Mark Growden: Living an Adventurous Life in Music
Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman
10/28/24
•101m
About
Comments
Featured In
Mark Growden is a brilliant, curious, and expressive American multi-faceted musician. He’s a multi-instrumentalist, composer, singer, music educator, conductor, and visual artist. In this episode we focus on his large and varied instrument collection and he demonstrates several unusual instruments, including different jaw harps, biclycle handebars, and overtone flutes. He shares his unique journey, and how he developed new skills in response to different challenges and opportunities. I was fascinated to hear about his inspiring recent trip to Kyrgyzstan, about many of his mentors and collaborators, and his expressive approach to musicianship training. Mark has devoted his life to making music for other people and to helping other people make music for themselves, and he is an advocate for openess about respect and understanding for people with neurodivergence and mood disorders. Mark is the founder and Artistic Director of The Calling All Choir, The Chromatic Community Music Center, SF SingFest, and The SF Jaw Harp Choir. He has released several critically acclaimed albums and has toured the US extensively. He has composed original musical scores for dozens of dance and theater companies and scored several films. We are featuring music from 3 of his albums during this episode and you’ll find his discography linked below.
This episode on YouTube, and the transcript:
https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mark-growden
Mark Growden website: https://markgrowden.org
To support this series, please either buy me a coffee here: https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
or shop at my merchandise store: https://www.leahroseman.com/beautiful-shirts-and-more
Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
Catalog of Episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/about
You may be also interested in my episodes with other wide-ranging musicians involved in community music, instrument-making and exploring, such as with Linsey Pollak, Kavisha Mazzella, Philip Griffin, Polina Shepherd, Jesse Stewart, Sarah Jeffery, and Gary Muszynski.
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:16) Kyrgyzstan, Irina Bogatyryova, jaw harp music, Kutman Sultanbekov
(08:25) overtone flutes, bicycle handlebars, selijefloyte
(14:06) jaw harp history and demo
(17:32) jaw harp technique
(21:21)clip from bicycle handlebars improvisation on Mark’s album Saint Judas
(22:02) in-blown flutes, interdental embouchure, Central Asian flutes
(28:23) Mark’s childhood, music education, bands
(31:24)Orff Schulwerk, Blues
(35:05) New Orleans, writing for choirs, leading Community Sings
(42:36) Mark’s early music education
(46:53) Driving into the Sunrise, from In Velvet with the New Orleans Heavies and Mark Growden
(50:20) other episodes you may like and different ways to support this series
(51:07) Juggling, busking, bands, digeridoo, studying art, jazz
(53:04) Kodaly method
(55:11) Mark’s approach to teaching musicianship, hearing intervals according to function
(59:11) how Mark got into singing and choral direction, claw hammer banjo, album Lose me in the sand
(01:04:26) Shady Grove from Lose me in the sand
(01:08:53) move to Portland, show for the Getty museum Edyth Eyde
(01:16:15) Aron Szilagyi jaw harp festival World Vibes Hungary
(01:17:53) bass jaw harp demo
(01:19:06) Lithuanian psaltery tuned in whole tones, Veljo Tormis Tabu, kankles psaltery
(01:22:07) video music art new projects
(01:25:47) mentors Vance George, Al
Previous Episode
Omo Bello: Celebrating African Art Song
October 21, 2024
•100m
Omo Bello is an acclaimed French-Nigerian operatic soprano , and in this episode we are focussing on her newly-released album “African Art Song” on Somm recordings with pianist Rebeca Omordia. Many of you heard my episode this past summer with pianist and curator of the African Concert Series, Rebeca Omordia, and I’ll be linking that episode below for you.
Omo talked to me about overcoming shyness and stage fright, her childhood and university years in Lagos, Nigeria, and some of her mentors including Grace Bumbry and Thomas Quasthoff. I was fascinated to gain insights from her life as an opera singer, and to learn about many of the composers from Africa and the African diaspora featured on this wonderful album, including Ayo Bankole, Fred Onovwerosuoke, Ishaya Yaron, Chirstian Onyeji and Shirley Thompson .
