). Merry Christmas and a Joyous Holiday Season to all!
We offer a tribute to the late, great Stephen Sondheim, who passed away in November. Joining us is arts journalist Mark Stryker, longtime critic for the Detroit Free Press who interviewed Sondheim in 2009 about his connections to classical music. Mark also shares with us his book Jazz from Detroit, which documents the cultural history of Motor City and its many contributions to the landscape of American jazz.
We get a backstage glimpse of the Toledo Ballet's production of Tchaikovsky's The Nutcracker this weekend at the Stranahan Theater. Joining us is Artistic Director Lisa Meyer-Lang, and Business Manager Natalie Frushour – who tells us about her Nutcracker history as a former dancer. We also sprinkle a nut, cracker, and nutcracker quiz throughout the show, drawing on some randomly educational tidbits about all three subjects.
We celebrate the glorious return of the TSO's annual Messiah performance with a deep dive into the Handel classic, which took a leave of absence last year due to the pandemic. Helping us out is soprano and arts innovator Jennifer Cresswell, who not only appears as soloist for the TSO's Christmas at the Peristyle concert, but takes up the soprano solos in Handel's Messiah. And yes, there's more as we examine yet another classic (NW Ohio style) in our Handel vs. Handel's quiz!
It's that time of year, as we welcome special guest Mary Bilyeu (Food Editor of The Blade) into the studio for our annual Thanksgiving Special. Mary tells us about her various holiday projects and also offers up some Thanksgiving advice. As an added bonus, we do the "Saltine Cracker Challenge" – which is about as far as you can get from gastronomical delight, but entertaining nonetheless (even though you can't talk when your mouth is full of crackers!). But wait, there's more — can you match the composer with their favorite meal? Find out in our quiz of the day!
We welcome the mezzo Susan Platts, who has long been celebrated for her performances of Gustav Mahler's music. Toledo audiences will soon get the chance to hear Susan sing Mahler's monumental symphony in song, Das Lied von der Erde (The Song of the Earth). We hear Mahlerian tales as told by Susan, including about her "pandemic project" (hint: it's a cookbook), and the times she spent working with two legends no longer with us: Christa Ludwig and Jessye Norman. Also, taking our cue from Mahler's use of Chinese poems, we offer a Who Said It, Confucius or Li Bai? quiz!
We're joined by Detroit-based crooner Paul King, who celebrates the songs of Tony Bennett in his appearance with the TSO this season. Paul shares the backstory on his career, and gives some insight into what makes a "crooner" a crooner. Also, we go down the Tony Bennett rabbit-hole with our quiz of the day!
It's not often that we have the opportunity to welcome a living composer into our midst, but that's indeed the case as Emmy-nominated composer Kareem Roustom joins us to talk about his clarinet concerto Adrift on the Wine-dark Sea. Inspired by Homer’s classic epic The Odyssey and Melissa Fleming's A Hope More Powerful Than The Sea (a harrowing story from the Syrian Refugee Crisis), Kareem's concerto is a meditation on the nature of survival and hope in the face of despair. Local concert-goers have a chance to hear it live from the Toledo Symphony and "intensely soulful" (NY Times) clarinetist Kinan Azmeh, in a program which also features Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov's Scheherazade and another modern work, Errollyn Wallen's Mighty River - which is based in part on the hymn tune New Britain (familiar as the melody of Amazing Grace).
We offer a heartfelt tribute to Richard P. (Dick) Anderson, who until his death at age 90 last year was an indefatigable champion of the arts (in addition to being a pillar of the business and agricultural worlds). As the Toledo Symphony prepares to memorialize the man with music, we reminisce on Dick's lifetime of giving back to the community – and his legacy which will be felt for many years to come.
We spend time with violinist extraordinaire Nick Kendall (a.k.a. "Nicky Diamondz," a.k.a. "Nicky Five Tones," a.k.a. "Little Nicky") one third of the superstar string trio Time for Three and their appearance in Toledo with the TSO. Learn the backstory behind Nick and the trio (including those "nick"names), their venture into singing territory, and some exciting recent projects – including creating the soundtrack for Robin Wright's directorial debut film, Land. Also, do you know which famous trio (not Time for Three) has a museum in Pennsylvania dedicated to their many antics? No? Be sure to check out our quiz of the day: Famous Trios in History (a.k.a. Trio Trivia)!
Taking our cue from the TSO's Passion & Intrigue concert, we examine the lives and works of two formidable Richards – Richard Wagner and Richard Strauss. Throw in a little Samuel Coleridge-Taylor (plus a dash of Mahler) and you've got the recipe for a lively discussion!
We examine the intersection of Bach (as in J.S.) and Bock (as in beer) in our very first celebration of Oktoberfest, i.e., BACHtoberfest! We hear the story behind the annual beer and brat-soaked Bavarian event (which has been going on since 1810), and espouse the glories of J.S. Bach (which has been going on since 1685). Also, we offer a preview of other October events from the symphony, and manage to put in a plug for public radio (it is fundraising time, after all).
Inspired by the Toledo Symphony's Sister Cities chamber concert, we welcome a special guest: Mrs. Rogene Kohler (on the Toledo Sister Cities International Board, and President of the Toledo German Sister Cities Committee). Hear about all of Toledo's nine Sister Cities (plus hopefuls and at least one "divorcée"), We also hear a wonderful selection from the chamber program, Kala Ramnath's Amrit - part of the Kronos Quartet's Fifty for the Future project (track information below, used by permission). Composed by Kala Ramnath on violin, arranged for string quartet by Reena Esmail© 2016 Inner Sunset Publishing℗ 2016 Kronos Performing Arts AssociationCommissioned for Fifty for the Future: The Kronos Learning Repertoire50ftf.kronosquartet.org/Produced by Kronos QuartetRecorded July 2016 at Studio Trilogy, San Francisco, CAEngineered and mixed by Laura DeanAssistant Engineer: Alex SpencerProduction Assistant: Minna ChoiMixed at Women's Audio Mission, San Francisco, CAAssistant Mixing Engineers: Monica Bonilla, Ripley Young, Becca High, Victoria Fajardo, Hannah Valente and Victoria Fajardo
We welcome the dynamic pianist (and Toledo favorite) Sara Davis Buechner by phone to talk about the piano concerto by Florence Price, which Sara brings to the Peristyle in concert with the Toledo Symphony. In this episode, we not only learn about composers who were also talented visual artists, but we solve a longstanding puzzle in the world of classical music: the Enigma Variations of Edward Elgar (well, we give it a shot, anyway!).
Michael Lang, Toledo Ballet's resident director/choreographer, joins us to talk about his latest creation, Coming Up for Air. A synthesis of the healing and the performing arts, Coming Up for Air is an immersive, hour-long medition set to the mesmerizing music of Icelandic composer Ólafur Arnalds and Frédéric Chopin. We share our own serious strategies for stress-relief (especially during the pandemic) and indulge ourselves with a completely irreverent (not to mention stress-busting) Icelandic101 quiz.
