Please join me as I interview conductor Andrew Crust, Music Director of the Vermont Symphony and Lima Symphony Orchestra (Ohio). We discuss what inspires him in his work and cover how he programs new music along with the classics. As we talk, the concept of keeping programming "relevant" for audiences arises, and Andrew goes into depth about the meaning of "relevance."

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

On this episode, I talk with Jessica Satava, the Executive Director of the Greenville Symphony in South Carolina, about the process of co-creation between orchestras, composers, and audiences. We cover how orchestras have to balance fulfilling audience demand for the classics while introducing new music, particularly contemporary music that is relevant to the region of the orchestra.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

In this episode, I talk with Nate Bachhuber, the Vice President of Artistic Planning at the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra (CSO) in 2022-23 and earlier, about his approaches to artistic planning at the CSO, particularly as they pertain to the music of living composers. We discuss where the field of orchestral music might be heading and the extent to which orchestras are now striving to make their programming more relevant to their audiences. Nate talks specifically about what the CSO has been doing to this end.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

In this episode of my Muse in Music Podcast, I talk with Keitaro Harada, the Music and Artistic Director of the Savannah Philharmonic and Permanent Conductor of the Tokyo Symphony, about his multicultural background that includes both America and Japan and how he incorporates new music from both American and Japanese composers into his programming in the various cities in which he works on both sides of the Pacific.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

In this episode of the Muse in Music Podcast, I talk with Carlos Izcaray, the Music Director of the Alabama Symphony, on what inspires him about his work; how important the concept of "balance" in the arts is to creators and audiences; how to find new music for audiences that is the "right kind of challenge"; and the increasing diversity of composers in the present and what "diversity" means, including diversity of origins and diversity of paths in life.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

In this episode, I talk with Alecia Lawyer, founder and principal oboist of ROCO, a chamber orchestra based in Houston, Texas. With 127 world premiere commissions in 17 seasons, ROCO has been ranked first in the nation for performing works by women and second for programming composers of color. Alecia and I talk about how ROCO is a human relationship-driven orchestra and how this aspect of its identity is apparent in ROCO's interactions with its audiences, with its community, and with living composers.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

François López-Ferrer is in demand as a guest conductor of major orchestras throughout the globe and was also the Associate Conductor of the Cincinnati Symphony. He and I discuss the cultural contexts and psychological dynamics of when musicians and conductors in particular work with composers, both contemporary and from the past.

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com

In this episode of my "Muse in Music" video blog, I have a wonderful discussion with Maestra JoAnn Falletta, Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, about her career as a conductor. We delve into the process of how she collaborates with living composers - it's a lot more interactive and hands-on than one would expect!

Check out my website and music at www.danielperttu.com