Unorchestrated

Unorchestrated is the Akron Symphony Orchestra's long-form podcast series, exploring a variety of topics with a special focus on the music and stories of under-represented musicians and composers. The podcast is co-hosted by Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Executive Producer Thomas Moore.

The Lark Ascending with Bethlehem Kelly 11/02/2024

The Lark Ascending with Bethlehem Kelly The Akron Symphony continues its 71st season on November 16th with a marquee pairing of two wonderfully bright and joyful pieces — Ralph Vaughan Williams’ The Lark Ascending, and Schubert’s Fifth Symphony. On this episode of Unorchestrated, we’re excited to be joined by none other than our violin soloist tasked with taking on one of today’s most beloved pieces in the classical repertoire: The wonderfully talented Bethlehem Kelley! /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/33755507

Gity Razaz' Methuselah: A Brilliant Use of Orchestral Color 10/08/2024

Gity Razaz' Methuselah: A Brilliant Use of Orchestral Color The Akron Symphony continues its 71st season with Gustav Holst’s The Planets on October 19 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also feature performances of Charles Ives’ The Unanswered Question, Franz Liszt’s Les Preludes, and Methuselah, a co-commissioned work by Gity Razaz. Gity is an Iranian-American composer whose music has been referred to as “ravishing and engulfing” by the New York Times, and, of an “uncompromising beauty” by BBC Music Magazine. In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Gity to discuss Methuselah, along with more about this celestial-packed concert evening. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Holst’s The Planets on October 19, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/33383482

Rachmaninoff's sweeping Piano Concerto 2 09/12/2024

Rachmaninoff's sweeping Piano Concerto 2 The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto on September 21 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also feature a performance of George Chadwick’s Jubilee and Florence Price’s Symphony No. 3. In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and guest pianist Gabriela Martinez to discuss one of the most celebrated works in the piano repertoire. The concerto is renowned for its sweeping melodies, emotional depth, and technical demands, showcasing the pianist's virtuosity. This work not only solidified Rachmaninoff’s reputation as a composer but also redefined the Romantic concerto with its expressive power. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Rachmaninoff’s 2nd Piano Concerto, featuring Gabriella Martinez, on September 21 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at . Musical excerpts are from a performance by Gabriela Martinez with the Simón Bolívar Orchestra in 2023. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/33029792

Mozart's Great Mass 04/29/2024

Mozart's Great Mass The Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus will present Mozart’s Great Mass on May 11 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will include Lili Boulanger’s On a Spring Morning and Ravel’s Le Tombeau de Couperin. Mozart’s Great Mass stands as a monumental testament to his genius and devout faith. The work embodies the grandeur of sacred music with its intricate choral writing, lush orchestration, and profound emotional depth. From delicate soprano solos to thunderous orchestral passages, the Mass captivates with its sublime beauty and spiritual fervor. In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Chorus Director Chris Albanese will discuss the upcoming performance, with musical excerpts from a 2006 performance of Mozart’s Great Mass by the orchestra and chorus. The Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus will present Mozart’s Great Mass on May 11, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/31038783

Tchaikovsky and Bowden 03/30/2024

Tchaikovsky and Bowden The Akron Symphony will present Tchaikovsky and Bowden with guest soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden on April 6 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will include Tchaikovsky’s Souvenir de Florence, Vaughan Williams’ Fantasia on “Greensleeves”, Jessie Montgomery’s Strum, Jennifer Higdon’s “Reel Time”, and Julia Perry’s Prelude for Strings. The highlight of the evening will be the Ohio premiere of Bohemian Queen, a trumpet concerto composed by Clarice Assad and featuring classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden, who has been praised for her splendid, brilliant playing, and pure, refined, and warm tone. In this episode, we are joined by Mary Elizabeth Bowden to discuss Bohemian Queen, which celebrates the surrealist painter Gertrude Abercrombie – “the queen of the bohemian artists” – whose life and art were entwined with such Chicago jazz scene legends as Dizzy Gillespie, Charlie Parker, and Sarah Vaughan. Classical trumpeter Mary Elizabeth Bowden is a highly in-demand soloist, praised for her “splendid, brilliant” playing (Gramophone Magazine). A Gold Medal Global Music Award Winner, Opus Klassik Nominee, and Yamaha Performing Artist, Bowden works to establish a new repertoire for the trumpet through creative commissioning projects and award-winning albums. Learn more at maryelizabethbowden.com. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Tchaikovsky and Bowden on April 6, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/30604948

