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Film Composer
2019 ASCAP Composer of the Year Jeff Cardoni has written over 45 feature film scores and several network series to his credit; CSI: Miami, MTV’s Pimp my Ride, The Kominsky Method, as well as the final season of HBO’s hit Silicon Valley and Starz Series Heels, just name a few. During our have a fun and laid back chat, we talk about his childhood, his struggles in LA during his first few years, going all-in, his lucky break, staying true to himself, writing for TV vs Film. He also gives advice for people trying to get into the studio world, and provides great insight into the Film Score Industry.
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Season 2 Episodes
From Jazz to Tango
Pedro Giraudo (Part I & Part II)
Pedro Giraudo - double bassist/composer
Bio
Latin GRAMMY Award winner bassist and composer Pedro Giraudo is among the most compelling tango artists today. After two decades performing with the most important interpreters of tango, Pedro Giraudo debuted his own Tango Orchestra at Lincoln Center’s Midsummer Night Swing in July 2015 and since then has become an active cultural ambassador of this beautiful and passionate music of his native Argentina.
In 2018 his album ‘Vigor Tanguero’ won a Latin GRAMMY award for ‘Best Tango Album’. In 2014 Ruben Blades’ CD “Tangos” on which he recorded bass won two Grammys Awards (Best Tango Album & Best Latin Pop). Pedro Giraudo has collaborated with Pablo Ziegler, Paquito D’Rivera, and Dizzy Gillespie’s protégé William Cepeda, as well as ‘Tango meets Jazz’ guests: Branford Marsalis, Kenny Garret, Regina Carter, Nestor Torres, Miguel Zenon among many others. Pedro Giraudo has also collaborated as a performer and arranger for one of New York’s most respected institutions: The New York Philharmonic. He has also been the musical director of Tango for All’s ‘Blind’, Mariela Franganillo Company’s “Tango Connection” and “Tango Recuerdo” and performed with U.S.’s most prominent tango ensembles including ‘Forever Tango’, Hector Del Curto’s ‘Eternal Tango’ and Daniel Binelli’s ‘Tango Metropolis’. He has participated in numerous jazz and music festivals throughout the North America, Europe, Latin America, the Caribbean and Asia, and performed in venues such as The Blue Note (Japan & USA), Birdland (Austria), London’s Queen Elizabeth Hall, Jazz Festival Royale in Thailand, Kennedy Center (Washington DC), Iridium, Jazz Standard, Blue Note, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall (NYC).
As a composer and arranger, Giraudo leads his own jazz and tango ensembles and has been hailed by critics as one of the most creative and daring bandleaders on the scene today. His compositions combine his love of classical forms, Argentine tango and folk music, and the spontaneity of jazz improvisation. The band, which boasts some of New York’s finest musicians, has performed regularly in the most prestigious jazz clubs in the New York City area, including the Jazz Standard, Birdland, The Jazz Gallery, Blue Note, Joe’s Pub, as well as abroad. John Murph of Downbeat described Giraudo’s music as “an opulent listening experience of modern, orchestral jazz, brimming with passionate improvisations, deliberate contrapuntal melodies and plush harmonies. Pedro Giraudo has also conducted the world renown WDR Big Band and Cologne Contemporary Jazz Orchestra.
His discography includes ‘Impulso Tanguero’ (Tiger Turn 2021), ‘An Argentinian in New York’ (Zoho Music 2018), ‘Vigor Tanguero’ (Zoho Music 2018), ‘Cuentos’ (Zoho Music 2015), ‘Córdoba’ (Zoho Music 2011), ‘El Viaje’ (2009) , ‘Desconsuelo’ (2005), ‘Mr Vivo’ (2002) and ‘Destiny of Flowers’ (2000). ‘Córdoba’ won 2011 Latin Jazz Corner’s: “Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year”, “Latin Jazz Boundary Breaking Album Of The Year”,” South American Jazz Album Of The Year”, and “Latin Jazz Composition Of The Year”; while ‘El Viaje’ won 2010 “Best Latin Jazz Album Of The Year,” and “Best Latin Jazz Large Ensemble Album Of The Year,” as well as “Best Latin Jazz Composition”.
