Teagan Faran: Exploring Contemporary Violin, Electroacoustic Sound, Tango Traditions & Teaching Philosophy
Conversations with Musicians, with Leah Roseman
07/11/25
•62m
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Teagan Faran is a remarkable violinist known for her versatility as a performer, composer, and improviser. In this episode, you’ll hear selections from her album Middle Child—a compelling and genre-spanning musical journey featuring works by acclaimed contemporary composers, as well as Tegan’s own reimagining of Brahms’ beloved Intermezzo.
A Fulbright grant recipient, Tegan spent nine months in Argentina delving into the rich traditions of tango and regional folk music. She shared insights about her time there, along with stories of collaboration and mentorship, including her work with the Grammy-nominated ensemble Palaver Strings and the electroacoustic duo Persephone & the Phoenix.
Tegan has also built a dynamic career as an educator and has studied under renowned teachers like Danielle Belen. In our conversation, we touched on her diverse teaching experiences, the importance of injury prevention, and her parallel path as a certified personal trainer. My website link takes you to the video and transcript.
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Other episodes you may enjoy: Julie Lyonn Lieberman
Martha Mooke, bad snacks, and Margaret Maria among so many!
photo: Naomi Vand
Timestamps:
(00:00) Intro
(01:53) album Middle Child with clip of Brahms Intermezzo
(05:42) Davis West, with clip of Outermezzo, Deedee Bridgewater
(08:44) Palaver Strings
(15:58) FARAHMS Misha Vayman with clip
(17:59) Persephone & the Phoenix Duo Nicole Brancato
(22:51) Casimiro by Julián Granciano with clip, tango, learning in Argentina
(28:31) Little Things album, sheet music with clip of El Silbador
(34:22) other linked episodes and ways to support this series
(35:11) stir crazy by Carlos Simon with clip, Leo Sussman
(37:01) mentor Matt Albert
(40:41) musical and personal identity
(44:24) mentor Danielle Belen, concert presentation, teaching, Ithica, Sphinx
(53:06) career advice, exploring instruments
(56:29) Temptress Jens Ibsen with clip
(59:37) personal trainer, avoiding injury
Previous Episode
Olcay Bayir on Alevi Roots, Anatolian Folk & Her Album Tu Gul î
July 3, 2025
•50m
I’m joined by the extraordinary Olcay Bayir, a British singer-songwriter of Kurdish Alevi origin, originally from Turkey. Olcay opens up about the challenges of immigrating as a teenager, her classical training in opera, and how she has forged her own unique musical path.
You’ll hear clips from her 2024 album Tu Gulî, along with selections from her earlier projects, featuring songs in several languages. Her rich voice and evocative arrangements breathe new life into Anatolian folk traditions, offering a vibrant and powerful reimagining of this timeless music.
In our conversation, Olcay shares:
- Insights into Alevi culture and spirituality
- How she honours the strength and stories of Anatolian women
- her creative process and inspiration from masterful collaborators
As always, you can watch this episode on my YouTube channel or listen on your favourite podcast platform. A full transcript is also available, all linked on my website
Support page: Ko-fi
Other episodes I suggest: Omo Bello
(00:00) Intro
(01:54) Songline Music Festival, BBC project, Babel Music Expo inspiration
(04:05) album Tu Gul î
(07:32) clip of Edlê with Olcay’s intro, from Tu Gul î
(08:15) Songwriting, performing in 4 languages, diversity of Anatolian cultures
(12:15) Alevi culture
(15:12) clip of Ötme Bülbül with Olcay’s intro, poet Pir Sultan Abdal
(17:18) choices in instrumentation and arrangements, Ignacio Monteverde
(19:46) clip of Ay Dilberê with Olcay’s intro, poet Feqiyê Teyran
(21:27) the sad story of Husna, with clip
(25:56) childhood in Turkey, how music helped her with the challenges of immigration
(29:09) clips of Daha Senden Gayrı Aşık Mı Yoktur? and Nare, Nare with Olcay’s commentary
(32:46) Other epiosdes you’ll enjoy and ways to help this series
(33:49) opera studies, early musical experiences, coaching vocal technique
(36:51) performance skills
(40:10) 2nd album Rüya, clip of Yar Dedi, creative process
(42:21) içerde EP, Help Musicians UK, clip of Lost Child
(46:15) newfound joy in baking and cooking as a creative pursuit, buying the albums on Bandcamp
Next Episode
Karen Power is an Irish composer who uses environmental sounds in her intriguing work. She is a master field recordist who has recorded sounds in some of the worlds most isolated and challenging locations including The Arctic, Amazon, and Namib Desert. You'll hear clips of her work including The Bats of Namibia, Frogs of Angor Wat, fascinating bog sounds and arctic ice sounds in collaborations with the Quiet Music Ensemble and many brilliant collaboraters on her project human nature. She’s also shared with us a raw field recording from a double cicada brood emergence. Karen and I also talked about her projects working to explore listeneing, composing and improvising with young children and inclusive music making with people living with disabiliities. You can also watch this on my YouTube channel; I’ve also linked the transcript. Episode link
It’s a joy to bring these inspiring episodes to you every week, and I do all the many jobs of research, production and publicity. Ko-fi support page
Newsletter Karen Power website human nature album
Other episodes: Lawrence English Ceara Conway
Jesse Stewart Philip Griffin Verna Gillis Ellen Waterman
(00:00) Intro (02:22) field recording (11:44) recording bats, human nature album with clip of Bats of Namibia (16:30) different kinds of scores to communicate with the musicians (21:32) we return to ground album with the Quiet Music Ensemble (23:47) clip of Instruments of Ice (25:37) Sonic Pollinators with clip (27:27) we return to ground with clip (33:51) other linked episodes you’ll like (34:42) collaboration with Loré Lixenburg Language Land Sea (41:51) Thomas Buckner, Frogs of Angkor Wat with clip (43:30)Pauline Oliveros, Sirens of New York with clip (47:55) Natural Creators Program for young children (53:45) inclusive ensembles for adults living with disabilities (58:50) Blackbirds, Jessical Cottis (01:01:31) women composers problems with equity (01:06:50) cicadas
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