When most musicians join me to record the Classical Post podcast, they need a few minutes to settle in. This makes sense — whether they're an instrumentalist, singer, or composer, they're used to communicating through a medium outside of their speaking voice. So it can take some time to shake off the nerves.

But the moment I sat down with pianist Klaudia Kudełko to discuss her stunning debut album, Time, she was fired up and ready to dive into her personal artistic mission: to connect people with classical music.

With composition titles like In the Cause of the Free, Ellis Island: The Dream of America, and Balance of Power, it's easy to tell Peter Boyer has more than a casual interest in American history. In fact, it's something that's inspired him throughout his career.

In June 2021, James Gaffigan was appointed as Music Director of Palau de les Arts Reina Sofía in Valencia, Spain, for four seasons. Less than a year later, in February 2022, it was announced that beginning in the 2023/24 season, the in-demand conductor would serve as Music Director of the Komische Open Berlin in Germany for four years until the summer of 2027.

Ahead of an alfresco evening of Mozart at the Hollywood Bowl, conductor Nicholas McGegan and Los Angeles Philharmonic concertmaster Martin Chalifour discuss the joy of performing Mozart and how today's listeners can find meaning in the composer's music.

More than 1,200 miles separate the vibrant cosmopolitanism of Palm Beach County, Florida, and the tranquil natural beauty of New York's Hudson Valley. But these far-flung locales have three things in common: a history of grand Gilded Age architecture, a taste for fine dining — and now, a fabulous chamber music series.

The cover art for most classical albums usually relies on a glamorous studio shot of the artist or a generically tranquil landscape that hardly relates to the music we're about to experience.

But that's not at all the case on the cover of The Strange Highway, the debut album from composer Gity Razaz. A pencil and ink drawing depicting a cloaked figure with an arrow through the heart, whose head is a series of celestial orbs and auras, this artwork from Daniel Martin Diaz not only draws us in — it perfectly captures Razaz's sound world, one inspired by the Surrealism art movement of the early 20th century.  

The savviest arts administrators know that putting a concert season together is more than programming popular repertoire or bringing big-name soloists to town. For Jeremy Geffen, executive and artistic director of Cal Performances at UC Berkeley, bringing to life all of the organization's artistic and educational activities — about 80 events per season — centers around ideas of building and serving communities across the Bay Area.

Some classical musicians choose to follow a specific lane throughout their career, either as an orchestral musician, a chamber player, or a concert soloist. But Stewart Goodyear can't confine his career to one lane — he demands an entire highway.

Among the countless projects classical music presenters have had to delay over the past two years, perhaps none has been more eagerly anticipated than that of Omar, a new opera from Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels.

So much of the way classical musicians perform or even think about music is informed by the work of past generations. But what happens when history books omit certain musicians, often due to their gender, race, or sexuality? How can those gaps in music history — and our shared musical legacy — be restored?

Many classical musicians turn to art, architecture, or literature to inspire their creativity and inform their performances. But for others, it's all about the music. Grammy Award-winning guitarist Jason Vieaux falls into that second category — especially when it comes to J.S. Bach.

Classical musicians are incredibly passionate about their work. But that doesn't mean they can't make room in their hectic lives for other passion projects. For harpist Yolanda Kondonassis — one of the world's greatest soloists and head of the harp departments at the Cleveland Institute and Oberlin Conservatory — earth conservation has been the focus of her activism for more than 20 years. And it's led her down some fascinating roads both inside and outside the music world.

For classical musicians, the process of exploring and learning new repertoire never ends. That's especially true for pianists, who have a titanic amount of literature available to them — from seminal keyboard works of the Baroque to the freshly inked compositions of today.

How does a storied summer music festival thrive in the 21st century? Especially one located in a town best known for its 19th-century gilded glamor and magnificent mansions? For Newport Classical's executive director, Gillian Friedman Fox, it's all about finding ways to respect history and tradition while forging new paths for access and inclusion. "For Newport Classical, people are looking for a classical music and arts experience that you just can't find anywhere else," Friedman Fox says in the latest episode of the Classical Post podcast.

Longevity and chamber music don't often go together. For every Emerson String Quartet that spends decades performing together, there are scores of chamber ensembles calling it quits every year. So when a group like the Los Angeles Guitar Quartet (LAGQ) reaches its 40th anniversary, it's a cause for celebration.

Classical music always holds the power to metaphorically transport the listener, helping us to embark upon whatever spiritual or emotional journey we seek. But every year as the calendar turns to summer, it begins transporting us in a very literal way — trading in the urban concert hall for more relaxed, pastoral settings for music-making.

Low voice ensemble Cantus celebrates its 25th Anniversary this summer with a concert and gala at the Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in St. Paul, MN; marking this milestone belatedly in its 27th season due to a two-year pandemic postponement. One of the nation’s few full-time vocal ensembles, Cantus was founded in 1995 by a group of four undergraduates at St. Olaf College: Brian Arreola, Kjell Stenberg, Albert Jordan, and Erick Lichte. The four were eating dinner after a rehearsal of the Viking Chorus – a choir made up of St. Olaf’s first year tenors and basses that has been in existence since 1935 – and lamenting that their days as a low-voiced vocal ensemble were coming to a close. They pledged to come together in the fall and find enough singers to perform Franz Biebl’s iconic double-male-chorus "Ave Maria.”

“We thought this is the time, it's counterintuitive, but it really felt like the public needed something to come back to the halls.” That is pianist Natalia Kazaryan talking this month about Washington Arts Ensemble, a chamber music organization which she and fellow pianist Christopher Schmitt launched a year ago. The idea of the Ensemble is older, “a few years ago,” Kazaryan mentions, but like so many other things since the end of 2019, its gestation was slowed by the Covid-19 pandemic—it slowed down but didn’t go away.

In the social media age, the life of a classical musician can appear glamorous — a steady stream of concerts across the globe, album releases, residencies, and black-tie receptions. But what are the ups and downs we don't see once the cameras are gone? And what roles can wellness and community play in the life of a performing artist today? Violinist and author Rebecca Fischer joins us on the Classical Post podcast.

The American conductor Ryan Bancroft joins us on the Classical Post podcast today, where we speak about his new appointment as the Chief Conductor Designate of the Royal Stockholm Philharmonic Orchestra. Beginning in the 23/24 season, it’s a very important role at one of Europe’s premier orchestras.