International Voices with Udo Fluck: Recent Episodes
Arts Missoula and Missoula Broadcasting Co.
International Voices with Udo Fluck, is a podcast series presented by Arts Missoula and the Missoula Broadcasting Company, with an emphasis on what is happening in regard to educational and cultural programming and events in the Missoula community. Udo Fluck, Director of Global and Cultural Affairs of Arts Missoula, welcomes guests each month to inform, connect and engage the local Missoula community and provide a conversational "window" to the world.
In August 2022 beloved Missoula major John Engen passed away at the age of 57. This August episode is dedicated to Mayor Engen, who was known for his wit, his kindness, thoughtfulness and his vision for the future of a progressive Missoula.
This podcast is a re-broadcast of the original podcast from March 2020, in which Udo and John talked about the importance of cultural programming in the Garden City. Engen, the 50th mayor elected in Missoula and the longest-serving mayor, led a tenure of growth, a push for equality, municipal independence, greater housing opportunities and efforts to reform local government.
During their visit in June, Udo invited five members of the delegation from Missoula’s sister city Palmerston North (Palmy), New Zealand, to The Trail studio, to talk about how sister cities do not only benefit their city governments, but bring many advantages to the academic, economic, and tourism sectors as well.
The Palmy delegation visit to Missoula commemorates the 40th anniversary celebration. Mayor Grant Smith, Mr. Jerry Shearman, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Economic Development Agency, Mr. Roly Fitzgerald,Māori Ward Councilor and Rangitāne representative, Mrs. Gabrielle Logo, the International Relations Manager, and Ms. Kate Harridge,International Relations and Education Advisor for the Palmerston North City Council. Hear from each one of the delegation members, about their interactions during their stay in the Garden City, how they benefited from their experience and what they are taking back to their community, half-way around the globe.
This podcast also set a record for the most studio guests in one podcast recording!
During their visit in June, Udo invited five members of the delegation from Missoula’s sister city Palmerston North (Palmy), New Zealand, to The Trail studio, to talk about how sister cities do not only benefit their city governments, but bring many advantages to the academic, economic, and tourism sectors as well. The Palmy delegation visit to Missoula commemorates the 40th anniversary celebration. Mayor Grant Smith, Mr. Jerry Shearman, Chief Executive Officer of the Central Economic Development Agency, Mr. Roly Fitzgerald, Māori Ward Councilor and Rangitāne representative, Mrs. Gabrielle Logo, the International Relations Manager, and Ms. Kate Harridge, International Relations and Education Advisor for the Palmerston North City Council. Hear from each one of the delegation members, about their interactions during their stay in the Garden City, how they benefited from their experience and what they are taking back to their community, half-way around the globe. This podcast also set a record for the most studio guests in one podcast recording!
Udo talks with Dr. Callaway, a prominent plant and community ecologist, who for decades researched and taught at the University of Montana. His international research concentrates on the interactions within plant communities and ecosystems. Research in his UM laboratory indicates that when humans introduce some plant species to new regions they force together species with different evolutionary trajectories from different continents, disrupting communities but also providing opportunities to test long held ecological paradigms. Their conversation provides insight into how plants have moved across the globe, resulting in direct and indirect interactions between plants and with other organisms, including resource competition, and interactions with invasive species, as well as soil microbe, herbivore and competitor-mediated interactions. Dr. Calloway shares how other countries deal with invasive plant species and why it is important for a community to have an ecological knowledge base. Ray talks about how his laboratory at UM developed ideas that have been a game changer in the field and ending with some mysteries that remain in the field of global ecology.
This is the 2nd part of a multi-part series, focusing on “Managing Cultural Adjustment and Culture Shock”. Last month Udo was fortunate to talk to Shiena Greata Medrano, a student at the University of Montana, but born and raised in the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which is also where she started her education. Shiena first settled in Philipsburg, Montana, a city of under a thousand individuals, before moving to Missoula, to attend UM. This November episode is dedicated to all the brave students in high schools around the world who started their education in one country and finish it in another. Who left their comforts, their culture, their traditions and customs behind, and had to re-discover, re-learn and re-build it all in another country and culture. Join Udo to learn about the cultural adjustment of four high school students in Missoula, Sandrine , from Congo, who lived in Uganda for most of her life before coming to Missoula, Tantine and Magnifique from Burundi, and Salim from Syria. Salim moved to Jordan when he was 7. .Listen in, to find out, how these courageous students managed to adjust to a new country, a new culture, a new city and a community they were not familiar with and what they found particularly challenging and what was easy for them to adjust to.
Udo is joined by Shiena Greata Medrano, an Accounting and Management Information System Major at the University of Montana, and, if that was not enough for a full-time student, she is also the Indigenous/Rural Outreach Ambassador at Accelerate Montana, an Executive at the UM Pacific Islanders Club and the International Student Association.