As we launch season five of our series, we explore the artistry of Grammy Award and MacArthur “Genius” grant winner Rhiannon Giddens, who comes to Toledo this weekend for a concert and subsequent lecture appearance. Test your Rhiannon 101 with our trivia quiz, plus hear what antics our panel was up to over the summer. Also, we discuss the TSO's new season with a focus on September events.
For our last conversation of the 2020-2021 season, we look forward to what the future might bring, post-covid. Our special guest is Jeff vom Saal, Executive Director of the Spokane Symphony, who gives some insight into what his organization has been doing – and what they hope to achieve as the arts begin to open up again.
As the season (unlike any other) winds down, we give the last word to Beethoven and his Symphony No. 6, the Pastoral symphony. Also on the docket: American composer (unlike any other) George Antheil and his very pastoral Serenade for Strings. We take it a step further with our pastoral pop quiz, and – perhaps best of all – welcome TSO Music Director Alain Trudel back into the recording studio (live and in the flesh!) after a year of phoning it in under quarantine.
For our Memorial Day special we welcome Jacob Joyce, Associate Conductor of the Indianapolis Symphony and guest conductor for the TSO's Patriotic Pops concert. Jacob gives some backstory to his career as a violinist and conductor, plus we take a dive into the patriotic-themed repertoire on the concert (including our unofficial analysis of "The Star-Spangled Banner" vs. "O Canada"). As an added bonus, test your patriotic chops in our "Patriotic Pops" quiz about America's Founding Fathers (patriotic "pops"... get it?).
We talk with two major artists as they prepare a triumphant return to Toledo: pianist Jon Nakamatsu and TSO Music Director Alain Trudel. Nakamatsu, Gold Medalist of the Tenth Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, talks about his several appearances with the TSO and what it's like to be returning to live performance after the 15-month hiatus imposed by the pandemic. We also roll out the red carpet for Trudel as he prepares to take up the baton once more with the Toledo Symphony, after a year's absence from the podium (physically, at least). Finally, taking our cue from Nakamatsu's Chopin performance with the TSO, we provide an immersive Frédéric Chopin experience with our quiz of the day!
We celebrate TSLAB's 150th episode with a walk through memory lane (featuring contributions from "Dr." Lea Salonga and "Quizmaster" Erin Moran Wiley). Also, guest panelist Michael Lang from Toledo Ballet shares the scoop on his latest creation with the Toledo Symphony, Dancing Fairy Tales. And speaking of fairy tales, can you "pin the tale on the moral"? Find out with our quiz of the day!
What do young budding musicians and Beethoven have in common? Well for one thing, they're both covered by this podcast. Special guest Rachel Schultz, TAPA Director of Education and Community Engagement, briefs us on the TSO Chamber Spotlight program featuring Young Artist Competition winners, and we take a deep dive (once more) into Beethoven as part of the TSO's modified Beethoven 250 festival. Also, we not only test our Beethoven 101 in the quiz of the day, but we brush up on our Rachel 101 in a bonus quiz about our special guest!
We welcome special guest Mike Deetsch, Senior Director of Learning and Interpretation at the Toledo Museum of Art, as we delve into the TSO's Art & Music Collide program. TMA's new exhibit Rare and Wondrous: Birds in Art and Culture 1620-1820 informs the music on the program, and provides the inspiration for our discussion. Think you know your birds? Test your Ornothology 101 knowledge with our quiz of the day!
The works of William Shakespeare as interpreted through readings, music, and dance in Toledo Ballet's program Moving Soliloquies. Choreographer Michael Lang stops by to fill us in on this engaging and original program, which takes us on a unique journey of Shakespeare’s famous speech “All the world’s a stage” performed by Jaques in As You Like It. Immerse yourself in the world of Shakespeare and test your Soliloquies 101 knowledge in our quiz of the day!
Matthew Killam, Chief of Community Outreach and Experiences for Toledo's Metroparks, joins us for a chat about the Toledo Symphony's Forces of Nature concert which celebrates the beauty of nature not only with music, but through multimedia presentations as well. We'll hear Matt's story and what led him to the Metroparks, plus the symbiotic relationship between nature and music as represented in this concert. Also, in keeping with our role as an "educational podcast," we'll test our knowledge of collective nouns, animal edition!
Inspired by the TSO's Shakespeare-themed concert Musical Tales of the Bard, we take a tour of all things Shakespeare and explore the vast musical landscape inspired by the Swan of Avon. As an added bonus, we've resurrected our re-Shakespearized West Side Story skit from season two (featuring resident thespian/cellist Robert Clemens and the SymphonyLAB players). And do you know how many English words were invented by the Immortal Bard? Be sure to Brush Up Your Shakespeare with our quiz of the day!
As we celebrate Easter, the Toledo Symphony makes available its monumental performance of Gustav Mahler's "Resurrection" Symphony from two years ago (streaming this weekend only at stream.artstoledo.com). We revisit that spectacular event – all the more potent under the current pandemic climate – which brought together outstanding vocal soloists with choirs from around the region. Also as an added bonus, we test our Easter trivia knowledge (both religious and secular) with the quiz of the day!
As Music in our Schools Month winds down, we check in with the TSO's Director of Education and Community Engagement Rachel Schultz, for an update on how the symphony has adapted to the pandemic in terms of music education. We also hear two very different stories, one from Rachel, the other from Music Director Alain Trudel, about their formative years in music. Plus, put your knowledge of composer quotes to the test in our quiz of the day!
We explore the TSO's Prodigal Songs program, which includes early works by Dmitri Shostakovich and TSO Music Director Alain Trudel (who joins us for the discussion). Also, a reduced version of the Richard Strauss proto-cartoon-music tone poem Til Eulenspiegel, as arranged for "The Necessary Five" (Marvel Comics take note). To top it all off, we test our prodigy trivia knowledge with the quiz of the day!
Just in time for the TSO's Slàinte! concert, it's our St. Patrick's Day celebration – featuring guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez and TSO percussion guru Keith McWatters. Enjoy some fun music as we find out our "leprechaun" names, hear some behind-the-scenes stories from our panelists, and learn some interesting facts about the celebrated Irish holiday in our St. Paddy's Day Quiz!
We welcome guest violinist Timothy Chooi to the program to talk about his career, his large social media footprint, and his appearance with the TSO in Prokofiev's 2nd Violin Concerto. Also, with three Canadians on the panel, we can't resist but offer up a Canada-themed quiz of the day!
We celebrate Black History Month with a preview of the TSO's concert On Angel's Wings We Soar to the Light, presented by candlelight at St. Martin de Porres Catholic Church in Toledo. Our old friend (and former TSO Resident Conductor) Chelsea Tipton II joins the discussion about the legacy of African American music and composers, both from history and from the present. Also, we take Chelsea's classical crossover work as our cue for the quiz of the day!
We preview the TSO's Postcards from Prague program, which includes music by Antonín Dvořák as well as Wolfgang Mozart. Joining us is Vinay Parameswaran, Associate Conductor of The Cleveland Orchestra who makes a return appearance in Toledo to lead the concert. We hear Vinay's backstory, and explore the connection between Mozart and Prague – with a fun little "Prague or Not" quiz thrown in for good measure!
