Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

There’s a fascinating variety to a life in music; this series features wonderful musicians worldwide with in-depth conversations and great music. Many episodes feature guests playing music spontaneously as part of the episode or sharing performances and albums. The inspiration and connection found in a meaningful creative life, the challenges faced, and the stories from such a diversity of people will draw you into this weekly series, with many topics that will resonate with all listeners. Available also as video and transcript: https://www.leahroseman.com/about

Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman is a society podcast hosted by Unknown Host, with 251 episodes on record and a Required Pod Score of 80. PitchCentric scores this show on Booking Probability, Listen Score, and live audience signals refreshed every 24 hours.

Unknown Host hosts Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman, a society show with 251 episodes published.

Our AI reads these to draft pitches. Use them as grounding for a pitch that cites a real guest and a specific topic.

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  Episode #25

  Donna Weng Friedman: Interdisciplinary Artistry and Music Education with the Award-Winning Pianist and Film maker

  Aug 8, 20261h 32mS6

  The award-winning pianist Donna Weng Friedman enjoys a distinguished career as a soloist, chamber musician, educator, curator, producer, and filmmaker. She spoke to me about many of her inspiring projects, including the Joy Luck Trio, Microvids with composer Stefania de Kenessey and collaborators including violinist Curtis Stewart. You’ll hear how she got into film making and her award-winning personal film Never Fade Away about her parents, featuring Chun Wai Chan, the New York City Ballet's first Chinese principal dancer. Donna shared great advice for fellow music educators and students, how she came to be mentored by Radu Lupu, and perspectives on her career choices as a parent and many initiatives to amplify women composers and conductors. You can also watch the video on my YouTube: show notes bring you to Donna Weng Friedman's music and projects, suggested episodes, newsletter sign-up to get access to exclusive information,podcast merchandise, transcript, suggested episodes and how you can buy me a coffee to help keep this podcast going! All Links Here (00:00) Intro (02:42) Microvids, Stefania de Kenessey with clips of number 7 En Llamas Lola Lopez Guardone and clip of 9 Running on Empty Krystal Joy Brown (09:35) Curtis Stewart improvisations, with clip of number 8 The Grand Opening (14:19) Stefania de Kenessey, Anne Lundy, Virago Symphonic Orchestra, Pascale VAn Os, Brava Maestra, clip of number 11 Pura Alegria (21:39) Joy Luck Trio, Karen Han erhu, Gao Hong pipa with clip of Pastorale (33:21) racist encounter, Asian identity, Harmony and Heritage (38:26) linked episodes, podcast merch, newsletter (39:26) Never Fade Away and making the film, Chun Wai Chan (50:56) exploring different forms of artistic expression, with clip of Clouds with Curtis Stewart from Microvids, Migrant museum Fenix (58:42) teaching music, stage fright (01:08:34) Heritage and Harmony Silver Linings album, Chinary Ing with clip of Space Between the Fish and the Moon (01:10:08) Indira Mohajan with clip of Night by Florence Price, Her Music Her Story women composers (01:12:42) composer Kim Sherman Quiet Poems album with clip of Water Circles, need for new music for young students (01:17:18) teachers, Nadia Boulanger, Radu Lupu (01:23:14) balancing career with parenting, duo with Carter Brey, classical music apps The Music Bee Club

