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Cellist Eckart Runge — Beyond the Artemis Quartet
In 2019, Runge left the Berlin-based string quartet to explore solo projects that combine various musical genres, including classical, jazz, and rock. He tells Fredrika about his life-long love for the cello and returns to the stage.
JULY 18, 2020
Photo: Hogar Oloff Geissler
Music Critic Tim Page On His Life-Long Obsession
He has worn many hats over the years as an author, editor, radio host, and professor of journalism and music at the University of Southern California. Fredrika chats with the 65-year-old earlier this year in Berlin to talk about his lifelong obsession with music.
OCTOBER 3, 2020
Photo: Hart Getzen
Talking to soprano Alma Sadé
Fredrika talks with soprano Alma Sadé. Sadé has been with the Komische Oper ensemble since 2014 and is known for roles such as Maria in “West Side Story” and Hodel in “Anatevka,” among others.
FEBRUARY 8, 2020
Photo: Camilla Maria Santini
Michael Naumann on supporting culture
He served as commissioner for cultural affairs in the German federal government from 1998 to 2001 and since 2012, Naumann has been the director of the Barenboim-Said Academy, offering bachelor's degrees and arts diploma certificates in music.
SEPTEMBER 12, 2020
Photo: Peter Adamik
Mena Mark Hanna on his journey to Berlin and ‘A New Divan’
Started his musical life as a boy soprano in the Philadelphia Boys Choir and is now the Dean of Barenboim-Said Akademie in Berlin.
NOVEMBER 16, 2019
Photo: Peter Adamik
Donald Runnicles – ‘Music can be with you all the time’
General music director of the Deutsche Oper Berlin and music director of the Grand Teton Music Festival in Jackson, Wyoming. Fredrika talks to him about his lifelong passion for music and concerts canceled by the pandemic.
MAY 16, 2020
Photo: Simon Pauly
Deutsche Oper’s Dietmar Schwarz on past productions and future challenges
Fredrika talks with Dietmar Schwarz, Intendant of the Deutsche Oper Berlin since 2012. They look back on his career in the world of opera and discuss the challenges ahead.
MAY 2, 2020
Photo: Jonas Holthaus
Conductor Paolo Bortolameolli on musical beginnings
Paolo is the associate conductor of the LA Philharmonic and the guest conductor in residence of the Orchestra of the Americas. Born in Santiago de Chile, Bortolameolli talks about his educational series on Youtube, his 2018 TED talk, and his passion for educating others about music.
SEPTEMBER 14, 2019
Photo: Michiko Tierney
Dominic Seldis on musical blessings and theatrical success
He is the principal double bass player in the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in Amsterdam. Seldis is also a teacher, a conductor, a TV personality, and, most recently, the star of the stage show “Music, Maestro!” which is scheduled for another tour in the Netherlands in 2020.
MARCH 14, 2020
Courtesy of Dominic Seldes
Marc Albrecht on finding a new passion in trying times
Albrecht just finished his tenure as music director of the Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam. Fredrika talks with him about his special connection to Berlin and a new passion he discovered during the pandemic.
JUNE 13, 2020
Photo: Marco Borrgreve
Benjamin Hochman: In Mozart's music, every note is in the right place.
Fredrika Brillembourg talks with pianist and conductor Benjamin Hochman. He has performed in major cities and festivals around the world, both as a soloist and chamber musician. Currently, Hochman is a research associate with Bard College Berlin and a concert curator for the American Academy.
OCTOBER 31, 2020
Photo: Jennifer Taylor
Alexander Polzin & Sommer Ulrickson on their collaborations in opera, theater and dance
Fredrika speaks with Berlin-based couple Alexander Polzin and Sommer Ulrickson about the collaborations in the world of opera, theater, and dance. Polzin, as well as being a sculptor, has worked extensively as a stage designer and director. Ulrickson is a choreographer, dancer, actor, and director.
JUNE 15, 2019
Photo: Fredrika Brillembourg
Award-winning opera director Nicola Raab on her recent production of La Traviata
Fredrika talks with award-winning opera director Nicola Raab. Her productions have been in opera houses all over the world, including Copenhagen, Valencia, Los Angeles, and Strasbourg.
DECEMBER, 14 2019
Photo: Mats Baecker
Composer and musician Craig Urquhart on finding his voice
Fredrika speaks with Berlin-based pianist and Composer Craig Urquhart about finding his voice and working for Leonard Bernstein.
JULY 13, 2019
Photo: Rebekka Kaufmann
Orchestra director Adrian Jones on the orchestra as a powerful organism
Fredrika speaks with Adrian Jones, the orchestra director of the Rundfunk Sinfonieorchester Berlin (RSB) on how the orchestra is a powerful organ.
OCTOBER 12, 2019
Photo: Kai Biernet
Author and filmmaker Jamie Bernstein on being ‘Famous Father Girl’
Fredrika talks to Jamie Bernstein about her film, “Crescendo! The Power of Music”, her book “Famous Father Girl: A Memoir of Growing up Bernstein, and her relationship with classical music.
MAY 11, 2019
Photo: Steve J Sherman
Interview with Anisha Bondy, assistant director at the Komische Oper Berlin
Anisha Bondy, an assistant director at the Komische Oper Berlin. Their talk focuses on Bondy’s career, her work with directors such as Barrie Kosky and Andreas Homoki, and her involvement in the Komische Oper’s outreach program “Selam Opera” and intercultural program that brings opera to the city.
MARCH 19, 2019
Photo: Iko Freese
Opera set designer Marsha Ginsberg on her career and ‘A Midsummer Night’s Dream’
Fredrika speaks with Marsha Ginsberg, a set and costume designer for opera and theater. Brillembourg caught up with Ginsberg while she was working with the Deutsche Oper Berlin on her sets for a new production of Benjamin Britten’s opera, “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”.
APRIL 6, 2019
Photo: Marsha Ginsburg