Living With A Genius Interviews

Choral titan, John Alexander is my guest this week. This was a very personal chat for me- John was my champion all through college, giving me most of the tenor solos and giving me my first professional opportunities as a singer. He's the real deal, and I hope you enjoy our chat as much as I did! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

My cousin Pete is on the show!! Pedro Alonzo is an internationally recognized art curator who works with the biggest names in contemporary art. Shepard Fairey, Banksy, Yoshitomo Nara, KAWS, Takashi Murakami are just a few of the folks he's worked with, but most recently, like- a week ago, Pete teamed up with artist JR and erected a border wall installation in Tecate, Mexico, which I bet you've come across if you read the news at all. It's an amazing piece that couldn't be more relevant in today's political climate. I was so happy to catch up with my favorite cousin- I loved our chat, and I bet you will too. Thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Josh Shaw is the Artistic Director of the Pacific Opera Project, right here, in sunny Los Angeles. He's a singer turned director and opera company owner. We talk the ins and outs of running a company, the motivation for undertaking such a crazy idea, and his take on how to be successful at it. Thanks for listening- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The indomitable Gloria Loring, y'all! We talk childhood, her marriage to Alan Thicke, divorce, motherhood, her number one hit, "Friends and Lovers", Days of our Lives, and a whole bunch more! Happy Labor Day and thanks for listening- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Victor Vanacore has worked with some of the biggest names in the history of pop music- Michael Jackson, Barry Manilow, Johnny Mathis, Natalie Cole and many, many others. In 2004, Victor won a Grammy for Best Instrumental Arrangement Accompanying Vocalist(s) for, "Over the Rainbow", on the Ray Charles album, "Genius Loves Company", which won eight Grammys, including Album of the Year. Victor's upcoming project, la Sorgente, comes to the Ford Theater on Oct. 8 and features arias set to the poetry of Pope JP II. Victor is a fascinating man, and we had a terrific, long, personal conversation, spanning his fascinating life- from nuts to bolts. Thanks for listening- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Musician, voice-over artist and the original voice of Siri, Susan Bennett is my guest today! It was great getting the scoop on how one becomes the voice of Siri, the hiring process and the secretive process that Apple uses for this kind of thing. Thanks for listening, and enjoy the chat! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

*ding ding* "Hey Siri, Call Susan Bennett" *ding ding* "Sorry, Omar, but I AM Susan Bennett." That's right, folks- the original voice of Siri, right here on LWAG- tune in this Monday! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jasper Randall is my guest this week! Jasper is one of the very few titans of Hollywood vocal music in the world, having worked on COUNTLESS blockbuster soundtracks over the last two decades- little films like Frozen, X-Men, La-La Land, and the upcoming movies, It, Pitch Perfect 3, Cloverfield, etc, etc, etc... Jasper sings, conducts, and is also a fine composer, currently in residence with the Los Robles Master Chorale. This is a great interview for folks wanting to get to know the man behind the curtain, and RARE peak into the peculiar, mysterious and sometimes secretive business of Hollywood soundtrack production. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The talented and lovely Moira Smiley is my guest, this week! Not only talented and lovely, Moira is a multi-instrumentalist, vocalist, and composer whose music can be heard on feature films, BBC & PBS television programs, NPR, and on more than 60 albums. We play, "Bring Me Little Water, Silvey" all the time around the house while we sing to our kids. It may be the Chicken Tikka Masala of her catalogue to all you deep-cuts-only die-hard Moira fans, but hey- I never get tired of Chicken Tikka, so sue me. Anyway- welcome back, thanks for listening, and enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer of over 50 blockbuster soundtracks, including the upcoming beloved animated tale, "Ferdinand" and, "HAN SOLO"!!! Yup, it's John Powell, y'all! Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Jeff Beal!! One of my favorite humans is making his re-appearance for my Summer Flashback extravaganza! Jeff is everywhere- I honestly don't know how he does it all, and he really does do it all (unlike some other film composers we know who shall go unnamed). Jeff and his lovely wife, Joan are proof that you can be fun, considerate, open and genuinely nice and still be wildly successful in Hollywood. Enjoy our chat, and thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Happy summer, y'all! For this week's episode of my Summer Flashback Series, I've got poet, scholar, professor and all-around great guy, Tony Silvestri on the show! We had this chat a year ago, but it's every bit as relevant as it ever was- we talk about life, death and everything in between- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Today, for my Summer Break Flashback series, Ninja Tracks composer and guitarist, Michael Nielsen, is my guest! Michael is a great guy, and I guarantee you know his music... Forza 6/7 and Splinter Cell for XBOX, independent film scores and just about every major motion picture trailer you've heard in the last ten years. He's also got a terrifically entertaining YouTube channel called "Big Hairy Guitars", where he reviews all sorts of guitars, pedals and gear, so make sure to check it out- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Maestro James Conlon, y'all! I bet you're curious how one becomes the Music Director of Los Angeles Opera and Principal Conductor of the Italian RAI National Symphony Orchestra- well, here's your chance! We cover it from nuts to bolts- stories, stories, stories- Maria Callas, Juilliard, The Big Break and a whole lot more! Happy summer, everyone- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Continuing my summer break, I’m reissuing another one of my favorites: Grant Gershon! The LAMC, LA Opera and the International stage are his homes. A master musician, Grant is not only one of the best in the biz, he's also unbelievably pleasant, inspirational and dedicated to his art. I hope you enjoy our extended chat! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer, pianist, vocalist and peace-lover, Shawn Kirchner is my guest this week. I had a great time getting to know Shawn over the course of our chat and as it goes sometimes, I feel like we left a lot of subjects untouched. Also, I made a couple flubs that I'll fess up to right now- first, I think I said that 'Memorare' was premiered in 2015, when in fact, it was not. Also, I guessed Rumi where the quote was from S.T. Coleridge. So, there. Listen, I do great on those Facebook quizzes, so I'm not gonna sweat it. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy our talk! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Roberto Cani, concertmaster of the LA Opera Orchestra, is my guest this week! We get into it- childhood, career, defeats and triumphs. Roberto is an open book, and it's one of the qualities I enjoy most about this fascinating master musician. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nino Sanikidze, pianist extraordinaire, is my guest. There's nothing better for a singer than finding a collaborator who LOVES singers, has a tremendous breadth of knowledge and is one of the very best at what he or she does. Nino is all of these things. Oh, and she's really sweet and supportive. Nino is one of a kind, and I hope you enjoy our chat- I sure did. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Pianist, conductor, coach, prompter and erstwhile violinist, Miah Im is my guest this week. She's one of those people who almost always has a smile on her face, despite the fact that she's a musical force to be reckoned with. That seem like a rare find in any field, especially music. This is another great episode for folks who are interested in getting into the classical music biz, because Miah seems to do a bit of everything! Thanks for listening- Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tenor, Russell Thomas, is my guest this week! We talk about career, rep, fees, finances, retirement and a whole lot more. Russell is a world-class talent, and he’s very thoughtful and quick to share his insights- especially regarding the precarious and careful climb to the top. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.