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: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/omo-bello
Episode with Rebeca Omordia: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/rebeca-omordia-african-pianism
African Art Song album: https://somm-recordings.com/recording/african-art-song/
Omo Bello website: http://www.omobello.com/about.html
Omo Bello instagram: https://www.instagram.com/omo_bello
Merch store to support this series: https://www.leahroseman.com/beautiful-shirts-and-more
Buy me a coffee? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman
Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter
Catalog of Episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/about
Linktree Social Media: https://linktr.ee/leahroseman
photo: Vincent Pontet
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(02:53) African Art Song album with Rebeca Omordia
(09:12) Ayo Bankole
(10:40) Ayo Banko’s Adura fun Alafia Prayer for Peace
(14:22) Ayo Bankole
(17:00) Omo’s childhood and university years in Lagos
(32:22) Fred Onovwerosuoke, cultural context to interpret this music
(39:13) excerpt of “Ngulu” by Fred Onovwerosuoke
(40:11) the voice as instrument
(44:49) other episodes you may like, and different ways to support this series
(45:33) Grace Bumbry
(53:44) Shirley Thompson
(58:15) excerpt from Shirley Thompson’s "Psalm to Windrush”
(59:44) Omo Bello Music Foundation in Nigeria
(01:07:47) Ishaya Yarison
(01:10:26) excerpt from Ishaya Yarison’s Ku zo, mu raira waƙa
(01:11:54) Christian Onyegi, African Art Song album themes
(01:15:34) Giri Giri by Christian Onyegi
(01:17:31) percussionist Richard Olatunde Baker on the album, transmitting oral tradition of the music
(01:20:46) challenges in music education in France
(01:28:17) Thomas Quastoff, Des Knaben Wunderhorn album
(01:34:21) challenges and joys of an opera singer
Next Episode
Nimrod Borenstein: Composer and Conductor
November 1, 2024
•115m
Nimrod Borenstein is a brilliant composer, who was a child prodigy as both a composer and performer. His often complex music is beloved by performers and audiences alike, and has been widely recorded and performed internationally. He is also a renowned conductor, and he spoke to me about his difficult decision to cut short his career as a violin soloist in order to find alternate career options as he developed his career as a composer. Vladimir Ashkenazy has been an active champion of Nimrod’s music, and you’ll hear the charming story of their first meeting. Ashkenazy first conducted Borenstein’s orchestral work The Big Bang and Creation of the Universe op. 52 to great acclaim, and the Chandos label released a very successful album devoted to Borenstein’s music conducted by Ashkenazy featuring his Violin Concerto and orchestral works.
Nimrod shares his insights about interpreting music for performers and conductors, the development of his compositional style and his views on creativity in general. Nimrod has an infectious energy in his enthusiasm for the pursuit of beauty. Nimrod has exceptional parents, and you’ll hear how they met, and we start with Nimrod’s close relationship to his father the renowned painter Alec Borenstein.
You’ll be hearing excerpts from a couple of recordings, with thanks to both SOMM recordings and Naxos; links to Nimrod Borenstein's compositions and recordings below
This episode is also a captioned video on YouTube, and you can read the transcript at this link as well: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/nimrod-borenstein
Nimrod Borenstein website, for his discography, compositions and current projects: https://www.nimrod-borenstein.com/recordings
To support this series, please either buy me a coffee
or shop at my merchandise store
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(03:27) father Alec Borenstein, sharing ideas about great art and creativity
(10:44) Un moment de sérénité Shirim, op. 94, no. 5 performed by pianist Clélia Iruzun with thanks to SOMM recordings
(13:24) the importance of contrast
(15:06) importance of dynamics, notation, interpretation
(18:04) evolution of Nimrod’s compositions, decision to give up career as a violin soloist
(22:37)Concertos
(24:51) piano Etudes
(30:11) Tango Etude. op. 66 No. 3 on the Naxos label with pianist Tra Nguyen
(32:32) piano Etudes, first symphony
(35:24) Chopin performed very little, Nimrod’s decision to prioritize composition
(36:41)decision to conduct
(43:47) excerpt from the 3rd movement of the Borenstein Concerto for Piano and Orchestra op. 91, performed by Clélia Iruzun and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, Nimrod Borenstein conductor
(47:11) conducting, composition and interpretation
(55:35)past episodes you may enjoy, different ways to support this series
(56:20) English Chamber Orchestra 2025 collaboration Shakespeare Songs
(57:16)how Vladimir Ashkenazy became a champion of Nimrod’s compositions
(01:06:38) evolution of Nimrod’s compositional style, use of polyrhythms, finding his voice
(01:24:09) excerpt from the 2nd movement of the Borenstein Concerto for Piano and Orchestra, op. 91, performed by Clélia Iruzun and the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, with Nimrod conducting.
(01:27:31) Nimrod’s childhood in France, then move to the UK, musical influences, rating composers
(01:37:32) Nimrod’s family
(01:42:55) piano pedag
If you like this episode you’ll love
Promoted