For 40 years, Tom Di Nardo has covered the Philadelphia arts scene through his articles in the Bulletin and the Philadelphia Daily News. Tom recently published two new books: “Listening To Musicians”, a compilation of interviews and reflections on the conductors, musicians and artists associated with The Philadelphia Orchestra, and “Performers Tell Their Stories”, where Tom gets to share stories from his interactions with artists from the classical, jazz, opera, ballet, and pop worlds.
Alan Morrison is recognized as one of America's premier concert organists, performing in prestigious concert organ venues across the United States and in Canada, as well as in international festivals. Alan is currently the head of the organ department at The Curtis Institute of Music, and is a faculty member of Westminster Choir College and College Organist at Ursinus College.
I had the good fortune of attending The Curtis Institute of Music at the same time as Alan Morrison, who in reality is a triple threat as an organist, collaborative pianist, and harpsichordist. Alan was a close friend of Fred Rogers, and even appeared on a few episodes of “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” back in 1994. If you don’t know anything about the organ, you’re in for a real treat with this interview, as Alan helps us unpack what all those thousands of buttons and switches do and all the components that make the organ the true “king of instruments”.
Alan's website: http://www.alanmorrison.us/
Frederic Chiu is one of those renaissance polymath pianists for whom music is a prism for exploring life in its totality. From recording the entire oeuvre of Prokofiev’s piano literature to exploring the relationships between disparate cultures, interests in computer science and artificial intelligence, and even using the principles of cooking to explore deep learning principles, Frederic is a fascinating example of what a beautiful mind looks like in the world of music.
Frederic Chiu’s latest album, “Distant Voices”, is a fascinating amalgam of exploring deep connections between diverse musical cultures while stretching the boundaries of music technologies - and even time travel - with the use of Yamaha’s DCFX, a Disklavier concert piano that features the world’s most advanced reproducing technologies where the subtlest keystrokes and pedal actions are captured in incredibly high resolution. The result is a blended experience, where listeners can have the option to watch Frederic on video connected to a Yamaha Disklavier piano that can play back a perfectly captured synchronized performance.
Frederic's website: http://www.fredericchiu.com/EN/Welcome.html
Beechwood Arts: http://www.beechwoodarts.org/Welcome.html
Beechwood Arts' Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/beechwoodarts/?__xt__=31.[759463819%2C%22intro_card%22%2C%7B%7D]&pnref=lhc
Classical Smackdown: http://www.fredericchiu.com/Classical_Smackdown/Welcome.html