In 2020 Pedro Giraudo received a Fellowship from the New Jersey State Council on the Arts. In 2013 he was commissioned by Música de Cámara to compose a piece for string orchestra which was presented in May 2014. In 2008, Giraudo was awarded a composer’s commission through the Jazz Gallery in New York, for a new work for his large ensemble; and in 2010, he was commissioned by the JazzReach initiative to compose a new work for their Big Drum/Small World main-stage program.
He has played bass on dozens of recordings for the world’s leading labels including Sony, Warner, Nonesuch, Naxos and Harmonia Mundi, as well as for independent projects, and on movies including Oliver Stone’s ‘Wall Street II’. He is also the principal bassist of the Música de Cámara String Orchestra.
A New Musician Mindset: Adapting to Today's World
Audrey Vardanega and Christos Vayenas
(Part I & Part II)
Audrey Vardanega - pianist/entrepreneur
Bio
Praised as a “[musically] eloquent” (San Francisco Classical Voice) player “with the kind of freedom, authority, and strength…that one expects from the world’s finest pianists” and a “bewitching musical presence” (The Piedmont Post), Audrey Vardanega has performed as a solo and collaborative pianist across Europe, China, and the United States. She has received instruction from notable artists including Leon Fleisher, Thomas Adés, Gidon Kremer, Robert Levin, Miriam Fried, and Jonathan Biss. She currently studies piano with Richard Goode. She is the Founder and Artistic Director of Musaics of the Bay, a nonprofit chamber music series dedicated to music mentorship in the Bay Area. 2019 highlights include her participation in Argentina’s New Docta Music Festival in August 2019, her two-part Beethoven Piano Sonata Project at the Berkeley Maybeck Studios, and the launch of Musaics of the Bay, a concert series and mentorship initiative founded by Audrey in the Bay Area.
Christos Vayenas - pianist/entrepreneur
Bio
As a self-taught pianist, composer, and improviser, I draw inspiration from the Romantic and Symbolist eras of the past, as well as a wide range of musical traditions of the world. I perceive music as a harmonizing force that can evoke powerful experiences of emotionality, authenticity and meditation.
Philip Edward Fisher - pianist
Bio
Pianist Philip Edward Fisher is widely recognized as a unique performer of refined style and exceptional versatility. International tours as a prolific soloist and ensemble musician have taken
Mr. Fisher across his native United Kingdom to Italy, Austria, Denmark, Switzerland, Norway, Kenya, Zimbabwe, the Ukraine, and United States. 2002 marked his New York debut at Alice Tully Hall, performing Rachmaninov’s Third Piano Concerto under the baton of Maestro Larry Rachleff. Mr. Fisher has also appeared in-concert at Merkin Hall and Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center, and his United Kingdom credits include performances at the Purcell Room, Wigmore Hall, Barbican Centre and Royal Festival Hall in London, Usher Hall in Edinburgh, the Glasgow Royal Concert Hall, and Symphony Hall in Birmingham. He has performed with the Royal Scottish National Orchestra, the Copenhagen Philharmonic, the Tampere Philharmonic, the Toledo Symphony and the Juilliard Symphony, working with Conductors Hannu Lintu, John Axelrod, James Lowe, Larry Rachleff and Giordono Bellincampi. As chamber musician, he has worked with renowned performers and ensembles such as The Brodsky Quartet, tenor Robert White, pianist Sara Buechner, and violinists Elmar Oliviera, Philippe Graffin and Augustin Hadelich.
