2015

S4.E1 ∙ Changing Minds About Changing Climate, Gerald Busby's Lust for Life, First Time's the Charm

Wed, Oct 05, 2016

Two artists are helping start new conversations about climate change by presenting its truths more gracefully. Composer Gerald Busby could not have guessed that after surviving heartbreak, disease and drug addiction, he would experience an artistic rebirth in his twilight years. A showcase for those who were in the past often excluded from performing rock music is helping to create a new breed of band.

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S4.E2 ∙ Roomful of Teeth, Artisanal Makers, Kandace Springs

Wed, Oct 12, 2016

With custom-composed pieces employing a staggering range of vocal styles, Roomful of Teeth makes music that's at times difficult to define. The popularity of the 21st century artisanal movement is a rejection of the sameness of mass production, rooted in our obsession with the authentic. And Kandace Springs struggled to find her voice, but when she did, it sounded effortless.

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S4.E3 ∙ Mira Nakashima, Opera Philadelphia, Jose Gonzalez

Wed, Oct 19, 2016

After her father George Nakashima died, Mira Nakashima inherited his shop and set to work continuing his artistic legacy as a master craftsman in wood. Opera Philadelphia is emerging as the great disruptor of a centuries old art form, but their latest production may soon become part of opera's great canon. Jose Gonzalez's sweet songs tackle hard issues about the nature of existence.

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S4.E4 ∙ The Evolution of Portraits, Bassist Joseph Conyers, Kevin Barnes of of Montreal

Wed, Oct 26, 2016

Joseph Conyers is well aware of the lowly reputation of his instrument- the double bass. Yet he's using his musical talents in the pursuit of some rather high aspirations. Long before selfies, portraits were a way for those who could afford to, to influence how the world saw them. Kevin Barnes is the leader and founder of the indie rock band Of Montreal. After 20 years and 14 albums, he's still an enigma to his fans and even to those close to him.

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S4.E5 ∙ Performance Anxiety, Carsie Blanton, Renoir Sucks?

Wed, Nov 02, 2016

Performance anxiety is common even among the most accomplished professionals. This fight or flight impulse is paralyzing, but it can be conquered. Carsie Blanton is using a vintage musical form - jazz - to help change contemporary perceptions of women. And It's easy to take for granted that what's on the walls of the world's finest museums represents the cream of art history. But today, some are questioning this received wisdom.

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S4.E6 ∙ Xenia Rubinos, Worth, Don Liuzzi

Wed, Nov 09, 2016

Xenia Rubinos' complex music is infused with simple messages about big ideas. The factors that contribute to the price of a work of art go way beyond its aesthetic value. And principal timpani of the Philadelphia Orchestra, Don Liuzzi, believes that music is a spiritual pursuit.

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S4.E7 ∙ George Watsky, the Sound of Philadelphia, Ian Brennan

Wed, Nov 16, 2016

The performance poet turned rapper Watsky pulls no punches in his first collection of essays. All of his writings are characterized by witty wordplay and disarming honesty. It's said that the City of Brotherly Love has had for years its own distinctive musical color. But is the sound of Philadelphia a myth, a memory, or magic? And Ian Brennan believes that the cultural colonization of the world by those of us who sing and speak in English needs redress.

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