How do you start a new music ensemble from scratch? How do you chart a career path in music in this uncertain time? I was recently interviewed by Anthony Lanman for The Portfolio Composer podcast. We covered a lot of interesting ground but I especially enjoyed talking about forming and setting goals for an ensemble like Symphony Number One. I don't pretend to have all the answers but I did enjoy contributing my "piece of the map" to the conversation. 

Many thanks go out to Garrett Hope for creating this excellent show which is rapidly approaching 200 episodes and garnering critical praise and avid listeners in equal measure. Timothy Tharaldson writes that, "If you have any interest in composing, song writing, or the process of music making from start to finish you need to subscribe to this podcast. It's run by a wonderful composer and he has wonderful guests of the highest level." 

Here's a quick clip from our discussion about failure and priorities: 

I also enjoyed having a chance to talk about some of my favorite composers, dead and alive, including Dvořák, Bernstein, Undine Smith Moore, and Carolyn Chen. Here's the complete episode:

If you find this interesting, I encourage you to check out The Portfolio Composer website, subscribe and review on iTunes, and support on Patreon. We need lots of great content like this and it only works if we all contribute to content with which we make a connection.