Piano Whisperer

The Incomparable Matt Rollings

Countless artists would have sounded different without him. Multi-Platinum, Grammy Award-winning producer, pianist, and songwriter, Matt Rollings, has played on thousands of albums, produced monumental recordings, has been awarded ACM Best Pianist/Keyboardist ten times, and has influenced a plethora of pianists with his matchless artistry and inimitable approach to the piano. If that weren’t enough, he’s also a fabulous story-teller, as you’ll hear in this episode! For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.

Chopin Made Her Do It

As a teenager in a land far away from home, in a remote village in Spain, she heard the sound of piano playing emanating from a spare room in the local library. Though she didn't play herself, she was drawn to this old upright, and she found herself visiting it frequently to explore all it had to offer. This led miraculously to finding a teacher in this tiny village, who introduced her to Chopin. That's all it took for her to make a life decision to become a concert pianist, at 15! Several scholarships and degrees later, concert pianist Haley Myles has become a laureate of seven international competitions, produced three albums, written two editions of a book and has developed a prolific and captivating online presence. If you need some inspiration and motivation, this episode is for you! For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.

Her Story: Conductor Lina Gonzalez-Granados

As Oscar Wilde famously said, "Be yourself; everyone else is already taken." Talented, dynamic and award-winning conductor, Lina Gonzalez-Granados, has made her mark in the music world by doing just that. Her resume is impressive, for sure, but her understanding of life and how to walk your own path in a competitive world is inspiring. Our conversation spanned everything from growing up during the Colombian Armed Conflict to becoming one of the leading proponents of Latin American composers to founding her own chamber orchestra, Unitas Ensemble. For show notes and hashtags, please visit: www.pianowhisperer.org.

A Conversation with Kays

Film composer and director, Kays Al-Atrakchi, shared his story about growing up in the world's most captivating city (Florence), relocating to the home of Disney (Orlando), playing in a high school rock band with Rob Thomas (Matchbox Twenty), studying film scoring at Berklee College of Music, and working for some of the biggest names in the entertainment industry. His clients include Warner Bros., Universal, Sony Pictures, Lions Gate, ABC, NBC, Disney Channel, SyFy, Lifetime, MTV, Showtime, Discovery Channel and many more.

#pianowhispererpodcast #podcast #piano #film #filmmusic #filmscore #berkleecollegeofmusic #musicbykays #moviesbykays #kaysfilmmaker #resonaterecordings #atlantissanya

Show notes:
www.musicbykays.com
www.moviesbykays.com
https://www.imdb.com/name/nm0015685/ (list of works)
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=2r8ORaUXOps&feature=youtu.be (Grand opening of Atlantis-Sanya)
https://www.listennotes.com/podcasts/the-derek-diamond/from-composing-to-filmmaking-YVyIn5NOe8T/ (podcast with Derek Diamond)

The PianoGuy Behind the Scenes

Craig Knudsen could have lived his life in the spotlight, but instead he found himself quietly impacting the lives of millions from behind the scenes. From his technology creations with Yamaha to his work with YouTube sensations, ThePianoGuys, he is inspiring countless music-makers of all ages and genres.

#pianowhispererpodcast #podcast #piano #thepianoguys #yamaha #clavinova #disklavier

Show notes:

ThePianoGuys Avatar Music Video ("Behind The Scenes"): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7x0cn9VoR-Q
ThePianoGuys "Technology Guy" video: https://www.yourcentralvalley.com/central-valley-today/the-piano-guys-technology-guy/
Kookie Karaoke info: https://hub.yamaha.com/kooky-karaoke/
Follow the Lights info (video): https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/craig-knudsen
Smart Pianist App info: https://hub.yamaha.com/keyboard-tips-learn-to-play-your-favorite-songs/

Mac Potts is Putting it All Out There

Since before the age of two, Mac Potts has been tickling the ivories. Born totally-blind with perfect pitch and prodigious talent, Mac's passion to play for the enjoyment of his listeners has captivated his fans. On this podcast he talks about leaning to play in the early days, his personal moments with Harry Connick Jr., Marcia Ball and Dr. John, and his conversations with Lionel Richie during his American Idol experience. He also shared how he captured the sound of an entire band on his recording, "Three," without anything but a piano, bench and hardwood floor! He got personal, too. Beyond all this, he has gained more than 20 million views on Cut videos like, "Blind People Tell Us Which Questions Annoy Them the Most."

#pianowhispererpodcast #podcast #macpotts #americanidol #edsheeran #cutvideo #piano

Show notes:

The song played during the podcast is “Thinking Out Loud” by Ed Sheeran, performed by Mac.