Bruckner's Fourth - Part 2 02/25/2024

Bruckner's Fourth - Part 2 The Akron Symphony will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, nicknamed Romantic, on March 2 at EJ Thomas Hall. Bruckner’s composition, his first to receive widespread acclaim, showcases the composer’s unique style and is filled with lyrical themes, expressive contrasts, splendid orchestration, glorious climaxes, and dramatic developments. In the second episode of this two-part series, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Matthew Mauro, acting principal horn, take a deeper dive into Bruckner’s music. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, along with Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude, on March 2, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/30100543

Bruckner's Fourth - Part 1 02/23/2024

Bruckner's Fourth - Part 1 The Akron Symphony will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, nicknamed Romantic, on March 2 at EJ Thomas Hall. Bruckner’s composition, his first to receive widespread acclaim, showcases the composer’s unique style and is filled with lyrical themes, expressive contrasts, splendid orchestration, glorious climaxes, and dramatic developments. In the first episode of a two-part series, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Matthew Mauro, acting principal horn, discuss Matt’s career, and Matt shares some of his experiences with the audition process for an orchestra. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Bruckner’s Fourth Symphony, along with Wagner’s Lohengrin Prelude, on March 2, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/30086038

Gospel Meets Symphony 30th Anniversary Concert 02/07/2024

Gospel Meets Symphony 30th Anniversary Concert The Akron Symphony and the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir will celebrate 30 years of music and fellowship during Gospel Meets Symphony on February 10 at EJ Thomas Hall. Led by Maestro Christopher Wilkins and Gospel Meets Symphony Choirmaster Jonathon Turner, the evening will highlight the community spirit that has made GMS one of Northeast Ohio’s most enduring musical traditions. In this episode, Christopher, Jonathon and Brenda Justice, coordinator of choral programs at the Akron Symphony, discuss what the program means to Akron, share some memories of past performances, and talk about the upcoming concert. The Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Gospel Meets Symphony Choir will present Gospel Meets Symphony on February 10, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/29834733

An Akron-fueled Collaboration 01/05/2024

An Akron-fueled Collaboration The Akron Symphony will open the second half of the season with a performance featuring Mozart’s 29th Symphony on January 13 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also fully embrace Akron as the Orchestra performs Jake Gunnar Walsh & Jon Sonnenberg’s Conflagration - featuring EarthQuaker devices - and Mary Lou Williams’ jazz-infused Zodiac Suite, featuring longtime friend of the ASO and Akron’s own Theron Brown and his quartet. In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Theron discuss the program, emphasizing the career and influence of composer Mary Lou Williams. Theron resides in Akron, where he is a Professor of Practice at The University of Akron teaching jazz piano, artist coordinator for the I Promise School, and is immensely involved in promoting the music scene and the arts. He is the founder of the Rubber City Jazz & Blues Festival, which takes place in Akron’s downtown historic district. Theron frequently tours and plays with his trio including Zaire Darden on drums and Jordan McBride on bass. The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present EarthQuaker & Mozart on January 13, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at akronsymphony.org. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/29358433

Dvořák’s ecstatic Cello Concerto 11/01/2023

Dvořák’s ecstatic Cello Concerto The Akron Symphony will present Dvořák’s warm-hearted, ecstatic, and deeply lyrical Cello Concerto with guest soloist Khari Joyner on November 18 at EJ Thomas Hall. The performance will also include William Grant Still’s Festive Overture and Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 6. Like the New World Symphony, the Cello Concerto is another work hailing from Dvořák’s American period and is therefore infused with the same sense of homesick longing that pervades the symphony. Khari Joyner has a following both nationally and abroad as a versatile concert cellist, chamber musician and ambassador for the arts. He has made numerous guest appearances with orchestras and ensembles across the world, and is a passionate advocate for the music of the 21st century. He is also currently an assistant professor at the Baldwin Wallace University Conservatory of Music. Learn more about Khari’s career at . The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Dvořák’s Cello Concerto on November 18, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. Tickets are available at . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/28491353

Sonic Theater on Organ 10/18/2023

Sonic Theater on Organ The Akron Symphony Orchestra will present Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony on October 21 at EJ Thomas Hall. In this episode, Music Director Christopher Wilkins sits down with Robert Mollard, principal keyboardist, to talk about the performance in a conversation that was sponsored by The Friends of the Akron Symphony. Join the Akron Symphony for Saint-Saëns Organ Symphony, featuring Principal Keyboardist Robert Mollard on the Rodgers digital organ, on October 21 at 7:30 p.m., at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 p.m. Tickets for the performance, which also includes Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson’s orchestral fantasy Worship and Respighi’s transcendent Church Windows, are available at . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/28359374

