Ep. 13 Alexandra Gardner: Composer, Coach, Superhero.
Release Date: 12/21/2020
Ep. 35 Elim Chan, Rockstar Orchestra Conductor
The Honesty Pill Podcast
Episode 35 of the Honesty Pill Podcast is LIVE! My guest today is one of the most sought after young orchestral conductors in the classical music scene, Elim Chan. Here's a pop quiz for you: How many professional, female orchestra conductors can you name right now? Ready...go! How'd you do? Not so great? Need some help? I'm going to introduce you to just a few of the industry leading orchestral conductors who happen to be women, and whose names you need to know. We talk about life in Belgium, what it's like to travel the globe conducting the world's most prominent orchestra, and what rather...
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Ep. 34 Roni Geva. Actor, Writer, Comic Genius
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is actor, improviser, writer, producer and comic genius, Roni Geva. So, a nihilist, a realist, and an optimist walk into a bar... That's actually not a joke, just the backstory of how my guest today became the incredible human being that she is. A disclaimer and a trigger warning for this episode: the actor Will Smith is part of our conversation, but this interview was recorded before the slap heard 'round the world occurred. So when we don't bring up that topic, you will understand why. Also, this episode discusses abortion. Roni us one of the most hilarious, bubbly people I...
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Ep. 33 Jessica Phillips, Clarinetist at The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is the E-flat Clarinetist at the Metropolitan Opera Orchestra in New York, Jessica Phillips. We’re going to talk about her performance career, auditions, and how she ended up playing in one of the most regarded opera orchestras in the world, but Jessica has a lot more going on in her life than just playing the clarinet. We’re going to dig into her life as an educator, musician entrepreneur and advocate for the arts. Happy listening! Chris @ Honesty Pill Links:
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Ep. 32 Elizabeth Gentner, performer, coach and entrepreneur
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is performer, coach and entrepreneur Elizabeth Gentner. And I just want to give you all a heads up, this was a heavy episode and we hit a lot of topics as you can tell from that intro clip, that I think are really critical and important to talk about so I am going to be quiet and let Elizabeth do most of the talking on this episode. I do just want to set this up by asking you the question, What do you think about the word, “Diva”? Is it a good thing? Is it a negative thing? Have you ever referred to someone as a diva, and if so, what were you trying to communicate? We’re...
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Ep. 31 Helane Marie Anderson, Sound Healing and Leadership
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is transformational voice coach, singer, pianist, musician, composer, author, multi-instrumentalist and teacher, Helane Marie Anderson. For those of you who have been listening to the podcast for a while, and were wondering, “What is a sound healer” that I always mention in the intro, you’re going to find out exactly what that is and why you need to know about it in today’s episode. Helane has had an incredibly varied career doing all of the things I just mentioned, including being a praised in LA Magazine as “a healer who sings like an angel, taking you...
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Ep. 30 Gloria Lum of "Audition Confidential"
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is the founder of “Audition Confidential” coaching for musicians, and cellist with the Los Angeles Philharmonic Gloria Lum. If you've ever wanted a helicopter view of the orchestra audition process, taken an audition and not advanced, or been involved at an audition where nobody even got hired, this episode is for you. Gloria is going to unpack exactly what committees are looking for, and give you some strategic ways to make sure you are giving it to them when it counts…under pressure. And a quick announcement that Gloria’s program “The 360 Method to Audition...
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Ep. 29 Tom Hooten, Principal Trumpet LA Phil
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is Los Angeles Philharmonic Principal Trumpet, Tom Hooten. We’re going to talk about the three rules that Tom applies to EVERYTHING when it comes to playing the trumpet. He’s going to share the details with you, right here. Think a player like Tom just sits around thinking and reading about nothing but the trumpet all day? I am willing to bet that the book he is going to recommend is NOT on your current reading list. And stick around until the end, because Tom has just launched a really accessible and impactful video series called, “Studio Time with Tom” that you are...
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Ep. 28 Mick Wetzel, "The Viola Pro"
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is Los Angeles Philharmonic violist Mick Wetzel, who in addition to being a world class musician, is also the founder of The Viola Pro coaching for musicians on auditions, competitions and really tactical ideas on how to practice.
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Ep. 27 Jennet Ingle: "The Unfussy Oboist"
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is the self-proclaimed “Unfussy Oboist” Jennet Ingle. I love that title…can’t wait to hear the explanation.