It's our Valentine's Day episode, with special guest John Morris Russell (conductor of the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra). John is in town to lead the Toledo Symphony in their romance-filled concert To the Moon and Back, available to live stream or watch after the performance (stream.artstoledo.com). We get the backstory on John's musical career, and panelists share their favorite romantic pieces of music (including some that are on the concert). To top it off, we test our Valentine's I.Q. with our quiz of the day!
The last time we had conductor/pianist William (Bill) Eddens on the program, the conversation covered everything from Daniel Barenboim and "play conducting" to craft beer and Mozart's piano concertos. Now Bill returns to perform on the podium with the Toledo Symphony with returning guest pianist Stewart Goodyear, and we're still talking about all those things and more (just swap Beethoven for Mozart!).
We preview the TSO's upcoming streaming concert entitled Fantasy Music, with special guest Nancy Lendrim (TSO principal Harp). In addition to Nancy's backstory, we explore the concept of "fantasy" classical music in general, and test our Fairy Tale IQ with the quiz of the day!
We welcome special guest conductor Enrico Lopez-Yañez to the program, for a deep dive into the wonderful world of film music – and how the string orchestra brings it to life in the TSO's streaming concert, Strings from the Silver Screen. Principal pops conductor of the Nashville Symphony, Enrico brings his considerable experience to bear on the genre, sharing his backstory and talking about the challenges of performing during the pandemic. We also test our classical-music-in-film IQ with our quiz of the day: Mozart in the Movies.
Guest conductor James Feddeck joins us to preview the TSO's upcoming streaming program King of Instruments, which features prominent works for organ (all performed by the magnificent Todd Wilson on the world-famous Skinner organ at the Peristyle). James (also an organist) gives us a glimpse into his backstory – complete with some fun stories – and we test our musical nickname I.Q. with the quiz of the day!
Musical endings come in all flavors: happy, sad, thrilling, pensive (and everywhere in between). As the old year concludes and we begin a new year, the TSLAB panel shares their favorite endings from the classical repertoire – and tells a few fun stories along the way.
We can all agree that 2020 has been a year unlike any other! As we ring in 2021, we look back on the nuts and bolts decision the TSO has had to make while adjusting to the coronavirus epidemic, and sample some favorite moments from past episodes.
It's the day before (the day before) Christmas, and all through the house we're celebrating with our annual SymphonyLAB Christmas special! In the spirit of comraderie, we gather together (virtually, that is) for a fun slate of activities including Name That Carol (from an obscure phrase of text), and our Christmas Cookie Quiz.
Singer/Songwriter and Toledo native Crystal Bowersox joins us on the phone to talk up her live streaming Christmas concert with the Toledo Symphony. Crystal reminisces about her hometown and shares how she raises awareness of important issues through her art. We also learn some interesting CB facts – including her "favorite" Christmas song (which may not be what you think!).
We discuss the upcoming 80th anniversary production of Tchaikovsky's Nutcracker and how the Toledo Ballet and symphony are adapting to the pandemic. We also pay tribute to Marie Bollinger Vogt (pictured), Toledo Ballet founder and longtime force in our cultural community, who passed away last June at the age of 99. And back by popular demand (or lack thereof), our quiz Ballet Term or French Culinary Technique makes a souped-up (pun intended) reappearance!
It's that time of year again! Taking our cue from the TSO's upcoming Christmas at the Peristyle concert, we dive into the holidays with a survey of the season, including a few of our favorite things. Find out who's been naughty and who's been nice, and check your Christmas 101 with our special Santa quiz!
Thanksgiving will undoubtedly be different for families this year, but even in the face of the Covid-19 pandemic our Toledo SymphonyLAB family finds much to be grateful for. This year we invite TSO principal flute Joel Tse to join us and share his favorite Thanksgiving foods and cooking techniques (Joel is the resident "foodie" of the symphony). We also delve into the history of the holiday and put our knowledge to the test with our Thanksgiving 101 quiz.
We preview an upcoming concert from the TSO by welcoming principal clarinet Georg Klaas to the program. In addition to learning all about Georg, we delve into the history behind Mozart's use of the clarinet (Georg plays Mozart's clarinet concerto on the concert). Also, TSO Music Director Alain Trudel sheds light on Beethoven's first symphony (also on the concert), and how Beethoven used the clarinet in his orchestra. And as an added bonus, put your clarinet chops to the test with our clarinet pop quiz of the day!
We discuss the ongoing pandemic and how people are coping with the fact that their lives – both professional and personal – are in upheaval. Joining us is clinical psychotherapist Erin Wiley of The Willow Center, who offers her professional advice as both a mental health professional and a performing artist.
We take as our point of departure the upcoming All-American program from the TSO, featuring works by Aaron Copland, George Walker, and George Gershwin. Joining us by phone is pianist Michael Chertock, who solos in Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the symphony. In this wide-ranging conversation we hear about Michael's path to piano excellence, his prior experiences with Toledo, an odd job he held during his youth, and how to deal with hecklers. Also, in a podcast exclusive, we welcome TSO Music Director Alain Trudel back to the program to lend more insight into the music heard on the concert.
We preview the TSO's upcoming chamber program which contains Olivier Messiaen's remarkable Quartet for the End of Time. Written and performed while Messiaen was in a German prison camp during WWII, the quartet has two stories to tell: the Apocalypse as set forth in the Book of Revelations, and the perseverence of the human spirit in the face of unspeakable evil.
Our yearly Halloween special abounds with spooky stories, creepy creatures, and favorite candies! We also preview the TSO's Halloween Spooktacular, which this year includes a virtual costume contest and parade (as you can see, we have our masks on!).
We spend this episode with violinist Randall Goosby, who performs a concerto by the remarkable Chevalier de Saint-Georges with the TSO. A protege of Itzhak Perlman, Randall gives us the backstory on his career thus far; examines the effect that Saint-Georges had on his younger contemporary Wolfgang Mozart, and talks about his own experience raising awareness of racial issues within the world of classical music. http://www.randallgoosby.com/https://stream.artstoledo.com/products/parisian-classics
We're joined in the studio by our old friend Michael Lang from Toledo Ballet, for a light-hearted preview of the TSO's Gershwin Celebration, choreographed by Michael and his wife Lisa Mayer-Lang. Conceived partly as an artistic response to the pandemic, this glittering revue features some iconic Gershwin tunes performed live by Toledo Symphony musicians. More information about this streaming concert: https://bit.ly/36qfKWR
We spend the program with reknowned jazz trumpeter, bandleader, and vocalist Byron Stripling – who brings the Louis Armstrong songbook to the Stranahan Theater this weekend. Learn more about this fantastic artist and one of his biggest inspirations, the great Louis Armstrong, plus a few fun facts (including Woody Herman's nickname for Byron). And as (almost) always, there will be a test! More information plus how to stream/rent this performance can be found here: https://www.toledosymphony.com/events/2020/10/03/keybank-pops/a-tribute-to-louis-armstrong/
As the TSO prepares to launch their ongoing BTVN419 festival (to celebrate Beethoven's 250th birthday), we explore some of the music on this week's program, and take a deep dive into the personal and professional life of the great Romantic composer. Test your Beethoven 101 and learn some interesting facts about Ludwig van with our quiz of the week!