Mr. Fisher studied at the Royal Academy of Music and the Juilliard School. In 2001, he received the prestigious Julius Isserlis Award from the Royal Philharmonic Society of London. His debut solo disc with the NAXOS label, Handel’s Keyboard Suites Vol. 1, was released in early 2010 to great critical acclaim and hit the US Classical Billboard Charts within its first week. His recent release on the Chandos label, Piano Works by the Mighty Handful, was featured on Classic FM as John Suchet’s “Album of the Week”, as “Classical Album of the Week” in The Telegraph, and has been nominated in the “Best Solo Instrumental Album” category of the International Classical Music Awards 2012.
Camille Zamora - singer
Bio
Camille Zamora balances a vibrant career of opera, recital and concert performances.
In collaboration with artists ranging from Plácido Domingo to Sting, Camille Zamora has garnered acclaimed for her “dramatic and nuanced” (The New York Times) interpretations of repertoire ranging from Mozart to tango. Equally at home in concert, recital, and on the operatic stage, Camille is known for her “dignity and glowing sound” (The New York Times) in “luminous, transcendently lyrical” performances (Opera News) that “combine gentility and emotional fire” (The Houston Chronicle).
This past season featured Camille’s Kennedy Center debut, performances at the US Capitol with Yo-Yo Ma, concerts of classic tango with Fort Worth Symphony and Florida Orchestra, and five new operatic roles, including a tour de force double-bill of La Voix Humaine and I Pagliacci with Opera Columbus. She also re-created the principal soprano role of Lu- cia in Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner with American Symphony Orchestra at Lincoln Center, the live recording of which topped the New York Times’ Classical Playlist and was chosen one of Opera News’ Best Recordings of the Year.
Other recent highlights include music of Enrique Granados withYo-Yo Ma and Cristina Pato in 2016 documentary film The Music of Strangers by Academy Award winner Morgan Neville; the narrated concert Twin Spirits: Robert and Clara Schumann with Sting, Nathan Gunn, and Joshua Bell at Lincoln Center and LA’s Music Center; and concerts of American Songbook classics by Gershwin, Berlin, Ager, and Arlen with Late Show bandleader Jon Batiste in Los Angeles and New York City for the Spring 2016 opening of the new Steinway Hall.
Camille’s operatic appearances include Donna Elvira in Don Giovanni at Anchorage Opera; Ilia in Idomeneo at Boston Lyric Opera; Despina in Così fan tutte at Glimmerglass Opera and Virginia Opera; Rosita in Luisa Fernanda at LA Opera; Elle in La Voix Humaine at Auckland Opera, Phoenicia Festival, Opera Columbus, and Bay Chamber Festival; Mimì in La bohème at Opera on the James; Nedda in I Pagliacci at Opera Columbus; Amore/Valetto in L’incoronazione di Poppea at Houston Grand Opera;The Countess in The Marriage of Figaro at On Site Opera; and Europa in Die Liebe der Danae, The Countess in Die Verschworenen, and Masha in The Chocolate Soldier at Bard Summerscape. Other signature roles include Blanche (Dialogues des Carmélites),The Governess (The Turn of the Screw), and the title roles in Susannah,Alci- na, and Anna Bolena, of which the Houston Chronicle recently wrote,“Camille Zamora digs deep into Anna Bolena with the richness of her colorful and unwaveringly powerful soprano instrument… a consummate actress whose ability to get inside her character is phenomenal.”
