On the final episode of our series, host Khadija Mbowe is joined by the renowned trumpet player and composer Terence Blanchard. Hear the pair talk like two old friends as they get real about everything from their experiences navigating the opera world to the power that sharing an article has to convey fatherly love. Get Tickets To See Terence Blanchard Live in Philly on April 7, 2024! https://www.ensembleartsphilly.org/events-and-tickets/2023-24/kcp/terence-blanchard/ Music from th...

Two-time Grammy-winning mezzo-soprano, Curtis Institute of Music graduate, and former varsity basketball captain J’Nai Bridges joins host Khadija Mbowe for a free-flowing conversation about her wide-ranging musical influences, structured systems for success, and the public humiliation that (inadvertently) led to her becoming a star. In February 2024, Bridges joined The Philadelphia Orchestra to announce the upcoming rededication of its home inside the Kimmel Center for the Performing Arts a...

A candid conversation between host Khadija Mbowe and 23-year-old Detroit Symphony Orchestra assistant conductor, Na'Zir McFadden. You'll hear about his collaborative conducting style, day-in-the-life, and deep Philly roots. Music from this episode: STRAUSS, Also sprach Zarathustra, Op. 30 (Opening), Detroit Symphony Orchestra, Na’Zir McFadden, conductor. COLRIDGE-TAYLOR, African Suite: Danse Nègre, Detroit Symphony Youth Orchestra, Na’Zir McFadden, conductor. H...

Music historian, pianist, composer, and the Edmund J. and Louise W. Kahn Term Professor of Music at the University of Pennsylvania Dr. Guthrie Ramsey joins Judith Anne Still, daughter of the late composer William Grant Still, to discuss her father’s life and music, how his experiences as a Black man informed his compositions, and how, despite his many “firsts,” his music was largely unrecognized until recently. Music from this episode: STILL, Symphony No. 4 (“Autochthonous”), The Philade...

On our season finale, interdisciplinary artist respectfulchild (they/them) shares a frank discussion with host Khadija Mbowe about their creative journey of experimentation and discovery. Born in Canada to Chinese-Malaysian parents, early on, respectfulchild yearned to defy expectations as a classical music student. Today, their compositions and artwork are a vehicle to imagine, discover, and occupy altogether new ways of being. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction - what's in a name? [04:35]&...

Ian Cusson celebrates deep questions and despises stereotypes. is In this episode, you'll hear the sought-after Indigenous (Georgian Bay Métis Community) and French Canadian composer share a candid conversation with host Khadija Mbowe, digging into his experiences of privilege, shame, and one anecdote of sweet, swift, cosmic justice. Chapters: [00:00] Introduction [02:49] Métis community influence on Ian's artistic approach today [10:00] Navigating indigenous heritage and Western re...

Mari Esabel Valverde is an award-winning composer of choral music and among the leading voices in American choral composition today. In addition to instructing high schoolers in classical voice, she has specialized in working with transgender vocalists like herself. In this episode, you'll hear Mari tell host Khadija Mbowe about how she learned to overcome self-doubt, why "respect" is a trap, and why she loves icy people as much as she loves icy weather. Chapters: [01:53] Ident...

This one's for the music lovers! Tune in to hear Babatunde Akinboboye tell host Khadija Mbowe about his favorite music, stick around to hear them wax philosophical about training, technology, and the importance of feeling music viscerally. Chapters: [00:26] Babatunde's 5 favorite hip-hop artists [6:18] Babatunde's 5 favorite arias [08:00] How training threatened to erode Babatunde's relationship with music [11:09] The threat (or lack thereof) from AI technology Music a...

Babatunde Akinboboye, known online as @babatundehiphopera, became a viral sensation when he started blending his lifelong love of hip-hop with his budding interest in opera. Today, he's built a multi-faceted career that gives him the best of the concert hall and the digital stage. In this candid convo with host Khadija Mbowe, Babatunde talks about overcoming preconceived notions, stepping into his full identity through music, and feeling profound, glowing alignment. Chapters: ...