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  Episode #24

  "Brahms Comes to Dinner": Interview with Author Boman Desai

  Jul 30, 20261h 38mS6

  I was honoured to record this interview with Boman Desai, whose wonderful recent novel “Brahms Comes to Dinner” I highly recommend. You’ll hear how this work came out of Boman’s larger novel “Trio” and he shared stories about several of his other acclaimed novels including “The Memory of Elephants”, “Portrait of a Woman Madly in Love” and his book about the Lennon-McCartney Beatles songs “Dancing About Architecture”. Some of Boman’s writing comes from his Parsi family history and the life of his grandmother, and you’ll hear about several life-changing moments including with the legendary editor and writer Diana Athill. You can also watch the video on my YouTube and I’ve also linked the transcript. Have a look at the show notes of this episode on my website, where you’ll find all the links I've also linked suggested episodes with Martha Anne Toll, Heather Taves, Michael Stephen Brown, Thomas Cabaniss, Yale Strom, Gabriel Kahane, Scott Nygaard among so many episodes since 2021. Sign up for my newsletter, where you’ll get exclusive information about upcoming guests, consider buying me a coffee on my Ko-fi page, or buying some unique podcast merch. All the links! (00:00) Intro (02:08) Brahms, Clara and Robert Schumann (18:28) excerpt from “Brahms Comes to Dinner”, research letters, diaries (31:21) excerpt from “Trio” Robert and Clara Schumann (35:26) Boman’s musical memories from childhood in India, Tovey writing about music (42:27) Parsi community, Diana Athill (45:24) other linked episodes and supporting this podcast (46:14) editor Diana Athill, “The Memory of Elephants”, Zoroastrian Parsi family, grandmother’s life (57:16) “The Elephant Graveyard”, the life of an author (01:06:30) “A Googly in the Compound” (01:11:56) editing and publishing his books (01:14:12) “Portrait of a Woman Madly in Love” (01:19:59) “A Googly in the Compound” (01:23:43) Diana Athill, life of a writer (01:29:28) Beatles book “Dancing About Architecture”, song analysis, writing about music (01:35:43) move back to India

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  Episode #23

  Tamsin Waley-Cohen: Violinist, Artistic Director on Motherhood and Creativity

  Jul 21, 20261h 21mS6

  I have been so inspired to discover the brilliant British-American violinist Tamsin Waley-Cohen’s wonderful discography and I so enjoyed this opportunity to talk to her about her creative life. She spoke to me about the debut of her sister’s violin concerto and you’ll hear about Freya Waley-Cohen’s earlier work Permutations. Tamsin has performed and recorded extensively with the great pianist and composer Huw Watkins and you’ll also be hearing short excerpts from their album “Reflection” including two works written for Tamsin: Huw’s Violin Sonata and the late Oliver Knussen’s Reflection. She opened up about postpartum anxiety, depression,and also the creativity parenting requires, and connected to that, her upcoming album with Cordelia Williams “Dreamscapes and Lullabies”. Tamsin is Artistic Director of the Two Moors Festival in the U.K. and she shared her thoughtful curation of their upcoming October programming. We also talked about the satisfaction and intensity of touring and her wholistic approach to playing the violin. Finally, Tamsin shared some powerful musical memories with some of her great mentors. Complete Show Notes with all the LINKS! You can also watch the video on my YouTube, I’ve also linked the transcript along with Tamsin's website, other suggested episodes, newsletter, podcast merch: LINKS (00:00) Intro (02:13) Freya Waley-Cohen composer and sister, Permutations and Unveil with clips, new concerto (17:05) album Reflection with Huw Watkins with many clips of music by Oliver Knussen, Watkins, Prokofiev, Stravinsky (32:27) C.P.E. Bach sonatas, playing on gut strings (37:04) other suggested episodes and ways to support this podcast (38:05) motherhood, anxiety and depression, matrescence with clip of 3rd mvt Prokofiev F minor Sonata (50:28) new project “Dreamscapes and Lullabies” with Cordelia Williams (56:37) balancing her performance career, (59:28) Two Moors Festival 2026 programs (01:05:53) ECHO award, approach to music making with clip of Stravinsky 5th mvt Duo Concertante (01:13:41) practicing violin, Prussia Cove, András Keller. Ruggiero Ricci, Stephen Kovacevich (01:18:16) Tüür’s Memoirs with Colin Currie