In concert, Camille has appeared with the Orchestra of St. Luke’s, London Symphony Orchestra, Guadalajara Symphony, Aberdeen Festival Orchestra, Boston Festival Orchestra, Rochester Philharmonic, and in live broadcasts on NPR, BBC Radio, Deutsche Radio, and Sirius XM. Highlights on the concert stage include Brahms’ Liebeslieder with Leon Fleisher at Aspen Music Festival, Beethoven’s Mass in C at Alice Tully Hall, Mahler’s Symphony No. 2 “The Resurrection” with Chat- tanooga Symphony, and Schubert Lieder for the opening night of American Ballet Theater in a performance The New York Post called “one of the best received moments of the evening… quiet, monumentally serene Schubert art songs, beautifully rendered by soprano Camille Zamora.” Camille has sung Bach’s Magnificat at Carnegie Hall, and, also at Car- negie Hall, the premiere of Christopher Theofanidis’ Song of Elos, a performance she repeated at the American Academy in Rome. She made her Lincoln Center Festival debut in Bright Sheng’s Poems from the Sung Dynasty for Soprano and Orchestra in a performance praised by The New York Times as “dramatic and nuanced,” and premiered Grammy-winner Robert Aldridge and Herschel Garfein’s Away but Not Far Away as part of The AIDS Quilt Songbook @ 20 at Cooper Union’s Great Hall.A champion of contemporary music, Camille performed Aaron Jay Kernis’ Simple Songs for Sopra- no and Orchestra at the Bowdoin Festival under the baton of the composer, and works of Ricky Ian Gordon with the composer at the piano at Lincoln Center. She has premiered works by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh, Bernd Franke, Roberto Sierra, Henry Brant, and Richard Wargo with companies including Spoleto Festival USA, New York Festival of Song, Continuum, and American Opera Projects. In addition to the award-winning original language recording of Hindemith’s The Long Christmas Dinner (Bridge Records), Camille’s recordings of twentieth and twenty-first century works include The Music of Chris Theofanidis (Albany Records), Strauss’ Die Liebe der Danae (ASO), New Music with Guitar / David Starobin (Bridge) and the world premiere recording of Scott Gendel’s At Last with Yo-Yo Ma on An AIDS Quilt Songbook: Sing for Hope (Naxos/GPR)
Hailed as a leading interpreter of classical Spanish song by NBC Latino and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, Camille has performed and recorded principal roles in zarzuelas including La Verbena de la Paloma, La Revoltosa, Luisa Fernanda, and La Tabernera del Puerto. Her performances of classical Spanish repertoire have been heard on five continents, in series ranging from Carnegie Hall’s Musical Connections to Zimbabwe’s Harare International Festival.Tango Caliente, Ca- mille’s concert of classic Argentine orchestral songs arranged for her by Grammy® Award winner Jeff Tyzik, tours nation- ally under Tyzik’s baton in the 2016/17 season.
A graduate of The Juilliard School, Camille is the Co-Founder of Sing for Hope, a leading arts non-profit that mobilizes artists in volunteer service and presents projects – such as NYC’s Sing for Hope Pianos – that make the arts accessible to all. She has presented and performed at Fortune Most Powerful Women Summit, Skoll World Forum, Opera Amer- ica, Aspen Ideas, and The UN, and is a regular arts and culture contributor to The Huffington Post. A 2016/17 Kennedy Center Citizen Artist, Camille has been honored with a World Harmony Torch-Bearer Award, a Congressional Hispanic Caucus Recognition, a 100 Hispanic Women Community Pride Award, and been named one of the Top 50 Americans in Philanthropy by Town & Country, NY1’s New Yorker of the Week, and one of CNN’s Most Intriguing People.
Music and Positive
Social Change in Communities
Mary Javian
(Part I & Part II)
Mary Javian - double bassist/educator
Bio
Mary Javian’s goal as a performer, educator, curator and public speaker is to use music to create positive social change in communities. She has presented around the world in these areas for nearly two decades.
Ms. Javian has toured and performed with the Philadelphia Orchestra and other world-class ensembles as a double bassist. She has served as principal bass of the IRIS Orchestra and has recorded with the Philadelphia and IRIS orchestras, the Tanglewood Music Center, Network for New Music, Dolce Suono Ensemble, and the Apple Hill Center for Chamber Music. She has performed recitals and given master classes in the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ms. Javian has received fellowships from the Tanglewood Music Center, the National Repertory Orchestra, the National Symphony Orchestra, and the Verbier Festival, where she is now a member of the faculty.