3PlayMedia interview with Mac (Great interview!): https://www.3playmedia.com/resources/faces-behind-screen/mac-potts/

Article about Mac’s American Idol experience: https://www.columbian.com/news/2019/mar/26/vancouvers-mac-potts-done-on-american-idol-still-beloved-by-fans/

Article about Mac’s time in New Orleans and Irene’s Cuisine: https://www.bizneworleans.com/blind-luck-turns-potts-into-irenes-jazz-fest-piano-man/

Cut Media video (Blind People Tell Us Which Questions Annoy Us the Most): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_oVR8NcKJ0Y

Cut Media video (Kids Describe Colors to a Blind Person): https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MK94B9VcDyU

Mac’s website: https://macpotts.com/

Mac’s YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCDvfoKhdQIusUXJuuHF-rbQ

Mac’s Instagram page: https://www.instagram.com/macpottsmusic/

Mac’s Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/macpottsmusic/

Mac’s piano tuning website: http://www.blackandwhitepianotuning.com/

Mac’s album “Three” is available everywhere—Spotify, Apple Music, Amazon, etc.

Piano Whisperer is now on Instagram! Find us at pianowhisperer.podcast

Get Ready to Explore Music with Lisa Bergman

If you love music, working in the music business can be a dream. But, you’ve got to love it. And, success can be elusive, even if you do love it. So, how do we get there? Is it just luck? Do we need to be über-talented? Talent helps, but being people-savvy is key. Award-winning classical radio host, creator of the Explore Music program on KING-FM and concert pianist, Lisa Bergman, shares her story. This episode is a must for aspiring professional musicians!

 

Quick editorial note: We had a few minor audio issues! At 4:29, the phrase spoken was "in-house accompanist."

 

Show notes:

Lisa’s book recommendation: https://books.google.com/books/about/Career_Opportunities_in_the_Music_Indust.html?id=dJOg4ddhJXMC

Lisa’s debut painting: https://twitter.com/LisaKINGFM/status/1015297301638610944/photo/1

Bios: https://www.king.org/show/lisa-bergman/18169358/

https://icicle.org/cpt-artistic/lisa-bergman

http://www.piatigorskyfoundation.org/artist/bergman

Seattle Times article: https://www.seattletimes.com/entertainment/pianists-andrs-schiff-lisa-bergman-and-more/

Puget Sound Business Journal: https://www.bizjournals.com/seattle/potmsearch/detail/submission/1548761/Lisa_Bergman

U of W: https://music.washington.edu/events/2015-11-14/beethoven-back-back-pre-concert-lecture-lisa-bergman

Gracie Award mention: https://www.westsideseattle.com/ballard-news-tribune/2013/03/04/ballardite-lisa-bergman-wins-award-radio-work

Michael Kaeshammer's Journey: Germany, Canada, New Orleans, China and Deep Inside

This is a great story about doing what you love and finding purpose. A great pianist, producer and writer, BC-based Michael Kaeshammer has always been awarded for his immense talent, but his meaning in life took him by surprise in New Orleans when he simply was asked during a gig, " Why are you here?" That question changed everything.

 

A quick editorial note: during the show it was said that Michael relocated from Canada to BC. Obviously, that was misspoken. He relocated from Germany to BC, Canada.

 

Show notes:

http://www.kaeshammer.com/discography/

http://www.kaeshammer.com/biography

https://greatdarkwonder.com/something-new-interview-with-michael-kaeshammer

http://player.listenlive.co/34671/en/artist/ae_cbc0bd51-912d-4739-929b-9b7fb6695d18/biography

https://www.theglobeandmail.com/arts/music/michael-kaeshammer-i-started-living-my-life-from-a-different-angle/article4264564

https://www.fyimusicnews.ca/articles/2017/02/13/conversation-michael-kaeshammer

https://www.timescolonist.com/entertainment/michael-kaeshammer-gives-sidney-its-own-concert-special-1.23921718

http://www.almarecords.com/artists/michael-kaeshammer

https://www.tengrandsseattle.com/artists/soloists/michael-kaeshammer

Passion, Music, Vienna, and the Piano that Embodies it All

There is no city in the world defined by music like Vienna. The landscape of composers and pianists who lived there is endless: Mozart, Beethoven, Liszt, Brahms, Schubert, Mahler, to name just a few. No piano on Earth embodies the "City of Music" more than Bösendorfer. Today the tradition thrives, as innovation beautifully enhances this great instrument. Sabine Grubmüller, Managing Director of Bösendorfer, generously took time to talk about all-things-Bösendorfer: the history, the artists, the innovation, the factory, the vision. Sabine, with the help of a tremendously talented and passionate Bösendorfer team, is taking this legendary company into the future.

 

Show notes:

https://www.boesendorfer.com/en/about

https://www.boesendorfer.com/en/about/history-1

http://mmrmagazine.com/issue/upfront-q-a/a-perfect-fit-sabine-grubmueller-of-boesendorfer/

https://www.namm.org/library/oral-history/sabine-grubm%C3%BCller

Podcast Trailer