A Cultural Expression through Music 09/20/2023

A Cultural Expression through Music The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29 at EJ Thomas Hall. The evening will also include the Akron premiere of Jerod Tate’s Clans from Lowak Shoppala’. The piece will include narration by Akron’s Dr. LaDonna Blue Eye, a citizen of the Choctaw Nation, and Jerod will be the guest conductor. In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and composer Jerod Tate to discuss his distinguished career, his inspirations, and Lowak Shoppala', which is a work that expresses Chickasaw identity through the medium of modern classical music and theatre. Jerod is a dedicated American Indian classical composer and pianist who expresses his native culture in symphonic music, ballet and opera. All of his compositions have been commissioned by major North American orchestras, ensembles and organizations and his works are performed throughout the world. . The Akron Symphony Orchestra, along with the Akron Symphony Chorus, will present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony and Jerod Tate’s Clans from Lowak Shoppala’ on September 29, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/28098164

Beethoven's Supreme Masterpiece 09/19/2023

Beethoven's Supreme Masterpiece The Akron Symphony will open its new season with Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29 at EJ Thomas Hall. Not only will the evening be the start of a yearlong celebration of 70 years of music, but also mark the 50th anniversary of EJ Thomas Hall, which the Akron Symphony opened in October of 1973 with a performance of … Beethoven’s 9th! In this episode, we sit down with Music Director Christopher Wilkins and Chorus Director Chris Albanese to discuss a composition that is recognized as one of the supreme masterpieces of the Western tradition, and has become an international symbol of unity and affirmation since its first performance in Vienna in 1824. It is also Beethoven’s final symphony and features one of the most famous finales in music - the Ode to Joy. The Akron Symphony Orchestra, along with the Akron Symphony Chorus, will present Beethoven’s 9th Symphony on September 29, 7:30 pm, at EJ Thomas Hall. The Preview from the Podium begins at 6:30 pm. . Musical excerpts are from the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus performance of Beethoven's 9th Symphony on January 21, 2017. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/28087469

Brahms Requiem Part 2 05/01/2023

Brahms Requiem Part 2 As the performance of Brahms Requiem approaches, the chorus has been hard at work preparing! Go behind the scenes with host Tom Moore and Akron Symphony chorus director Chris Albanese to learn more about how the chorus is gearing up for Brahms Requiem. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26712027

Brahms Requiem Part 1 04/27/2023

Brahms Requiem Part 1 Valerie Coleman’s Umoja expresses the joy of community, through a single irresistibly catchy tune. Not since Bobby McFerrin’s Don’t Worry, Be Happy has a composer created such memorably euphoric music. Deep joy lies also at the heart of Brahms’ Requiem. It is his most personal work, composed as a response to the death of his mother. Its focus is not on the past, but on the present. The work’s majestic harmonies and soaring melodic lines are for us: they are comfort for the living. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26674854

Mahler's Third Part 4 04/09/2023

Mahler's Third Part 4 Music Director Christopher Wilkins chats with Principal Trombone John Gruber about Mahler's Third. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26490579

Mahler 3 Podcast 3 04/07/2023

Mahler 3 Podcast 3 Do you love our preconcert Preview from the Podiums? Now you can get to know our upcoming with a pre-preconcert talk! Here's another installment of our Mahler's Third series! /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26476857

Mahler 3 Podcast 2 04/04/2023

Mahler 3 Podcast 2 Maestro Christopher Wilkins speaks about Mahler's grand design for the Third Symphony. Using musical examples, he follows the course of the symphony's six movements up the Great Chain of Being: from inanimate matter, to plant and animal life, the human realm, the heavenly host, and finally to all-embracing cosmic love—agape. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26443668

ASO 23-24 Season Preview 03/29/2023

ASO 23-24 Season Preview The Akron Symphony Orchestra’s new season is filled with a diverse range of music, world-class performers, exciting collaborations, and numerous milestones! The Akron Symphony will open its 70th season on September 29 with a program featuring Beethoven’s 9th Symphony. It is a fitting choice as the season also marks the 50th anniversary of EJ Thomas Hall and the orchestra performed Beethoven’s towering symphony when the hall opened in October of 1973. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26383101