We welcome the TSO's new Marketing Director Vanessa Gardner to the fold, and put her through the paces as a TSLAB newbie. We hear Vanessa's "story" and how she came to work for the Toledo Symphony after spending time as a musician and arts administrator on the East coast and in Texas. We also get to know her (and her many nicknames) through a fun game of Twenty Questions (although we don't manage to get through all twenty!).
Wearing masks and socially distanced in the studio, we discuss how the TSO has adapted their 20-21 season to the pandemic and to preview the opening concert, Max Richter's magical recomposition of Vivaldi's The Four Seasons.Info on the TAPA streaming platform is at https://stream.artstoledo.com/
TSO Music Director Alain Trudel (pictured) joins us by phone along with panelist Felecia Kanney to discuss the many different ways that composers (including Alain) can add color to a piece of music. Our point of departure is the upcoming WGTE Presents: TSO in HD program which features Rimsky-Korsakov's Tale of Tsar Saltan suite; Smetana's The Moldau; selections by Mendelssohn, Tchaikovsky, Grieg, and Mahler – plus Alain Trudel's own Greek mythology-related fanfare for orchestra, Rhea. As an added bonus: we take the Color Personality Test! What's your favorite color?
Our panelists pull back the curtain on what it means to be a "virtuoso" musician, focusing in-depth on two recent TSO guest soloists: violinist Augustin Hadelich, and pianist Olga Kern (pictured).
We offer a rundown of the ongoing WGTE Presents: TSO in HD program on WGTE-TV, and revisit some conversations from the past — including clips from TSO tubist David Saltzman and composers Samuel Adler (pictured) and Jennifer Higdon. All three are featured in an upcoming episode of TSO in HD, along with works by Christopher Dietz and Erich Wolfgang Korngold. Panelists Zak Vassar and Merwin Siu join us by phone to give the backstory on these selections, and the thematic thread that binds them together.
While concert halls are dark, classical musicians are increasingly turning to social media to share their talents and keep the music alive. We highlight some recent entries from TSO members on YouTube, including a brand new work for cello by composer Maddy Wildman.TSO brass play Gabrieli: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Fptbmp27BDATSO cellist Kellen Degnan premieres Tinted Postcards by Maddy Wildman: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LRCpuhLkEF4TSO violinist Merwin Siu performs the second movement of Another Spring, a violin concerto written for him by former TSO Music Director Andrew Massey: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=iEWJUABEKUA
You may know him as a regular panelist on our weekly podcast (or as a star of the first Avengers film), but Merwin Siu is also on of our area's most talented violinists (okay, no secret there!). For this episode, we do something a little bit different as Merwin brings his violin into the studio for a mini-recital of some of his favorite works for solo violin.
In a program recorded while we could still invite people into the studio, we examine life under quarantine for TSO musicians – and how music in general can provide an outlet (and comfort) to people stuck at home (including the TSLAB crew).
Well actually we are fooling around a bit, since it's our April Fool's Day episode! Hear all about our latest diversion under quarantine, Composer Mayhem - a classical-inspired substitute for sporting events that usually happen this time of year. Also, we delve into April Fools with some prank suggestions - don't try these at home (okay try them at home, but don't blame us!).
As we continue to live under social distancing and shelter at home, the TSO gang (seperated by 6 feet!) join in the studio and by phone to talk about how covid-19 is affecting educational efforts for both the Toledo Symphony School of Music and the Toledo Ballet. Special phone guests are Rachel Schultz, Director of Education & Community Engagement, and Toledo Ballet Artistic Director Lisa Meyer-Lang.
We have a conversation about how covid-19 restrictions are affecting the performing arts and recount how the TSO was able to offer their Love Songs program as a live stream without an audience (watch the concert here on YouTube: https://youtu.be/eDHstjmqZp4). Also, test your knowledge of the new coronavirus with our quiz of the day. Stay up-to-date with Ohio-related covid-19 news at coronavirus.ohio.gov.
We check in with baritone Sidney Outlaw as he prepares to bring Gustav Mahler's Songs of a Wayfarer to the Peristyle. Music Director Alain Trudel (an early champion of Sidney's) explains the lovelorn connections between Mahler and Brahms's Symphony No. 4 (also on the program), and we touch on the tragically short life of composer Lili Boulanger, whose music opens the concert.
In this extended podcast, we explore the TSO's upcoming Brahms v. Radiohead concert – which mashes up Brahms's Symphony No. 1 with songs from Radiohead's iconic album OK Computer. The brainchild of conductor, composer, performer and all-around musical visionary Steve Hackman, this multi-media presentation both defies classical crossover stereotypes while providing a gateway to enjoy and appreciate both "sides of the aisle," as it were. Also, we play a game of "Who Would Win?" 90's style (1890s v. 1990s, that is!).
It's that time of year again... time to announce the Toledo Symphony's new season! Join us for an extended preview of what exciting offerings await TSO audiences for 2020-21.
As music sensation Ben Folds comes to Toledo, we offer up our own observations on his remarkable career and enduring appeal (yes, even to classical music fans!). Inspired by Ben's practice of composing a song in 10 minutes with orchestra, we do our own little experiment: creating a song in just five minutes!
We take on one of the biggest performances of the season, Carl Orff's epic Carmina Burana. Featuring the TSO with choruses from BGSU, plus a community Children's Chorus, distinguished soloists, and dancers from Toledo Ballet, Orff's iconic setting of medieval poems is sure to prove a major spectacle on the stage. Test your literary knowledge in our extended podcast, which features a wheel-of-fortune quotes-about-fate quiz!
We celebrate our 100th episode (!) with some of the most hilarious moments from our past three seasons, including Bernstein à la Shakespeare via TSO thespian Bob Clemens; pre-eminent conductor/pianist William Eddins' impression of Daniel Barenboim; our never-ending New Year's episode, and "Felecia's Kazoo" (enough said). Also, a never before heard blooper reel from our first season Messiah podcast with conductor Sara Jobin. Come join the party!
During the week of International Holocaust Remembrance Day, we preview the TSO's upcoming performance of Brundibár, a powerful children's opera by Jewish Czech composer Hans Krása which was performed by the children of Theresienstadt concentration camp before they (and composer Krása) were sent to the gas chambers at Auschwitz. Joining us for the discussion are Hindea Markowicz, who is Director of the Ruth Fajerman Markowicz Holocaust Resource Center, and David Saygers, Artistic Administrator for Toledo School for the Arts (which is taking part in the performance).