Shien was born and raised in the city of Manila, the capital of the Philippines, which is also where she received her primary education. She decided to continue her education in the United States and while study abroad is one of the best ways to acquire global skills, access personal and professional opportunities, by developing intercultural communication, foreign languages, adaptability, and problem-solving skills, it typically requires some cultural adjustment in the host culture and country as well. Coming from Manila, a city with several million people to Philipsburg, Montana, a city of under a thousand individuals is a major change, which includes the shock of a new environment, meeting lots of new people and learning the customs, traditions and values of the new country and its people. An adjustment that many international students are going through, when they decide to leave their rural hometowns and move to another country, and often much more urban settlements, to continue and/or complete their educational journey, just like Shien did. Her journey has been fun, exciting, educational, rewarding, eye-opening, but sometimes also stressful and even frustrating.
Listen in, to find out how you can reduce the impact of culture shock and how you can help others going through it.
This is PART 1, of a multi-part series about individuals managing cultural adjustment and culture shock.
Tune in this episode and learn more about the 40th anniversary of the sister city connection between Missoula and Palmerston North, New Zealand through Gabrielle Nguyen, the International Relations Manager and Kate Harridge, the Education Advisor, in Palmerston North. Find out how “education” and “international relations” are connected, how students in both locations can benefit from that bond, and how our two communities can learn from each other locally. Learn about the beginning of the twinned city relationship, the benefits that four-decade long tie has positively impacted education, business, commerce, tourism and recreation, the advantages to art and culture and how the two city governments can learn from each other’s experiences in managing common challenges, including public transportation and affordable housing. Udo will also talk to Gabrielle and Kate about how the anniversary has been celebrated so far this year and which programming highlights are still planned until the end of 2022. This podcast closes with an outlook on what the future might hold for the sister city link between Missoula and Palmerston North.
Join Udo, as he is visiting with Heather Adams, who founded and was Executive Director of the Downtown Dance Collective for 13 years, has danced, taught, directed, choreographed, organized, and produced, and started in June, after Tom Bensen’s retirement, as the new Executive Director of Arts Missoula. Heather has been involved in the art scene since her arrival in the Garden City, in 1999, and continues to be inspired by Missoulians love for the arts, culture and community. She has dedicated her professional career to arts education, performance and advocacy. In her conversation with Udo, she talks about Arts Missoula and its annual programming highlights, the importance of art for communities and societies, her cultural and professional experiences, nationally and internationally, and her shifting role, from being an “artist” to being a “leader” and a “manager”. Get inspired by her vision, energy and creativity and learn about how she plans to “shake up a few things” and increase visibility of Missoula’s designated arts and culture agency.
Join Udo, as he is talking, to Dr. Coreen Duffy, Conductor of UM’s Chamber Chorale, Dr. James Randall, Director of UM’s School of Music, Chorale Member Saxon Holbrook, and UM Chorale Students: Mira Smith, Spencer Price, Kylar Sprenger, and Sophia Boughey, about their local community voices being heard by international audiences, as they are touring England and Germany this month, their feelings of being musical ambassadors, their expectations and anticipations and about their excitement of performing in Missoula’s sister city Neckargemünd, Germany. Next year, 2023, will be the 30th anniversary of the Missoula and Neckargemünd global connection. While of a musical nature, the participants interviewed hope their impact will not be limited to being an audio delight. Listen to this newest episode, to find out about the others powers of music! This episode is part one, of a three-part series, focusing on “Music as Cultural Diplomacy”.
Mike Smith is talking to Udo Fluck in this special episode, celebrating more than two years of International Voices podcasts. Enjoy their conversation about why and how Udo settled in Missoula, what inspires him, the importance of friends near and far, his passion for the arts and education, his connection to his Alma Mater, the importance of family, and some surprises too. This is part one of a two-part series.
Join Udo, as he is talking, for the first time, with six individuals in one episode. His guests are: Dr. Thomas Gallagher, Dean and Professor of the Missoula College, Katie Dalessio, Director of Fiscal and Personnel Services, Amy Nack, Chef and Faculty in the Culinary Arts Program, Matt Parkey, Manager of the Blackfoot Café on the Missoula College campus and two students, currently enrolled in the Big Sky Culinary Institute, the leading hospitality and culinary arts school in Montana, housed in the Missoula College, where the French salutation “Bon Appetit” can be heard when the bell rings, at the end of class, and as an encouragement to enjoy a finished class project. This is the third part, of a three-part series.
