Juliana Soltis: Cello, Women Composers & Forgotten Music Stories

Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman

04/06/25

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82m

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Juliana Soltis is an innovative cellist who has done extensive research to connect listeners with some forgotten stories of classical music. In this episode we talked about her recent album American Woman which features cello and piano music of women composers; you’ll hear Juliana’s insights into the lives of Mary Howe, Amy Beach, Margaret Bonds, Helen Crane, Dorothy Rudd Moore and Florence Price and hear excerpts from this album which Juliana recorded with the wonderful pianist Ruoting Li. Many listeners will be familiar with Juliana’s playing as a Baroque cellist, and it was fascinating to hear about how the French relinquished their beloved viol relunctuantly to the Italian cello. I really love Juliana’s recording of the complete Suites for solo cello of J.S. Bach and you’ll hear some music from her album Going off Script: the Ornamented Suites for cello.

Juliana shared great advice about performing from an athlete’s perspective and also the joy of connecting with audiences. This interview begins with one of her beautiful greyhounds, and for those of you watching this on YouTube, hopefully you’ll enjoy this comforting canine presence throughout this inspirational conversation. Like all my episodes , you can watch the video or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website, everything linked here: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/juliana-soltis

Other episodes: Samantha Ege, Julia MacLaine, Dorothy Lawson of ETHEL, Edwin Barker, Euclid Quartet

Juliana Soltis Website

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photo: Teresa Tam

(00:00) Intro

(02:37)the greyhounds, American Woman album

(05:16) archives New York Public Library, Helen Crane

(10:42) clip of Ballade Fantasque by Howe

(12:20) Mary Howe

(16:51) racist divide between Black and white composers

(20:47) clip of Troubled Water by Margaret Bonds

(22:12) baroque cello

(33:57) Courante J.S. Bach Solo Suite in G major

(37:14) creating Going off Script: the Ornamented Suites for cello

(37:43) other episodes

(38:36) the art of ornamentation, recording the Bach album

(43:45) lessons with Catharina Meints Caldwell

(48:33) connecting with audiences, using social media

(56:37) clip of Dirge and Deliverance by Dorothy Rudd Moore

(58:00) Kermit Moore, Florence Price, Margaret Bonds, Amy Beach

(01:04:23) Berceuse by Beach

(01:10:25) 3rd Idyll op. 51 by Helen Crane

(01:19:01) how athletic training helps with performance nerves

Previous Episode

Pianist Katherine Dowling: Memorization, Emotion & New Music

March 30, 2025

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75m

Katherine Dowling is a brilliant Canadian pianist and in this conversation we talked about her album of solo music by Alice Ping Yee Ho, mentors including Gil Kalish and Henk Guittart, and how and why she’s developed her exceptional musical memory. Katherine shared fantastic insights into teaching and learning, the importance of inclusivity and access to arts education, and how she uses the Pomodoro technique in the practice room. She explained how sound production on the piano is about the speed of attack and we discussed different skill sets and career paths for pianists. Dr. Dowling shared many inspiring musical memories, and how she developed her ambitious Elegy project to follow her personal path through grief. You’ll be hearing some clips from the album Awake and Dreaming, which you’ll find linked below, and you can use the timestamps to navigate the eipsode. Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website Katherine Dowling websiteWhere to listen to Awake and Dreaming I wanted to let you know about some other episodes I’ve linked directly to this one, which I think may interest you, with: pianist and musicologist Samantha Ege composer Frank Horvat organist Gail Archer Cheng2 Duo with Bryan and Silvie Cheng pianist Jeeyoon Kim Original Merch for saleCan you buy this independent podcaster a coffee? ⁠Complete Catalog of Episodes Newsletter sign-up Linktree for social media ⁠photo: Jiyang ChenTimestamps:(00:00) Intro(01:54) Eckhardt-Gramatté competition, composer Alice Ping Lee Ho, regional music festivals(7:18) album Awake and Dreaming, solo piano music by Alice Ping Lee Ho(11:34) Elegy project, coping with grief(16:09) excerpt from There is No Night Without a Dawning from Awake and Dreaming(18:59) Memorization, Suzuki method(25:15) limitations of learning on electronic keyboards(27:08) mentor Henk Guittart, Schoenberg(29:48) appreciation for modern music in the Netherlands, Ellen Corver(32:31)connection to visual art with Alice Ho’s compositions (34:20) excerpt of Shade(35:51)experience of funnel couds on the Prairies(37:34) Cyclone by Alice Ping Lee Ho(41:12) valuable teaching experiences in Regina(42:37) other episodes you’ll like and ways to support this series(43:32) positive teaching experiences(46:48) new parent(48:18) Gilbert Kalish(53:49) Tanglewood experience, different skills and careers for pianists(56:45) sound production for pianists(01:04:31) inspiring concerts for different audiences(01:07:48) practice strategies, The Artist’s Way, Pomodoro technique(01:12:05) mentoring the next generations

Next Episode

Noam Lemish on Mentors, Bhutan & His Juno-Nominated Album “Twelve”

April 13, 2025

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77m

How did Noam Lemish’s experience living in Bhutan influence his outlook? A lot of Noam’s creative life is inspired by bridging cultures and being open to possibility, and you’ll be hearing some music from some of his many projects as well as hear his reflections on teaching and learning. It was fascinating to learn about his mentors including George Marsh and W.A. Mathieu, and how he started collaborating with so many incredible artists including the oud player and guitarist Amos Hoffman. I really wanted to shine a light as well on his fantastic Juno-nominated album Twelve, which is comprised of six original compositions for chamber jazz orchestra, and all the music you’ll be hearing is linked in the show notes. Dr. Lemish is a Professor at York University in Toronto, Canada and you can learn more about him on his website.

Like all my episodes, you can watch this on my YouTube channel or listen to the podcast on all the podcast platforms, and I’ve also linked the transcript to my website

Noam Lemish Website

Buy me a coffee? Merch Newsletter

Other episodes you’ll like: Tal Yahalom, Rachel Eckroth and John Hadfield, Peter Hum and Steve Boudreau, and Ariel Bart

(00:00) Intro

(02:30) album Twelve

(06:38) clip from Song for Lia

(08:01) Bhutan

(20:08) album Twelve

(23:58) clip from Rebirth, recording process

(27:05) W.A. Mathieu

(35:07) Transcultural Jazz

(37:56) Amos Hoffman, album Pardes