Before she comes to the Stranahan this weekend, star of stage and screen Renée Elise Goldsberry joins us for Toledo SymphonyLAB! Tune in as we talk about Renée's early years in Detroit, her path to fame (including her star turn as Angelica Schuyler in Hamilton), how she balances career and family – and of course, what we can expect when she comes to Toledo to sing with the symphony.
We take on one of the most difficult piano concertos in the repertoire, Rachmaninoff's Third - which is coming to the Peristyle courtesy of Van Cliburn gold medalist Olga Kern (pictured). Also, Pulitzer and Grammy-winning composer (and BGSU grad) Jennifer Higdon joins us by phone to talk about her Concerto for Orchestra, also on the program. And, while we have her on the line, we test our luck with a "getting to know you" quiz all about Jennifer and her music!
Our point of departure for this episode is the TSO's concert on January 11, which features Stravinsky's Dumbarton Oaks concerto, Mozart's Symphony No. 40, and one of Haydn's most popular symphonies, No. 94 (which has a... "surprising"... nickname). Speaking of nicknames, we make up our own for the Mozart symphony, and try our luck at a Symphonic Nicknames Quiz. Come join us!
We ring in the New Year with predictions for 2020 from our esteemed panel, plus from guests Michael Lang of Toledo Ballet, star reporter Jaden Jefferson, and Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. Also, we check in on our New Year's resolutions from last year, and put our wits to the test with a 100-year predictions quiz!
We celebrate Christmas SymphonyLAB style, with a return visit from our Youth Advisory Council (i.e., our kids), and a survey of holiday traditions old and new – plus our favorite Christmas memories and stories from years past. Merry Christmas!
We welcome a special guest, 11 year old news reporter sensation Jaden Jefferson, who turns the tables on us by interviewing Toledo Symphony cellist Damon Coleman. We also examine young Jaden's rise to fame and test our knowledge of his many exploits in our "Jaden Reports" Quiz!
We celebrate theToledo ballet's 79th annual Nutcracker with a visit from former "Mother Ginger," Toledo Mayor Wade Kapszukiewicz. Joining the Mayor is another member of the Mother Ginger club, TSO President and CEO Zak Vassar. Special guest (and SymphonyLAB veteran) Michael Lang from Toledo Ballet helps round out the panel. Besides all things Nutcracker, we talk mayoral favorite Beethoven and Toledo traditions - including our Toledo (Spain, that is) quiz!
It's time once again for a TSO holiday tradition: Handel's Messiah at Rosary Cathedral! We offer a rundown of what to expect, and welcome special guest Paul Monachino, Director of Music at Rosary, to share his experiences working in one of Toledo's most beautiful and sacred spaces. And speaking of sacred spaces, we put our knowledge to the test with our "Great Cathedrals in History" quiz!
As Thanksgiving is upon us, we recognize and salute the volunteers who make the performing arts and nonprofit media run smoothly. We're joined by Kathy Scheer, who is president of the Toledo Symphony League, and Bill Brancheau, a long time volunteer for the TSO who currently volunteers for the music department at WGTE. Tune in and test your Voluteerism 101 with our quiz of the day!
Cellist extraordinaire Julian Schwarz joins us by phone to preview his upcoming performances of Antonin Dvorak's cello concerto, one of the pinnacles of the repertoire. We also essay the life and music of Florence Price, a pioneer among both female composers and composers of color.
We welcome three engineering students from the University of Toledo to talk about their latest project: printing a 3-D violin! TSO Music Director joins us to talk about his own similar project from the Ottowa Symphony Orchestra, and we test our knowledge of 3-D printing in our quiz of the week.
The legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman is coming to the Peristyle with the Toledo Symphony for a program of music by the equally-legendary composer John Williams. We discuss Perlman's career, share stories, and test our Itzhak IQ with a fun (and informative!) quiz.
We celebrate Halloween with a trip through the magical world of Harry Potter and two special guests: TSO graphic designer Tamie Spears and 13abc's Tony Geftos. Inspired by the Toledo Symphony presentation of Harry Potter and the Sorcerer’s Stone™ in Concert, we offer our own "Mad Libs" version of the plot, and shine the spotlight on Tony's own magical book, The Heart-Shaped Pox. Also, test your knowledge of local lore with our Haunted Toledo quiz!
We take on a subject that strikes terror in every performer's heart: stage fright (or performance anxiety, to use the clinical term). Joining our esteemed panel is clinical psychotherapist Erin Wiley, founder of The Willow Center. Erin offers advice as we relate our own personal stories, and we learn some suprising facts in our quiz The Seven Bad Habits of Highly Successful Composers.
We preview the TSO's upcoming October-themed concert which includes a fun-filled performance of Lemony Snicket's The Composer is Dead, starring TSO resident thespian (and cellist) Bob Clemens. Bob makes a command appearance in our TSLAB version, The Composer is Dead... Again!, and we get a little insight into the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestra, which performs alongside the TSO in Mussorgsky's Night on Bald Mountain. Oh, and don't miss our "Dead Composers" quiz - it's a killer!
As the brand new acoustic shell at the historic Valentine Theatre is poised to make its concert debut, we're joined by Jori Jex, the Valentine's Executive Director, for the backstory on how it finally came to fruition after years of planning. Also, we explore the "Three B's" (Bach, Beethoven, Brahms... or is it Bizet? Or Britten? or – insert your choice here!). And as an added bonus, brush up on your Toledo culteral history with our "Valentine" Quiz!
We preview the TSO's upcoming Pixar in Concert program, with a return appearance from our SymphonyLAB Youth Advisory Council. Also, we explore how Pixar films use different kinds of music to underscore their films, and we test our Pixar knowledge with a quiz!
The last season of the TSO came to a close with Mahler's Resurrection symphony, and now the new season opens with Mahler in full force for the Symphony No. 5 – which includes that heart-achingly beautiful Adagietto movement. Mahler expert Effie Papanikolau joins our panel for a discussion of the composer and his symphony, and the fascinating woman who inspired it, Gustav's wife, Alma.
Fresh off the TSO's 75th anniversary season, we look ahead to the next 75 years and make predictions about what the future will bring. Also, the Toledo SymphonyLAB Youth Advisory Council (a.k.a. "our kids") embark on a time machine to the year 2094, and we test our past/future knowledge with a "Great Predictions in History" quiz.
We open season three of Toledo SymphonyLAB with some new faces to go with the new season. Megan Shusta, the TSO's new principal horn, and Kelly Hill Kretzer, who handles ensemble sales, join our panelists for a fun round of "Two True One False" – and of course, that perennial favorite, "21 Questions." Listen to the extended podcast version!
We preview the final Masterworks concert of the TSO's 75th Anniversary season, with Associate Concertmaster Téa Prokes, who brings her violin to the Beatles Fantasy by Maxime Goulet. Also, we hear from composer Michael Daugherty about his Metropolis Symphony (also on the program), which deals in the mythology of Superman – and we test our Beatles I.Q. with our weekly quiz!.
It's that time of year, as we present a "clip show" - featuring our favorite picks not just from this past season of Toledo SymphonyLAB but also from TSO performances during their 75th anniversary season.