In part 2 of a 3 part series on Food As Cultural Diplomacy, Udo is joined by Beth Baker, program manager, and Rozan Shhib, kitchen assistant of Missoula’s Soft Landing United We Eat (UWE) Program. Beth grew up in Germany and Syria. She learned Arabic, lived in a small Palestinian village for two and a half years, and is excited to work with Missoula’s refugee and immigrant communities, combining her delight in delicious food with the joys of building community. Rozan is from Damascus, Syria, and lived for seven years in Cairo, Egypt, before arriving in Missoula in the fall of 2020. Rozan hopes her cooking will encourage people to sit down and enjoy food together. UWE provides a platform for refugee chefs to feel valued by sharing their food with their new community. UWE offers weekly international meals cooked by a rotating team of refugee and immigrant chefs, as well as virtual cooking classes.
As the United We Eat website states: “In a World Divided, we believe it is United We Eat!”
May this episode inspire the listener to discover, enjoy, and learn about international cuisine.
Join Udo, as he is talking, for the first time with two guests in one episode, that is all about international cuisine. Meet Silvia Wirick and Wisam Raheem, two foreign-born chefs who are cooking under the Big Sky, in their local kitchens, running restaurants and food trucks, preparing meals inspired by recipes and spices from their homelands. Both culinary artists are dedicated to the authenticity of their food and to creating experiences that go beyond providing nourishment for the body. The “side dishes” they serve include history, customs and traditions from their countries of origin, that compliment their “main dishes”, in this first part of a new, three-part series, kicking off 2022. May this episode inform, perhaps surprise, and hopefully stimulate your taste buds.
Deputy Consul General Zamir talks about Israel’s leadership role in technology, innovation, and the arts, how they have impacted the country and how other countries in the region have benefitted from Israel’s investments. Reducing the carbon footprint, while simultaneously benefitting from innovations made in the medical field, in solar and wind energy, as well as in ocean desalinization are discussed, as well as the importance of the arts, as a tool to communicate culture, are addressed in this podcast. Part two, of a three-part series, titled: Fostering Cultural Understanding and Diplomacy.
Join Udo for his conversation with Ms. Sandhu, as she talks about the British Government’s mission in the US, the United Kingdom hosting the United Nations Climate Conference (COP 26) in Glasgow, and what it means for the UK to lead on such a global issue. How climate actions impact indigenous communities, how cultural engagement is important for policy and how diversity values translate into real change, are also addressed in this podcast. Part one, of a three part series titled: Fostering Cultural Understanding and Diplomacy.
Udo talks with geochemist Dr. Rachold, from the Alfred Wegener Institute, Helmholtz Center for Polar and Marine Research (AWI), which serves as an information and cooperation platform between German stakeholders from science, politics and industry. Dr. Rachold’s research focuses on land-ocean interactions in the Siberian Arctic and he led several land- and ship-based Russian-German expeditions. Their conversation ranges from climate models, current status, to future predictions of climate change, and rising ocean levels, to the impact on the Arctic Indigenous Peoples. Part three, of a three-part series, focusing on “Cultures and Environment”.
This month's podcast with guest Nathan Rott, NPR journalist, focuses on international reporting on wildfires and how recent fires have burned areas flames aren't usually able to penetrate, like rainforests in Australia. The conversation also addresses the bigger issue scientists have been warning about for a while with wildfire: That a warming climate means parts of the world that used to NOT burn are now susceptible to fire. Part two, of a three-part series, focusing on “Cultures and Environment”.
Jake Kreilick, from Lake Missoula Tea Company in Missoula, MT talks about his interactions with small tea producers in Indonesia and Kenya and how their artisan loose leaves have contributed to the diversification of tea. Listen to Udo’s conversation with Jake about his passion for tea, environmental sustainability and social responsibility, how the tea industry has changed, how climate change has impacted tea and tea growers, and why eco-activism is now more important than ever before. Part one, of a three-part series, focusing on “Cultures and the Environment”.
Join Udo for his conversation with the artist, known for his highly colorful acrylic paintings of horses and cowboy figures in western landscapes, about how the "Red Rider" started his fascination with the West, meeting Norman Rockwell, leaving corporate America, and going from earthy to vibrant colors, so recognizable in his artwork today. Part three, of a three-part series titled: “Creativity During COVID“.
Udo is joined by Willow Kipp, who shares with him who inspired her as an artist and how her passion for Native American dance regalia design, beadwork, ledger art and her large-scale murals have been both, a way for her to create something of her own and continue her peoples traditions. Part two of a three-part series titled: “Creativity During COVID“, featuring professional artists from various fields and how they managed through this past pandemic year.
Udo visits with Dennis Kozeluh, in Vienna, Austria, where he lives and has been active in the theater, music and musical theater world throughout central Europe since 1997, about his origins in Missoula, Montana, life, work, and his passion for the performing arts. In addition to playing in most of the major musicals in Vienna, he has performed in light and contemporary opera and operetta, has directed shows and written and directed two musicals for children. Part of a three-part series titled: “Creativity During COVID“, featuring professional artists from various fields and how they managed through this past pandemic year.