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Ep. 26 Joseph Sowa, Composer and Founder of the Wizarding School for Composers
The Honesty Pill Podcast
My guest today is composer and founder of “The Wizarding School for Composers” …can’t wait for you guys to hear about that… musician entrepreneur Joseph Sowa.
info_outlineMy guest today is composer Alexandra Garner, who actually never intended to work in music at all.
Growing up Alex thought she was going to become an illustrator and draw covers for The New Yorker magazine. Becoming a composer never crossed her mind and she even assumed that composers were just “dead guys in powdered wigs”.
It wasn’t until she enrolled in an electronic music class during her freshman year of college, that she realized she could make her own sounds from scratch and combine them into anything she wanted.
She has been praised as highly lyrical and provocative of thought by the San Francisco classical voice, mesmerizing by the New York times, and her music Regularly performed as the composer in residence of the Seattle Symphony.
Links
Website: https://alexandragardner.net/
Twitter: https://twitter.com/alexgardner
Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/alexgardner/
Email: [email protected]
Alexandra's composition "Coyote Turns"
Honesty Pill Links
Online Business Accelerator 2.0 six month program
About Alexandra
Praised as "highly lyrical and provocative of thought" (San Francisco Classical Voice),"mesmerizing" (The New York Times), and "pungently attractive" (The Washington Post), the music of composer Alexandra Gardner (b. 1967) is thrilling audiences and performers alike with a clear, expressive sound and a flair for the imaginative and unexpected. She composes for varied instrumentations and often mixes acoustic instruments with electronics, blending lyricism, rhythmic exploration, textural constructions, and a love of sonic storytelling.
Alexandra's compositions are regularly featured at festivals and venues around the world, including the Aspen Music Festival, Beijing Modern Festival, Centro de Cultura Contemporania de Barcelona, Festival Cervantino, Grand Teton Music Festival, The Kennedy Center, The Library of Congress, Merkin Hall, Strathmore Music Center, Symphony Space, and the Warsaw Autumn Festival.
As the Seattle Symphony 2017-18 Season Composer-in-Residence, Alexandra spent several months in Seattle for composing and educational projects. Her new symphonic work, Significant Others, was commissioned by SSO and premiered on the orchestra's subscription series under the baton of Music Director Ludovic Morlot. She also led workshops with LGBTQ+ youth affected by homelessness to create a collaborative composition entitled Stay Elevated, which was performed by musicians of the symphony at the Seattle Art Museum, and directed the Merriman Family Young Composers Workshop, leading 10 pre-college students in a 12-week program culminating in a performance of world premieres.
Recent projects include Fade for flute and soundtrack, commissioned by the National Flute Association, Hummingbird Dreams, commissioned by Astral Artists for pianist Natalia Kazaryan, and an adaptation of her orchestra work Just Say Yes for a consortium of wind ensembles. Current works in progress include a quartet for Sandbox Percussion and a work for flute, harp, and percussion commissioned by the American Harp Society.
Among Alexandra's honors and awards are recognitions from American Composers Forum, ASCAP, Mid-America Arts Alliance, DC Commission for the Arts and Humanities, The National Endowment for the Arts, The Netherland-America Foundation, and the Smithsonian Institution. She is a recipient of the Vassar College W.K. Rose Fellowship in the Creative Arts, a 2018 Rubys Artist Project Grant from the Robert W. Deutsch Foundation, and most recently a 2020 Maryland State Arts Council Individual Artist Award. She has conducted residencies at the Atlantic Center for the Arts, Harvestworks, Liz Lerman Dance Exchange, The MacDowell Colony, and Willapa Bay AiR, and spent two years as a visiting composer at the Institut Universitari de l'Audiovisual in Barcelona, Spain. Her music is recorded on the Innova, Ars Harmonica, and Naxos labels.
For the past several years, Alexandra has maintained a private teaching studio and coaching business. She helps composers lead creative and fruitful musical lives through coaching and mentoring, giving masterclasses and workshops, and facilitating dialog and discussion related to artistic career development and the nature of creativity.
Alexandra holds degrees from The Peabody Institute of The Johns Hopkins University and Vassar College. She lives in Baltimore, MD with her wife and their very bossy cat Longfellow.
For more information, please visit www.alexandragardner.net.