We preview the TSO's remarkable Callas in Concert experience which comes to the Stranahan in September 2019. One of the 20th century's greatest artists comes back to stunning life thanks to cutting-edge, 3D hologram technology!
In advance of the TSO's monumental Gustav Mahler program, we explore the man and his music, especially the heart-stopping Symphony No. 2, also called the Resurrection Symphony. Joining in the discussion is musicologist (and avowed Mahlerian) Effie Papanikolaou, who lends an authoritative voice to our discussion. Also, test your musical quotation chops in our Who Said It? Quiz: Mahler or Mozart?
We take a break from music to muse over something else close to our heart: the "intern experience." In this case, we're talking internships Symphony-style, with contributions from a whole crew of former TSO interns: Zak Vassar, Felecia Kanney, Allie Dresser and Kalindi Bellach. Also, enjoy some intern horror stories and test your knowledge – or guessing skills – in our celebrity intern quiz!
Just in time for Star Wars Day and the Toledo Symphony's upcoming Star Wars: A New Hope In Concert at the Huntington Center, we celebrate all things Star Wars with a special extended version of the program. Special guest 13abc news personality Tony Geftos brings his considerable Star Wars knowledge (and sound effects) to the mix, as we cover everything from our first SW experiences to that time TSO President and CEO Zak Vassar almost ran over John Williams with his car. Also, test your own SW IQ with not one but TWO Star Wars quizzes!
Star of stage and screen, Broadway legend and certified Disney legend Lea Salonga joins us to talk about her career, give vocal advice and preview her upcoming concert with the Toledo Symphony. Also – test your Disney Princess IQ with our quiz if the day!
We welcome Toledo Museum of Art Manager of Programs Scott Boberg to talk about the upcoming 419 Festival at the TMA. The brainchild of Scott and TSLAB regular Merwin Siu, the festival features music by composers who have lived in the 419. Also, test your Toledo knowledge in our 419 quiz!
We check in with pianist/singer (and Billy Joel protégé) Michael Cavanaugh, who is bringing the music of his mentor to the stage of the Peristyle. Hear the backstory of how Michael came to be hand-picked by Billy Joel himself to star in his Broadway musical, Movin' Out. Also, test your Billy Joel I.Q. with our celebrity quiz!
Guest conductor and Toledo favorite, Giordano Belincampi, joins us by phone to preview the TSO's upcoming concert featuring the Scottish Symphony of Mendelssohn and Beethoven's first piano concerto with soloist Leonardo Colafelice. We're also joined by a SymphonyLAB newbie, Kalindi Bellach, who is Box Office Manager and Program Annotator for the TSO.
Taking our cue from the upcoming TSO concert featuring guitarist Gerardo Perez Capdevila, we welcome friend of the arts Pat Appold into the studio to trace the story of how she discovered the fantastic Cuban-born guitarist. Also, test your knowledge with our Classical Guitar Quiz!
We explore the perennial question of how to market classical music to the masses. Panel guests include TSO's Director of Marketing Felecia Kanney and TSO President/CEO Zak Vassar, whose background before joining the symphony was also in marketing. See if our conversation sparks any ideas or suggestions from you – and while you're at it, test your knowledge with our Vintage Ad Campaign Quiz!
Inspired by the TSO's upcoming program The Majestic Sea, we take a deep dive into "the undiscovered" – those musical works we feel lie just beneath the surface but deserve to be heard. Links to music talked about in this episode:Grazyna Bacewicz: Concerto For String OrchestraR. Murray Schafer: Miniwanka (representative work)Giuseppe Martucci: La canzone dei ricordi (Song of Memories)Josef Suk: Concerto for String OrchestraJ.S. Bach: MorimurJohn Coltrane: Untitled original #11386 take2 More on our spotify playlist:https://open.spotify.com/playlist/0SafrTm1BepZZqirvTEQoh
We offer a preview of upcoming concerts with the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestras as well as Alain Trudel's partnership (as trombonist) with legendary jazz pianist Gene DiNovi, sure to set the Stranahan on fire this weekend in I'm Getting Sentimental Over You. Also, we explore the various myths of and misconceptions about classical music, in our entertaining (yet informative!) Wheel of Myth-Conceptions.
Inspired by the TSO's upcoming concert with violin prodigy Blake Pouliot, we take on the topic of "Musical Genius" - what it is, who has it, and why? Blake joins us for this episode, along with conductor Alain Trudel and other members of our regular panel.
In this special expanded podcast version of our program, we examine the famous so-called "love triangle" between Robert Schumann, Johannes Brahms, and the woman who inspired them both, Clara Schumann (although Brahms waited until after Robert's death before ramping up his affection for Clara). Our special guest is musicologist Effie Papanikolaou from Bowling Green State University, who sets us straight on the facts behind this famous relationship. Also, test your knowledge of the classics in our "famous love triangles in literary history" quiz!
What happens when an opera singer goes all jazz? Or a hip-hop violinist goes classical? Inspired in part by the TSO's upcoming concert with Queen Latifah, we scratch the surface of a (very!) subjective subject: musical crossover.
It's the time of year that we reveal the upcoming 76th anniversary season of the Toledo Symphony! You won't want to miss this one: great music, fantastic performances, and some incredible guest artists!
The great pianist André Watts is returning to Toledo after a 15 year absence. Special guest Bob Bell (President Emeritus of the TSO) joins us to provide the backstory on Watts' longtime relationship with the Toledo Symphony, and we preview some of the other music on the program by Tchaikovsky and Mendelssohn.
Once again, we pose questions to the TSO's Music Director Alain Trudel, including asking about that time he lay down on a bed of nails in his tux and had a concrete block smashed on his chest (video here). We also preview the TSO's upcoming pops concert with Big Bad Voodoo Daddy (pictured). Test your Big Band knowledge in our Big Bad Quiz of the day!
We preview the TSO's upcoming program Moz-Art à la Haydn which pairs two great masters (Haydn and Mozart) and takes a second look at both through the lens of modern master Alfred Schittke. Sample Schnittke's music and learn the backstory on Haydn's "Queen" Symphony (Marie Antoinette, not Freddie Mercury) as well as Mozart's "Linz" Symphony – written in just 4 days while travelling by carriage through Austria.
We preview the TSO's upcoming Nordic Air concert with guest violinist Augustin Hadelich, and test our castaway culinary knowledge with the desert island dessert quiz. Also – what music would you bring to a deserted island? Find out our choices as we play our own version of the BBC's legendary Desert Island Discs program.
We ring in the New Year symphony-style, with special guest Michael Lang from Toledo Ballet. Test your New Year's trivia knowledge and see if your resolutions compare to ours, as we spin the Wheel of Resolution Solutions. (Warning: it is a New Year's party after all, so don't be surprised if this one gets a little crazy!)
We explore the concept of the so-called "Mozart Effect" – that is, does listening to classical music make you smarter? We put it to the test. Also, put your "little genius" knowledge to the test with our "Prodigy Schmodigy" quiz!