As chair of career studies at Curtis, Ms. Javian has created a dynamic social entrepreneurship curriculum that develops the entrepreneurial and advocacy skills that 21st-century musicians need. Her project-based classes help students create community partnerships that sustain both artistic and social value. Her students have gone on to start their own educational programs, innovative ensembles, and music festivals around the world.
For a decade, Ms. Javian curated a critically acclaimed concert series for LiveConnections at World Cafe Live, featuring boundary-crossing collaborations and emphasizing newly commissioned music blending styles and cultures. She has also curated performances for Intercultural Journeys, an organization that promotes peace and cultural dialogue through music; and works with Curtis students to create concerts for families and new audiences through innovative partnerships with arts organizations across Philadelphia.
Ms. Javian is frequently asked to speak about social entrepreneurship and community-based work, and has contributed to several books on these subjects. She has presented at numerous universities and conservatories; has consulted with organizations such as the Philadelphia Orchestra, the New World Symphony, the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, and the Savannah Music Festival; and has led workshops for programs across the U.S., Europe, and Asia. Ms. Javian currently serves on the boards of two music education nonprofits, Project 440 and the VOCES8 Foundation in the U.S.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute of Music, Ms. Javian studied double bass with Harold Robinson. She joined the Curtis faculty in 2011 and assumed her current position in 2016.
The 21st Century Classical Rockstar
Charles Yang
(Part I & Part II)
Charles Yang - violinist/singer-songwriter
Bio
Recipient of the 2018 Leonard Bernstein Award and described by the Boston Globe as one who “plays classical violin with the charisma of a rock star”, Juilliard graduate Charles Yang began his violin studies with his mother in Austin, Texas, and has since studied with world-renowned pedagogues Kurt Sassmanshaus, Paul Kantor, Brian Lewis and Glenn Dicterow. He has performed as a soloist with orchestras and in concert in the United States, Europe, Brazil, Russia, China, and Taiwan, and is the recipient of numerous awards and honors. On June 9th of 2005, the Mayor of Austin presented Mr. Yang with his own “Charles Yang Day”. In 2016 Mr. Yang joined the crossover string-band, Time for Three.
Not only confined to classical violin, Mr. Yang’s improvisational crossover abilities as a violinist, electric violinist, and vocalist have led him to featured performances with a variety of artists in such festivals as The Aspen Music Festival, The Schleswig- Holstein Music Festival, The Ravinia Festival, The Crested Butte Music Festival, The Cayman Arts Festival, The YouTube Music Awards, The Moab Music Festival, TED, Caramoor, The EG Conference, Google Zeitgeist, Interlochen, and onstage at venues such as Carnegie Hall, Alice Tully Hall, Lincoln Center’s Metropolitan Opera House, David H. Koch Theater, Dizzy’s and David Rubinstein Atrium; The Long Center, Rudolfinum, The Royal Danish Theatre, Le Poisson Rouge, Highline Ballroom, Ars Nova, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, and The Forbidden City in Beijing among many others.
Anthony McGill - clarinetist
Bio
Clarinetist Anthony McGill is one of classical music’s most recognizable and brilliantly multifaceted figures. He serves as the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic, that orchestra’s first African-American principal player. Hailed for his “trademark brilliance, penetrating sound and rich character” (The New York Times), as well as for his “exquisite combination of technical refinement and expressive radiance” (The Baltimore Sun), McGill also serves as an ardent advocate for helping music education reach underserved communities. McGill was honored to take part in the inauguration of President Obama, premiering a piece by John Williams alongside violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, and pianist Gabriela Montero.
McGill appears regularly as a soloist with top orchestras around North America including the New York Philharmonic, Metropolitan Opera, Baltimore Symphony, San Diego Symphony, and Kansas City Symphony, and is a favorite collaborator of the Brentano, Daedalus, Guarneri, JACK, Miró, Pacifica, Shanghai, Takacs, and Tokyo Quartets, as well as Emanuel Ax, Inon Barnatan, Yefim Bronfman, Gil Shaham, Midori, Mitsuko Uchida, and Lang Lang.