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  Episode #22

  Mary Beth Orr: The Singing Horn, Appalachia and Resilience

  Jul 12, 20261h 34mS6

  Mary Beth Orr is a wonderful award-winning horn player and folk vocal artist. Throughout this moving episode you’ll be hearing short excerpts from her album “The Singing Horn” which celebrates traditional Appalachian songs with Mahler and contemporary works composed for Mary Beth through Vox Novus’ Fifteen Minutes of Fame Project. Mary Beth is currently 3rd Horn of the Grand Rapids Symphony, and she shares the best advice I’ve heard about succeeding at orchestral auditions . Mary Beth also experienced a serious accident that threatened her life and then her ability to play the horn and she shares many other difficult personal challenges. I was so moved to hear her story and wisdom and I encourage you to come back and listen to the end. You can watch the video on my YouTube or listen to the podcast, and I’ve also linked the transcript. Have a look at the show notes of this episode on my website, where you’ll find all the links (suggested episodes, podcast merch, newsletter, and of course Mary Beth and her album). SHOW NOTES: IMPORTANT LINKS! (00:00) Intro (01:43) The Singing Horn, with clips of tracks 1,2,6,3 (12:37) 15 Minutes of Fame project Robert Voicsey with clips of tracks 15, 13 (16:26) Mahler, The Singing Horn album inspirations, clips track 4 (22:45) becoming a mother, creative process, clip of her song Good and True track 25 (28:51) live experience, connecting with audiences, arrangements and collaborators with clips track 7, 24, 26 (40:41) other suggested episodes (41:50) Appalachian singing style, why the horn is hard (50:13) female brass mentors (53:11) the accident and recovery with clip track 12 (01:07:24) grief and living life with joy with clip of track 18 (01:14:06) Mary Beth’s sister Ann Marie Orr, disability awareness (01:19:31) audition and career advice

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  Episode #21

  Recording Global Music with Producer Ian Brennan Part 3: Azerbaijan, Malawi, Parchman Prison

  Jul 5, 20261h 22mS6

  This is my third conversation with Ian Brennan in this mini ongoing series with him, within my podcast. If you missed Parts 1 and 2 they are linked in the show notes for you. Today you’ll hear about how he recorded some of the oldest voices in the world in Azerbaijan, and some of the bonus tracks including the Kronos quartet and The Good Ones. Ian shared how he met the Malawi Mouse Boys and then brought them to international attention, and what that has meant for them. We talked about the Chicago Gunfire Survivors project, Ian’s book Peace by Peace, 99 Steps Toward Violence Prevention and De-escalation, and the powerful Parchman Prison albums. At the end I asked him about his Grammy-nominated album with Ramblin’ Jack Elliot “I Stand Alone”. In the show notes you’ll find photos from the album covers by Ian’s wife the Italian-Rwandan filmmaker and photographer Marilena Umuhoza Delli. You'll find the track information for the excerpts in the timestamps and everything is linked in the show notes on my website. You can also watch the video on my YouTube or listen to the podcast on your preferred platform and I've also linked the transcript. Have a look at the show notes where you'll find all the links, including different ways to support this podcast . Please note that I’ve linked suggested episodes you’ll find interesting along with other episodes with Ian, each focusing on different albums he’s recorded. Complete show notes (00:00) Intro (02:40) Azerbaijan “The Oldest Voice in the World” album with clips tracks 1, 5, album linked in show notes (13:13) Ageism, Azerbaijan, clips of tracks 23 Kronos and 26 The Good Ones (17:58) the Malawi Mouse Boys with clips, In Memory of a Hungry Child and tracks 2, 5 “Score for a film about Malawi without music from Malawi”, NPR Tiny Desk (26:30) Malawi Mouse Boys touring, WOMAD, daily struggles (34:50) Other suggested episodes (35:51) Malawi Mouse Boys homemade instruments, Track 14, album linked in show notes (46:17) Chicago Gunfire Survivors clips track 3, 2, 6 (55:23) book Peace by Peace, non-violent crisis intervention, great advice for all of us (01:08:12) Parchman Prison Project with clips from 2 albums linked in show notes Break Every Chain, MC Hammer, Parchman Prison Blues (01:17:20) Ramblin’ Jack Elliott “I Stand Alone”, Grammy nomination

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