We take our cue from the Frank Capra Christmas classic It's a Wonderful Life, with personal "alternate histories" and our It's a Wonderful Quiz quiz!
We offer a personal tribute to those people who have had a profound influence on our lives-- our teachers. Featuring TSO Director of Education Rachel Zeithamel and Toledo Symphony School of Music violin instructor Sonsoles Llodrá.
We revisit the magic of Toledo Ballet's Nutcracker at the Stranahan, with special guest Jeanie Hayward. Learn all about this beloved annual event (almost 80 years old now) and test your ballet vs. culinary knowledge with our quiz of the day!
TSO Production Manager Tim Lake joins us to pull back the curtain on "25 Concerts in 25 Days" – the Toledo Symphony's annual series of local holiday concerts. Also, we tip our hat to Christmas at the Peristyle with a Christmas movie quote quiz!
We celebrate our 50th episode and self-congratulate on winning the 2018 Touchstone Award for Broadcast Radio from the Press Club of Toledo. Also, we share stories of musical thanks – with examples – and test our knowledge of Oak Harbor High School (the alma mater of our special guest, TSO's Marketing Manager Allie Dresser).
We welcome special guest Shreyas Banerjee, a student at Maumee Valley Country Day School and violinist in the Toledo Symphony Youth Orchestra for a show inspired by the Toledo Symphony's concert A Hero's Life - which pairs the TSO with the Youth Orchestra side-by-side to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the end of World War I. Learn all about the music on the program, find out which one of is actually a part of the Marvel Cinematic Universe, and test your general superhero knowledge in our trivia quiz of the day!
We explore composer Peter Boyer’s Grammy-nominated contemporary classical work Ellis Island: The Dream of America, one of the TSO's upcoming Young People's Concerts. Boyer's work brings elements of the live theatre and multimedia into the Peristyle, employing authentic actors and projected historical images from the Ellis Island archives. Also, test your knowledge of history in our Ellis Island trivia quiz!
HAPPY HALLOWEEN! In this extended version of the Toledo SymphonyLab™ podcast, we examine why music scares us (with a Scary Movie Theme Song Quiz), share our own choices for creepiest music ever, try our luck at a Spooktacular Halloween Quiz, and even share some terrifying (sort of) ghost stories! Featuring special guests Ryan Ebright (Musicologist from BGSU) and Emily Price Dietz (TSO Horn Player).
Taking our cue from the Toledo Symphony's upcoming Mozart in the Afternoon concert, we take on the mighty "Jupiter" Symphony of Mozart – which begs the question "What would Mozart have written had he lived longer?" Also, we settle on Music Director Alain Trudel's "walk-on music" theme song, and test our music triva knowledge with the classical nickname quiz!
We welcome special guest, visual artist Holly Carr, who joins the TSO for a multimedia performance of Stravinsky's Firebird Suite. Also, guest panelist and TSO Trustee Saga Shoffner sits in as we make our own Firebird sketches (pictured), and try our luck at the Bird or No Bird Quiz.
We preview the TSO's Colors concert, which includes the world premiere of Samuel Adler's Tuba Concerto with TSO Principal Tuba David Saltzman (both Sam and David join us for this episode). Also, fun bumblebee facts and our insect music quiz — all inspired (of course) by another work on the program: Rimsky-Korsakov's Flight of the Bumblebee.
In this episode, we meet the three newest members of Toledo Symphony's "F Clef Posse": cellists Elizabeth Rice and Kellen Degnan, and principal bass Jack Henning. Get to know our TSO newbies with a fun game of "Never Have I Ever," symphony-style. Also, how well do you know your bass instruments? Find out in our F Clef Audio Quiz!
We take a deep dive into Leonard Bernstein's landmark musical West Side Story and the legendary film version it inspired in 1961. Are you a Jet or a Shark? Listen in to find out - also, the SymphonyLAB players present a re-Shakespearized version of Bernstein's classic. Inspired by the Toledo Symphony's West Side Story: Film with Live Orchestra event at the Stranahan Theatre.
The moment is finally here as we celebrate Alain Trudel's official debut as Music Director of the Toledo Symphony! How well do you know the TSO's new conductor? Listen in and find out!
In the first episode of season two, we take a look at the Water Concerto by Chinese-born composer Tan Dun - complete with an in-studio demonstration of the exotic instruments it uses. Also, our Water Music quiz translates pop song titles into techno-babble. Can you unscramble them?
In our final episode for the season, we look forward to symphonic summer activities and backward to some of our favorite moments of the past 38 episodes!
In advance of their appearance with the Toledo Symphony at the Stranahan, we take a deep dive into the music of legendary folk duo the Indigo Girls.
We welcome two special guests: Toledo Symphony President Emeritus Bob Bell, and WGTE Public Media video producer Courtney Hutton, for a wide-ranging discussion on the TSO in HD project - where large screens flank the Peristyle stage for an immersive look at the conductor and musicians in performance.
What makes a conductor great? Find out as we spend the episode in wide-ranging conversation with conductor Giordano Bellincampi – a Toledo favorite and frequent guest conductor with the TSO.
This week we take on the music of Gustav Mahler, plus a little Mendelssohn and Bernstein. Bonus: test your Mahler IQ with (Toledo Symphony CEO) Zak Vassar's own MAHLER QUIZ!
We take our cue from the final Classic Concert of the season and focus on Leonard Bernstein's Serenade (based on Plato's Symposium). Violinist (and Berstein soloist) Merwin Siu is in the house, along with our usual cast of characters. Also, brush up on your Plato with our special quiz of the day!
Inspired by an upcoming TSO chamber program which features small-scale works by Bernstein, Mahler and Brahms, we explore the intersection between small scale and large scale works from composers best known for their symphonies.
We preview the TSO's upcoming concert Classical Ellington, which features two of Duke Ellington's best-known works modeled after the classical genre as bookends to music by Paul Schoenfeld and Alice Gomez. Joining us are the concert's conductor Sara Jobin, and TSO principal trumpet Lauraine Carpenter, who plays the premiere of Gomez's Latin Jazz Suite for Trumpet and Orchestra.
We visit with David Brighton, who brings the music of David Bowie to the stage of the Stranahan this weekend with the Toledo Symphony.
We welcome Douglas Tappin, composer and librettist of I Dream — a "Rhythm & Blues Opera" inspired by the final hours in the life of Rev. Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Also joining in the discussion is Carl Marsh, orchestrator and music director of the production, which premieres this weekend at Toledo Opera.
We put out a social media call on the topic "What is the biggest issue facing orchestras today?" and asked the Toledo Symphony's new Music Director Alain Trudel to join in the discussion.
Pianist Jon Nakamatsu joins us to talk about the common theme running through this weekend's Toledo Symphony concerts: the infamous Dies Irae (Judgment Day) chant melody, which has appeared in hundreds of works (Jon plays Liszt's Totentanz and Rachmaninov's Rhapsody on a Theme of Paganini). Also on the concert, the psychedelic Fantastic Symphony (Symphonie Fantastique) of Hector Berlioz.