Mahler 3 Podcast 1 03/18/2023

Mahler 3 Podcast 1 Mahler’s Third is his “Pastoral Symphony.” It seems propelled throughout by nature’s bold power. The opening march represents the arrival of spring in the Austrian Alps—the earth groans, giant ice sheets crack, and cataracts spill forth from mountain streams. The middle movements move in stages up the Great Chain of Being, from raw matter, through many varieties of forms of life, and ultimately to the realm of the spirit. Mahler originally intended to call the overwhelming and majestic final movement “What God Tells Me,” understanding God “in the only way we can experience Him, as pure love.” /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/26265294

Akron's Julia Perry: How Does a Shadow Shine? 12/22/2022

Akron's Julia Perry: How Does a Shadow Shine? Akron Symphony's Julia Perry project seeks to shine a light on the talented Akron-born composer's music and legacy. Julia Perry was born in Lexington, KY in 1924, into a talented family of musicians, teachers, doctors, and horse trainers. She received an exceptional musical education in Akron, OH, at Westminster Choir College in Princeton, NJ, and with prestigious teachers from New York to Paris to Florence, Italy. In the late 40s and throughout the 1950s she enjoyed great success as a composer, vocal soloist, and conductor—principally in Italy. Returning to New York and Akron in the 1960s, she found that doors were not open to her as they had been in Europe. Beginning in 1970, she suffered a series of debilitating strokes that left her paralyzed on the right side, and unable to speak. She continued composing by learning to write with her left hand. Julia Perry died of cardiac arrest in 1979 and is buried in Glendale Cemetery in Akron. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/25407978

Christmas! 12/06/2022

Christmas! Kick off the Holiday Season with an Akron tradition! Get in the holiday spirit with an evening of traditional carols and festivities with the Akron Symphony Orchestra, the Akron Symphony Chorus, and special guests—including a visit from the North Pole! /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/25244229

Ellington's Nutcracker & The Ballad of the Brown King 11/06/2022

Ellington's Nutcracker & The Ballad of the Brown King Margaret Bonds and Langston Hughes tell the Christmas story through the person of Balthazar, the Black member of the Three Kings. Akron’s Julia Perry, who began her career in Europe, sets the mystical writings of Catherine of Siena, a beloved figure in the history of Italian literature. Respighi remakes toe-tapping music of the Italian Renaissance into modern miniatures with cinematic brilliance. And Duke Ellington takes five of the best-known dances from Tchaikovsky’s Nutcracker, and dresses them up in top hats and tails. All four works are vibrant updates, “handshakes across the centuries.” /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/24919566

Pastoral Symphony 10/13/2022

Pastoral Symphony “The awakening of joyful feelings upon arriving in the country” was how Beethoven described the first movement of his Sixth Symphony. The Pastoral Symphony is among the most visual of all orchestral works. In it, we “see” sun-drenched fields, a brookside idyll, a peasant dance interrupted by a violent thunderstorm, and a prayer of thanksgiving. Stella Sung’s Rockwell Reflections—commissioned by the ASO in 2008—are musical likenesses of five Norman Rockwell paintings. They match his art in character, tone, humanity, and humor. Knight Arts Challenge winner Amber Kempthorn unveils Ordinary Magic: A Sunday in the Cuyahoga Valley, a unique blend of traditional hand-drawn and contemporary computer animation inspired by the moody musical seascapes of Benjamin Britten’s opera Peter Grimes. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/24676308

American Fanfare 09/23/2022

American Fanfare Meet the 22-23 Akron Symphony Orchestra Season Opener—American Fanfare— with host Ken Heinlein and Music Director Christopher Wilkins. Six Americans compose portraits of our nation and our people. Copland’s brass and percussion fanfare salutes civilians serving our country through simple daily acts. Gershwin’s jazz-age portrayal of an American visitor to Paris revels in musical tone painting. Shakamaxon is the historic Indian village—bordering on present-day Philadelphia—where Chief Tamanend signed the 1682 treaty between William Penn and the Lenape Indians. Jerod Tate’s spirited dance for strings pays respectful and playful homage to the Lenape people. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/24466164