April 2021: Annita Lucchesi, founding Executive Director of the Sovereign Bodies Institute, who started the Missing and Murdered Indigenous Women and Girls movement. This dialogue is being presented by two women with Indigenous heritage! The guest host for this special edition of International Voices, is Michelle Guzman, the Director of American Indian Student Services at the University of Montana.
Honoring Women's History Month, Udo is joined by Melissa Kilby, from Girl Up headquarters in Washington D.C., to discuss the global efforts in transforming a generation of girls to be a force for gender equality and social change, following the motto:” When girls rise, we all rise!”.
In this first podcast of 2021, Udo virtually travels to Missoula’s sister city Palmerston North in New Zealand to have a conversation discussing the idea of democracy itself, what strengthens and weakens democracy and how the concept of democracy relates to indigenous communities, like Chief Te Awe Awe’stribal family, which has an 800-year history.
In this last episode of 2020, Udo talks with Ulrich Kamp, a glaciologist with an interest in environmental studies and climate change, who has researched and taught at the University of Montana and currently researches and teaches at the University of Michigan in Dearborn. Their conversation focuses on climate change and its impact on societies and cultures, among other talking points.
Udo Fluck visits with Brigitta Miranda-Freer, Executive Director of the Montana World Trade Center (MWTC) and Director of operations for the Montana Technology Enterprise Center (MonTec) and how the MWTC assists small and medium-sized businesses across Montana and how the MWTC and MonTec connect and collaborate.
October 2020: Chris Hyslop, Executive Director of the Montana World Affairs Council
Udo Fluck visits with Chris Hyslop, Executive Director of the Montana World Affairs Council, about the mission, programming, achievements, future goals and relevance of the MWAC, especially regarding the importance of MWAC’s motto: “Bringing the World to Montana and Montana to the World”, during an international health crisis. Recording with captions available soon.
September 2020: In this episode, Udo Fluck talks with Donna Anderson, Senior International Officer and Executive Director of the Global Engagement Office and Professor Alessia Carpoca about participating in the ACE/IIGE Rapid Response Virtual Exchange/COIL Transformation Lab, as well as about leadership, about pivoting and reinventing the services the Global Engagement Office provides during these pandemic times.
August 2020: Daniel Bognar, Head of the Division of Special Education in Germany’s Ministry of Education, Wiesbaden , Hesse, Germany.
Host Udo Fluck virtually meets with Daniel Bognar, former teacher, current policy maker and Head of the Division of Special Education in Germany’s Ministry of Education in the State of Hesse. Mr. Bognar also serves on the Management Board of the European Agency for Special Needs and Inclusive Education. Topics include cultural integration of diverse learners in educational settings, as well as transferring pedagogical approaches and content between different students and cultures
This podcast is PART ll, of a two-part series. Udo visits with three middle school teachers and one world language high school teacher, on some of the global and intercultural teaching and learning efforts that are taking place in Missoula County Public Schools and the advantages and disadvantages of such efforts.
This podcast is PART I, of a two-part series. Udo visits with five elementary school teachers and one principal, on some of the global and intercultural teaching and learning efforts that are taking place in Missoula County Public Schools and the advantages and disadvantages of such efforts. PART II: (Will be released June 2020), Udo will continue the conversation with three MCPS middle school and one high school teacher.
Udo visits with Dr. Sarjubhai (Sarj) Patel, neuroscience researcher, president and co-founder of FYR Diagnostics in Missoula, chatting about the importance of global communication and collaboration in situations of extreme crisis and how much we can learn from Asia and Europe, regarding the fight against COVID-19
Udo Fluck meets Missoula Mayor John Engen at City Hall to talk about cultural programs in Missoula and the importance of multicultural programming in the community.
Udo Fluck is the Director of Global and Cultural Affairs of Arts Missoula and host of International Voices.
The Structure of the Global and Cultural Affairs Office and its four service and programming branches.
- Outreach program into Missoula County Public Schools, offering seminars to students and teachers.
- City and County Employee Training
- Programming and Services for the Missoula Community: Upcoming Events:
- International Community Speaker Series will continue:
- Monday, February 17, 7:00 p.m. Roxy Theater:
- Two Years Living and Teaching in the Sultanate of Oman.
- Presented by Dylan Dwyer, a Missoula Musician and Educator
- The World View Film Series will continue:
- Monday, March 23, 7:00 p.m., Roxy Theater
- Chocolate, a British-American Romantic Drama, produced in 2000, sponsored by the UM's Global Engagement Office
- Cultural and Educational Exchanges through Strategic Sister City Partnerships (Focus of this first podcast)
- Conversation with Tom Bensen, Executive Director of Arts Missoula about the history and benefit of sister cities
The next episode of International Voices with Udo Fluck will be released on Thursday, March 5th with guest Missoula Mayor John Engen.