Conductors Sara Jobin and Clarence Smith join us for a preview of the TSO's upcoming concert with opera legend Kathleen Battle, which also features the Clarence Smith Community Chorus and the Voices at BGSU.
We explore the TSO's North Star Festival, which highlights our local heritage as a part of the Underground Railroad and celebrates the musical contribution of Black Americans throughout history from the 1850s to 1960s.
This weekend sees the final installment in the Toledo Symphony's Festival of 88, which highlight the keys of Mozart’s favored instrument by pairing one of his most popular concerti with a TSO premiere. Guest conductor/pianist William Eddins joins us for an entertaining rundown on Mozart, Craft (and Canadian) Beer, English Cars, Daniel Barenboim, Play Conducting, and much, much, much, much more!
Inspired by the Toledo Symphony's upcoming concert with chanteuse Storm Large (pictured) and vocal group Hudson Shad, we take on The Seven Deadly Sins. Master of Ceremonies (and Toledo native) Nicholas Adamski joins us by phone to talk about his ongoing project, The Poetry Brothel, and just what we can expect from this one-of-a-kind concert experience.
Inspired by the TSO's upcoming concert Storm Large and The Crazy Arc Of Love, we offer a tribute to Valentine's Day, symphony style.
The TSO's newly minted Music Director Alain Trudel joins us to preview the 2018-19 season - which is not only the orchestra's 75th anniversary, but the first full season to come under Trudel's leadership.
Once again, inspired by the upcoming TSO concert featuring R. Strauss and Gustav Holst, we dive into the world of myths and legends courtesy the Thus Spake Zarathustra fanfare (think "2001: A Space Odyssey"). Also, renowned astrologer Janet Amid rejoins us to chart not only Richard Strauss, but all of us in the studio! (SPECIAL EXTENDED VERSION).
We welcome famed Toledo astrologer Janet Amid into the studio for an analysis of Gustav Holst's The Planets - which were the product of Holst's fascination with astrology, not astronomy. You can hear The Planets alongside Strauss' Thus Spake Zarathustra at the Toledo Symphony's Classic Concerts during the first weekend in February.
Inspired by the TSO's concert Singin' in the Rain: Film with Orchestra, we dive into the wonderful wide world of Film Music. Panelists name their favorites and trade personal stories on Debbie Reynolds and John Williams. Plus, the results of our (absolutely unscientific) Facebook Film Music Survey - including an unexpected response from composer Mic hael Nyman (The Piano).
Inspired by the Toledo Symphony's concerts which pair Brahms and Beethoven (with conductor Giordano Bellincampi and pianist Stewart Goodyear), we envision a musical cage match between the two titanic composers. Also, violinist Merwin Siu and pianist Rachel Zeithamel perform Brahms' contribution to the F.A.E. sonata in our performance studio.
In advance of the TSO's chamber concert this weekend, we talk about the great Viennese composer Franz Schubert – and combine two Schubertian elements in our audio quiz: "unfinished" music, and his penchant for playing his own melodies on the "kazoo" (comb and tissue paper).
The TSO's Music Director Alain Trudel joins us for a wide-ranging discussion of a subject that strikes fear into every performing artist's heart: the audition.
The Toledo Symphony's Director of Education Rachel Zeithamel joins us as we dive into the issue of education (music education in particular). We not only explore our own experiences, but what the TSO is doing to address the issue in our community.
It's that time of year again when the Toledo Symphony is coming to a neighborhood near you. We pull back the curtain on what goes on behind the scenes and what's really involved in taking the TSO "on the road."
Inspired by the 77th Annual Nutcracker at the Stranahan this weekend, special guest Michael Lang from Toledo Ballet joins us for a Nutcracker-themed episode – including the Nutcracker Quiz, Nutcracker War Stories, and more! (Note: no stage mice were harmed in the making of this episode)
We offer up our Christmas lists: giftlists, wishlists, and playlists. Also, conductor Sara Jobin joins us for a preview of the TSO's upcoming Christmas at the Peristyle and Messiah at Rosary Cathedral concerts, plus our "supercut" of one of the most enduring musical works of all time, G.F. Handel's Hallelujah Chorus.
We offer up our Thanksgiving playlists. Also, taking our cue from the Stranahan's upcoming presentation of Disney's "The Nightmare Before Christmas" – what piece of music would be the theme song for a movie about your life?
In advance of the TSO's upcoming concerts at the Peristyle, we take on Antonín Dvořák's Symphony No. 9, "From The New World," which was the great symphonic hope of American music back in the 1890s. Also: what makes "American" music sound "American"?
We explore the concept of "musical transmogrification" - turning a piece of chamber music into a symphonic work. Conductor Yaniv Segal (pictured) joins us to preview his orchestration of Beethoven's Violin Sonata no. 7, and collaborative pianist Samantha Beresford calls in to give us the 411 on her career and her upcoming appearance with the TSO.
In this episode of TSLab we take on "The Voice": where it's been, where it's going, and most of all, what makes it great. Related content: Audra McDonald and the TSO
We're joined by maverick cellist Julian Schwarz, who fills us in on the backstory for Lowell Liebermann's new cello concerto – which receives its world premiere this weekend with the Toledo Symphony.
In this extended episode, we discuss new music: what it is, how it's made, and where it fits in with the symphonic literature. Also, composer Lowell Liebermann plays a round of our audio quiz "Find the Liebermann" and joins us for a discussion about his new cello concerto, which receives its world premiere with the Toledo Symphony this month.
Inspired by the TSO's upcoming concert with Leslie Odom, Jr., we explore the intersection between the concert hall and the Broadway stage, from Puccini and Rent to Bernstein and Hamilton.
Toledo favorite and star pianist Frances Renzi joins us in the studio, along with the Toledo Symphony's new Music Director Alain Trudel, for a conversation about Mozart and his piano concertos (the TSO "Festival of 88" which runs throughout the season). Also, the Mozart Movie Quiz!
In this episode, we take on Beethoven's revolutionary "Eroica" (Heroic) Symphony No. 3, which the firebrand composer initially dedicated to Napoléon – until Napoléon declared himself Emperor, that is. Guests include conductor Giordano Bellincampi, who leads the TSO in Beethoven's symphony this weekend, plus resident TSO thespian Bob Clemens, who brings both Beethoven and Napoléon to life right in our studio.
From "How do they pick the music?" to "How much do they pay the soloists?", we answer listeners questions in this episode entitled Everything You Always Wanted To Know About The Symphony But Were Afraid To Ask (or "eyawtkatsbwata" for short). You can join the discussion by calling our Q&A phone line at (419) 418-0012. Leave your comment or question on voicemail and we may use it in a future episode!
In the inaugural episode of Toledo SymphonyLab™, we take a tour through the many magical variations of Bach's Goldberg Variations. Special guest Martha Reikow tells us about the Sitkovetsky arrangement she is bringing to the Toledo Club this Sunday, while cellist Damon Coleman gives us a sneak preview with an in-studio performance. Also, a supercut of the Goldberg Aria and our quiz for the day, "Bach or Not."