Who makes you laugh?Cataclysm sentence?Skill you wish you had?Song you wish you'd written?Worst advice? The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

Theo Baer aka iT Boy is a Brooklyn-based composer of music that has, at various times, been described as "experimental," "thoughtful," and "cosmic." In this discussion with host Khadija Mbowe, Theo reflects on the influences that brought him here; starting with a childhood growing up as the adopted child of Mennonite missionaries, walking a tightrope between his prodigious musical gifts and the persistence of low expectations— all the while navigating an evolving queer identity. ...

Who makes you laugh?Cataclysm sentence?Skill you wish you had?Song you wish you'd written?Worst advice? The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

Tailinh Agoyo is an award-winning multi-disciplinary artist, TV and film actor, and co-founding director of We Are the Seeds, an organization that amplifies and uplifts Indigenous voices through the arts in an effort to reverse the erasure of native people in Philadelphia and the nation. In this candid conversation with host Khadija Mbowe, you'll hear about how We Are The Seeds is rooted in Tailinh's upbringing alongside her father's artistic career, her experiences attending an Ivy League co...

Who makes you laugh?Cataclysm sentence?Skill you wish you had?Song you wish you'd written?Worst advice?The Philadelphia Orchestra’s HearTOGETHER series is generously supported by lead corporate sponsor Accordant Advisors. Additional major support has been provided by the Otto Haas Charitable Trust.

New host Khadija Mbowe is joined by esteemed soprano Karen Slack for a no-holds-barred conversation about excellence, expectations, and self-esteem. Chapters: [03:25] Fairytale love story [05:19] Music in the household [07:29] Veterinary dreams [8:27] Journey into classical through CAPA (Creative and Performing Arts High School) [14:11] Undiagnosed learning challenges [15:07] The double-edged sword of winning the Rosa Ponselle scholarship [18:45] Approach to mentorship [27:09] See...

Season 3 of the HearTOGETHER podcast opens with a passing of the torch as Executive Producer Tori Marchiony interviews incoming host, Khadija Mbowe. Khadija is a socio-cultural content creator, classically trained soprano, and self-described loving provocateur. In this episode, you’ll hear about Khadija’s cross-continental upbringing, musical evolution, why they made a sharp turn away from the opera world, and much more. Chapters: [07:03] Khadija's cross-continental upbringing [08:48] ...

Where are all the great Black pianists? Michelle Cann is one of the best. And she's determined to help shift the musical landscape to include many more pianists of color in the coming generations. On the season two finale of the HearTOGETHER Podcast, pianist Michelle Cann joins host Tori Marchiony for an intimate conversation about the nature of competition, expressing something transcendent in music, and the importance of mentorship for up-and-comers. MUSIC, performed by Michel...

What do you do to survive? For inti figgis-vizueta, making music inside traditional institutions felt like trying to put a square peg into a round hole– painful, and fruitless. So, she eschewed the status quo and focused on embracing the angles that made her unique. On this episode of the HearTOGETHER podcast, NYC-based composer inti figgis-vizueta speaks with host Tori Marchiony about her early ambitions for a 9-5 in science, the communities and identities that inform her work today,...

What role does empathy play in your life? For Lina González-Granados, it’s a core value for daily living, as well as a musical superpower that’s been instilled in her artistic practice by more than one mentor. On this episode of the HearTOGETHER Podcast, conductor Lina González-Granados joins host Tori Marchiony for a heartfelt interview about what it took to follow her dreams across the world, her status as a high-profile Latina in classical music, and how the pandemic has shifted her priori...

Reflections on programming, progress, "the American dream," and more! On January 17th, 2022, as part of The Philadelphia Orchestra's annual day of free community programming in observance of Martin Luther King Jr day, an audience gathered in the Perelman Theater at The Kimmel Center for From Programming to Progress, a live panel discussion with pianist Michelle Cann, Juilliard ethnomusicology professor Dr. Fredara Hadley, and music directoress of Enon Tabernacle Baptist Church and CEO of Ne...