There's a Stirrin' in the Water 10/12/2021

There's a Stirrin' in the Water In the final episode of our series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and special guests Chuck Myricks Jr. and Jesse Ayers about There’s a Stirrin’ in the Water, which they co-composed in 2016. The episode includes selections of There’s a Stirrin’ in the Water from the November 2016 performance by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus, as well as a performance by the Akron Symphony Chorus in May 2021 from the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron. As a pioneering participant in Akron’s Gospel Meets Symphony concerts, Chuck Myricks has had several of his compositions performed by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and the Tuscarawas Philharmonic. In 2000, he was commissioned by Akron’s First Night to write the new Millennium Theme Song for the city-wide celebration. His 2004 collaboration with the Ohio Ballet led to the premier of Transformation, a ballet featuring music composed by Chuck and performed by Divine Hope. He also has written a musical, The Miracle of Love, and an opera, . Jesse Ayers was the winner of the inaugural American Prize for Orchestral Composition in 2011, and winner of the first Opera Kansas Zepick Modern Opera Composition Competition in 2016. Recent honors include the 2020 Governor’s Award for Ohio’s Outstanding Individual Artist, the 2019 Ohio Music Teachers Association Composer of the Year Commission, two Ohio Arts Council Individual Artist Excellence Awards, the 2011 Dayton Ballet “New Music for New Dance” award, a 2010 MacDowell Fellowship, and seven “Finalist” awards from the American Prize. His music has twice been selected to represent the United States at the prestigious World Music Days festival. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/20796353

Music of the Sacred Harp 09/17/2021

Music of the Sacred Harp In the third episode of our four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and special guest Moira Smiley to discuss chorus music in the tradition of the Sacred Harp. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/20511509

The Creation 09/08/2021

The Creation In the second episode of our four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese, Music Director Christopher Wilkins and special guest Betsy Burleigh to discuss Haydn’s towering masterpiece, The Creation. The episode includes selections of The Creation by the Akron Symphony Orchestra and Akron Symphony Chorus, featuring guest artists Joyce Guyer, soprano, Karl Dent, tenor, and Timothy Jones, bass-baritone from April 2008; along with the Akron Symphony Chorus’ recording from May 2021 in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron. . She served as director of the Akron Symphony Chorus from 1997 to 2002. She has also served as music director of the Mendelssohn Choir of Pittsburgh, been a guest conductor for the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, Rhode Island Philharmonic, Akron Symphony, Canton Symphony, and Handel Society of Dartmouth College, was chorus master for Cleveland Opera, assistant director of choruses for The Cleveland Orchestra, and director of Boston’s Chorus pro Musica, the Providence Singers in Rhode Island, Canton Symphony Chorus, and the Mastersingers of Lexington, Mass. (Photo by Roger Mastroianni) /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/20412365

Awakenings 08/27/2021

Awakenings In the first episode of a four-part series on the Akron Symphony Chorus, we sit down with Chorus Director Chris Albanese and Steven Savanyu of Buford T. Hedgehog Productions to talk about a special recording project by the chorus in the parking lot of the First United Methodist Church in Akron. Chris and Steve share stories about the recording project, how the chorus coped with a year of virtual recordings, and the music they performed for the project. The episode opens and closes with a short sampling of the Akron Symphony Chorus performing Haydn’s Awake the Harp. In addition to leading the Akron Symphony Chorus, Chris Albanese is an assistant professor of choral conducting at the Indiana University Jacobs School of Music, where he conducts the Grammy-nominated Singing Hoosiers and teaches courses in choral conducting. With more than 45 years of experience in the audio/video industry, Steve Savanyu brings a wealth of creative knowledge to the recording process. He produces corporate and industrial videos, multimedia programs, live streamed events, and interactive learning content. . /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/20282588

Pass Me Not: A Visit with Jennifer Mekel Jones 08/23/2021

Pass Me Not: A Visit with Jennifer Mekel Jones In the sixth episode of Deep River: The Legacy of the Spirituals, we speak with Jennifer Mekel Jones, who served for a decade as Choirmaster of the ASO’s Gospel Meets Symphony. She is a composer, singer, songwriter, recording artist, ordained minister, and a central figure in the musical life of the region. In this episode, Jennifer tells stories about her deeply musical family, beginning with the formative years learning from her mother, Esterline Jones, who played a pivotal role in the earliest years of Gospel Meets Symphony. She also gets us up to speed on the musical activities of her two children, Joshua and Jazmin, and on her professional life and ministry since she passed on the responsibilities of leading the GMS Choir to Jonathon Turner. Musical excerpts include a performance of In Bright Mansions Above from the Gospel Meets Symphony performance in 2018, Pass Me Not; an original song from Jennifer’s album, Destiny; and a surprise private solo track made while Jennifer was a student at Akron’s Buchtel High School, Nick Nack Paddy Wack. /episode/index/show/unorchestrated/id/20230301

Unorchestrated

TOPICS