Lullabies For Piano And Cello is a collection of instrumental works inspired by Icelandic folk songs. Accompanied by cellist Steiney Sigurðardóttir, the duo tracked the album in Reykjavik’s Eldborg Concert Hall. Following the implementation of choir, orchestra, and cinematic heft on 2022’s Solon Islandus, Gabríel made a conscious decision to strip the sound down to just these two instruments. As opposed to electronics, multi-tracking provided expansive flourishes. Together, Gabríel and Steiney unlocked a striking sound reliant on their quiet chemistry and a rich connection.
The 10-track album traces its origin to a famous collection of Icelandic melodies entitled Icelandic Folk Songs, which was unearthed by Gabríel at an antique bookshop in his home city of Reykjavik. Originally published in 1906, this out-of-print tome collated various folk numbers and lullabies with rare sheet music. Gabríel decided to not only reimagine five of the book’s tunes but to also pen five of his own lullabies as an homage to tradition.
“I have faith in the power of melody, and lullabies encapsulate both history and nostalgia,” says Gabríel. “When I’m writing music, nostalgia is my favorite feeling to capture. It’s a complex emotion because it evokes both sadness and happiness at the same time. Lullabies are core musical memories for all of us, and with Lullabies for Piano and Cello I hope to unlock them for you.”
At just 24 years old, Gabríel responds to ancient Viking folk songs with the perspective of a postmodern Gen Z composer. By challenging himself to compose contemporary lullabies, he has explored his own fantasy world – a fantasy for his generation. And like all the best fantasy worlds, it is rooted in the history and mythology of his people, the Icelanders. After generating over 100 million streams for his original instrumental compositions and earning widespread international acclaim, Gabríel summons the spirit of timeless Icelandic lullabies with a twist of his own magic.
I loved talking with Gabriel because I learned A LOT. A lot about Icelandic history and linguistics. A lot about creating a brand new work with a sense of nostalgia. A lot about self-promotion and how having a record deal doesn't mean that all of your problems are over. This was a fascinating conversation and I know you will enjoy it!
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Do you ever feel like you are at the mercy of your work, or your teaching studio, or your business, and like the only time you can have for yourself is just IN THE CRACKS?
You can do better than that. In today's minisode, we talk about taking agency in your schedule!
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Composer and educator Dr. Joseph Sowa writes music that revels in vivid colors and rich textures. His music has been performed by a wide spectrum of groups, from prestigious ensembles like the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra, Ensemble Dal Niente, and the PRISM Quartet, to schools and churches across North America. His talent has earned him accolades from ASCAP, the American Prize, and the Barlow Endowment.
Joseph is also the founder of the Wizarding School for Composers, where he teaches both amateur and college-trained musicians how to compose memorable, goosebump-inducing music — and do it in a healthy, happy, and effective way.
Joseph is brilliant. In this conversation he demystifies and de-stuffifies the art of composition, ALMOST making me believe that I too could do it. He's an INSPIRATION, and I know you will love this conversation!
You'll hear him talking about an oboe project during the Fall 2023 cohort of the Wizarding School - that's a collaboration with my Invincible Oboist FLOW program! WE will have oboe pieces written for US! If you are an adult oboist, and looking for a community of support and world-class mentorship that will INCLUDE a personalized composition? You might be very interested in my nine-month program and I encourage you to reach out to me now!
But of course, I want to promote Joseph's Wizarding School here, and he's hosting events throughout August 2023 and you should absoutely check it out.
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
Or you could hop on a short call with me to brainstorm your next plan.
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Really, this minisode is musings about communication - and how our speech and language influence our musical performances and how our musical skills influence our spoken and wrtten words, and how we can lean into ALL of it!
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
Or you could hop on a short call with me to brainstorm your next plan.
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
The Michigan City Chamber Music Festival (MCCMF) had its inaugural season in August of 2002. It was founded by husband/wife team Nicolas Orbovich and Sunny Gardner-Orbovich. The MCCMF operates under several guiding principals. The first priority is always artistic quality. The MCCMF attains this through the presence of world class musicians. Each of them has formidable performance skills and impressive credentials. Another is to forge and strengthen the threefold artistic relationship between great chamber music, the audience and the performer. This is accomplished through interactive presentations by the Festival Musicians. The MCCMF performers believe that oral presentation regarding the history, complexities and any other interesting aspects of the piece to be performed is vital for the audience’s enjoyment.
Nic Orbovich, co-founder, is a concert violinist with over 20 years professional experience. He has concertized and competed all over the world. It became apparent to him that his craft, classical music, was indeed dying in the United States. The reasons are perhaps too numerous to mention here, but the solution was simple: instill a passion for great music back into the average member of society. Simple, yes, but very difficult to accomplish...
