I am delighted to welcome you to this free access issue, which includes not only interviews with conductors JoAnn Falletta and Robert Franz but articles written by academics/conductors Tiffany Chang and Jaclyn Normandie. This marks the expansion of the Notes from the Podium project to include articles by academics/conductors as well as the already established in-depth interviews.
I had such a great time speaking with JoAnn Falletta, Music Director of the Buffalo Philharmonic, back in July (she will also feature in the next issue, speaking about Scheherazade). Pines of Rome by Respighi was her suggestion, having always admired the composer and seen him as something of a hero. I thoroughly enjoyed her recording with the Buffalo Philharmonic, one which makes regular appearances on lists of recommended recordings for the piece.
Robert Franz, Music Director of the Windsor Symphony Orchestra (and former colleague of JoAnn), chose to focus on composers of eighteenth century Naples: concertos by Leo, Cimarosa and Wassenaer (the latter previously thought to be by Pergolesi). This was a great suggestion as it gave Notes a chance to explore not only this pocket of Baroque music but also to discuss the concerto dynamic (something Notes has only done once before with Brett Mitchell back in 2019).
Taiwanese-American conductor Tiffany Chang is Assistant Professor of Conducting at Oberlin Conservatory and Associate Professor at the Berklee College of Music. In her research on leadership, Tiffany draws from ideas within business and industries outside of the arts, and more information can be found on her blog www.conductorasceo.com. Her brilliant contribution to this issue focuses on Zappos, the online retail company – known for its obsession with providing the best customer service.
And finally, Jaclyn Normandie is a conductor and author of the very unique book The Mindful Musician: Finding a Healthy Balance. Jaclyn’s research interests are wide-ranging and include mindfulness and yoga principles in the music classroom, Latin American folk music, and teaching the adult male voice from the female teacher perspective. Published in this issue are two chapters from her book, entitled ‘The Tortured Artist Syndrome’ and ‘Wrestling with the Ego’.
If you would like to contribute an article on conducting to Notes from the Podium, please email info@notesfromthepodium.co.uk. We would love to hear about your work.
Many, many thanks to JoAnn, Robert, Tiffany and Jaclyn for their valuable contributions to this growing hub of information.
Happy Reading!
Dr. Hannah Baxter – Editor