A graduate of the Curtis Institute, McGill previously served as the principal clarinet of the Metropolitan Opera. He serves on the faculty of the Juilliard School, the Curtis Institute of Music, Bard College’s Conservatory of Music, and the Manhattan School of Music.
Season 1 Episodes
The Australian Guitar Hero
Guest: Scott Borg
Did I hear 60 Million? The captivating life of Carlos Tome
Guest: Carlos Tome
n today’s episode, we talk with Carlos Tome, Director, Co-owner and Head of Sales at Tarisio. Carlos oversees all private sales of Tarisio’s New York and London offices and has played a major role in the critical success of recent auction sales, many of which set world records.
Some of the many topics we discuss includes growing up in his native Madrid, the difference of music education between Spain and the US, the cultural shock of moving to NYC, taking advantage of opportunities, the humanizing and healing power of music, finding inspiration in musicians’ creativity, wearing different hats within the music industry, his dealings with customs, his dreams, his anecdotes, and a lot more.
The Rise of Daniela Candillari as One of Opera's Leading Conductors
Guest: Daniela Candillari
n today’s episode, we talk with Carlos Tome, Director, Co-owner and Head of Sales at Tarisio. Carlos oversees all private sales of Tarisio’s New York and London offices and has played a major role in the critical success of recent auction sales, many of which set world records.
Some of the many topics we discuss includes growing up in his native Madrid, the difference of music education between Spain and the US, the cultural shock of moving to NYC, taking advantage of opportunities, the humanizing and healing power of music, finding inspiration in musicians’ creativity, wearing different hats within the music industry, his dealings with customs, his dreams, his anecdotes, and a lot more.
A Dean for the Students
Guest: Thomas Masse
In today’s episode, we talk with Thomas Masse, former Deputy Dean and Associate Provost for the Arts at Yale University and current professor at Stetson University. We discuss his journey, the many career paths in music, stories about his years at Yale, how to deal with negativity, the importance of mentorship, the future of classical music and much more.
Violinist Wayne Lin: The story behind the making of a Concertmaster
Guest: Wayne Lin
Louis Levitt: Record Label CEO, Producer, Founder of Sybarite5, Bassist & Entrepreneur
Guest: Louis Levitt
Mary Kouyoumdjian: Armenian-American Composer/Documentarian
Guest: Mary Kouyoumdjian
Daniel Trahey: Musician, Educator and Innovator
Guest: Daniel Trahey
Yves Dharamraj: Cellist, Educator, Innovator, Entrepreneur
Guest: Yves Dharamraj
Dr. Yves Dharamraj tells us about his career, his dreams, his views on the importance of music education, privilege in classical music, his work as a co-Executive Director of New Docta Festival, and much more!
A Young Star: Composer Shelbie Rassler
Guest: Shelbie Rassler
An entertaining chat with Shelbie Rassler, composer/arranger, conductor, multi-instrumentalist. The story behind the video that changed her life, how is it to be a student at The Juilliard School during COVID-19, her passion for education and altruism at such young age, a surprise phone call from a very important person, and much more.
Arthur Sato: Oboist, Contractor, Consultant and Music Educator
Guest: Arthur Sato
Jennifer Arnold: Violist and Director of Artistic Planning and Orchestral Operations of the Richmond Symphony
Guest: Jennifer Arnold
Nathan Schram: Violist, Composer and Entrepreneur
Guest: Nathan Schram
Nathan is a composer, entrepreneur, and violist of the GRAMMY Award-winning Attacca Quartet. In this episode, he shares his experiences juggling a career in chamber music, as a composer, his new “normal” during the pandemic, and his work as Executive Director of Musicambia, a non-for-profit that uses the power of music to build supportive communities where incarcerated individuals can build human connections, engage in learning and rebuild their lives.