I loved this conversation with Nic because he's so real about the difficulties and rewards of LEADERSHIP. You have to have a vision, you have to be pragmatic about your actual resources. You have to know what you want, and you have to lean on the people who are more expert than you at getting it. You have to be Honest, Open-minded, and Willing, to use Nic's framework.
And I really enjoy talking to the creators of organizations that LAST. After the excitement of the start-up phase, how do you keep going?
The Michigan City Chamber Music Festival has a website, a Facebook page, and a Youtube channel!
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
Or you could hop on a short call with me to brainstorm your next plan.
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Musings about summer camp -
My first music camp was where I found my PEOPLE.
The camp I taught at last week reminded me how astonishingly fast learning can happen when you are IMMERSED.
And this is why I'm so bought in on group learning for my own programs!
If you are an oboist, and think you might be interested in FLOW, maybe set up a call and talk with me!
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Many young musicians dream of making a comfortable living as a solo artist playing recitals, appearing with orchestras, selling CDs. Frederick Moyer has been doing that for 40 years, making a living entirely on performances and record sales. The last teaching job he had was in 1983. What makes Fred particularly interesting to speak to on the subject of solo careers is that you probably have never heard of him! It is one thing to build a career out of a huge splashy success that puts you on the map. Fred has done it without ever having a major New York manager, or a recording on a major label.
Since 1994, when he started keeping track, he has played over 7000 concerts. He has sold over 50,000 classical and jazz CDs, has played in 44 countries, and in such far-flung venues as Suntory Hall in Tokyo, Sydney Opera House, Windsor Castle, Carnegie Recital Hall, Tanglewood, and the Kennedy Center, and has appeared as piano soloist with most of the major orchestras of the United States as well as many orchestras of Europe, Asia, South America, Africa and Australia.
An avid computer programmer, he often incorporates technology into his concerts and owns patents for music-related inventions including the MoyerCam which allows everyone in the audience to see the pianist's hands during a concert. He performs note-for-note transcriptions of such jazz pianists as Oscar Peterson, Bill Evans and Erroll Garner, bringing this great American music onto classical music stages. In 2009, he and Dr. Paul Green unveiled two unknown piano works by Robert Schumann. Many composers have written for Moyer, including David Ott whose Second Piano Concerto Moyer recorded with the London Symphony. Other composers include Pulitzer Prize winners George Walker and Ned Rorem.
Find Frederick at his website, look at his cool CAMERA, check out his recordings.
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
As I come up toward the publication of the AUDIOBOOK (stay tuned) of The Happiest Musician, I find myself revisiting its concepts too.
Today I consider the lessons of the 2008 recession for musicians of today!
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
Or you could hop on a short call with me to brainstorm your next plan.
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
Today on the podcast, you’ll hear violinist Kerstin Tenney talk about her upcoming debut album, LIGHT. We spent a lot of time talking about the long arc of her project - and if you have a project, a concept, an album in your heart that is not yet in the world, you will love this conversation.
Kerstin Tenney is a professional violinist based in Salt Lake City, Utah. As an active freelance musician, Kerstin works frequently on recording projects, does solo work, and performs regularly with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square. She has toured with the Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra on stages across the world, including Carnegie Hall, the Berlin Philharmonie and the Vienna Musikverein. Kerstin was the featured violin soloist on the soundtrack for the award-winning documentary, Bears of Durango, currently playing on PBS.
LIGHT is Kerstin's debut album, for which she commissioned 4 new works and 8 new arrangements. The album was produced by award-winning classical producer and sound engineer, Simon Kiln, and British Award winning composer, Donald Fraser.
I really loved talking to Kerstin and hearing how much her heart and her vision led the way throughout the ten year process of bringing this album into the world. She was patient with the project, she let new ideas in to guide her as it developed, and she took the actions to make it happen.
Follow Kerstin at her website and @kerstintenney on Instagram!
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
Thanks for joining me on Crushing Classical!
Theme music and audio editing by DreamVance.
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!
I hosted a conversation on this topic a week or two ago - and now I'm offering my thoughts again, for you!
Our pace changes in the summer. Things slow down, stretch out. We can catch up on our rest, we can disappear into a haze of sunscreen and tequila - AND we can maybe move the needle on our creative projects and practices!
Grab your notebook and dream with me!
Make sure you SUBSCRIBE to Crushing Classical, and maybe even leave a nice review!
You can join my email list HERE, so you never miss an episode!
This episode is brought to you today by Happiest Musician Coaching. You are amazing, and I believe in you. What are you trying to create? What do you need your career to be and do for you? What are you not seeing that you need to do and work on? I love these conversations and supporting musicians like you. For a limited time, I'm offering a free 30-minute call to get you some clarity around your next steps, and see how I might help you get unstuck!
I'm your host, Jennet Ingle. I love you all. Stay safe out there!