Chat for Change

'Imagine if every person who felt the desire to learn an instrument and actively make music could do so regardless of their age, cultural, social or financial background, level of education or other hurdles - and do so in an orchestra from the very beginning. It's a crazy idea, its implementation challenging - but possible and absolutely necessary!'Three years after its founding, Carola Christ talks about her heart's project 'Orchester Con Anima Freiburg' and why it is primarily aimed at young adults.

St. Petersburg-born Alina Pogostkina grew up in Germany and received violin lessons from her father Alexander Pogostkin. She studied with Antje Weithaas at Berlin’s Hochschule für Musik ‘Hanns Eisler’, and baroque violin with Reinhard Goebel. In 2018, following her desire to further explore the spiritual aspect of music, she created ‘Mindful Music Making’, a specially curated programme which aims to bring mindfulness and deeper exploration of individual creativity relevant to the 21st Century classical musician.

“There is a rethinking. An economic, ecological rethinking for bringing things back into balance." Since last season, Jochen Sandig has been the director of the Ludwigsburger Schlossfestspiele, and as co-initiator of the "World Human Forum" has committed himself to making the United Nations' sustainability goals heard. In this podcast, Musicians for Solidarity talk to him about how he implements this and how it is reflected in the program of his festival.

In 2015, the Greek-born Danae Dörken founded the Molyvos International Music Festival (MIMF) on the island of Lesbos with her sister. Between the financial crisis and the refugee drama, the MIMF not only brings the tradition of classical music to Lesbos, it also strengthens the musical relationship between Germany and Greece over the long term. In this episode, Danae speaks about this and much more!

Markus is high in demand as a choir conductor, and has worked with operas such as those in Frankfurt and Meiningen. He has also been the choir director in the City Opera of Istanbul and in Darmstadt. Markus is currently employed as the choir director and conductor of the opera in Wuppertal. In his free time he runs the project 'Musiker Ohne Grenzen' (music without borders) and AK Ghana. On this episodes he's speaks about his experiences, in particular regarding 'Musiker Ohne Grenzen'.

International Trumpet Soloist Mary Elizabeth Bowden has created an artistic world for herself that is centred on uplifting women's voices. Mary is the founder of Seraph Brass, an all women brass ensemble composed of North America's top women brass musicians and focuses on commissioning and performing works by women composers. She recently spearheaded a video through Seraph Brass featuring 80 womxn brass musicians (+1 drummer) to raise awareness and funds for the Global Fund for Women. As a soloist, Bowden has commissioned a new concerto for Trumpet and Orchestra by Vivian Fung, which won a New Music USA Grant and was premiered in March 2020 with the Erie Philharmonic, and 8 more orchestras are slated to perform the work in the future. She has plans to commission a variety of works highlighting underrepresented composers for her next album project.

Abbie Conant is a world renowned trombonist, and Professor at the University of Music in Trossingen, Germany. She tells her fascinating story of gender discrimination during her time in the Munich Philharmonic Orchestra, and her 11 year-long court battle. Listen to this inspiring story, plus much more!

Musicians for Solidarity speak to American cellist Elena Cheah on the topic of diversity. Elena studied at The Juilliard School and at the Hochschule für Musik „Hanns Eisler“ with Boris Pergamenschikow. She was principal cellist of the Orchestra of the Deutsche Oper Berlin under Christian Thielemann and then principal cellist of the Staatskapelle Berlin under Daniel Barenboim. Since 2014, she has been a member of the Hegel Quartet and a professor of cello at the Music University of Freiburg, Germany. She is the author of An Orchestra Beyond Borders, a portrait of the musicians of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra and their journeys (Verso, 2009). She also co-hosts the podcast Out of Rich Darkness (available wherever you get your podcasts), an exploration of music and creativity, and lives in Berlin with her husband David and two cats.