Hilary Gardner - Wonderful Alaska-Raised Jazz Singer. 5x Downbeat Rising Star. Member Of Duchess Vocal Trio. Appeared On Broadway In "Come Fly Away"!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY!

HAPPY BIRTHDAY! Today’s a pretty special day for me. It’s my 75th birthday.  Yes you heard me correctly.  It feels like just the other day I was watching The Beatles on Ed Sullivan. And then I ran out afterwards and taught myself guitar and bass. Then it feels like it was only a few days ago that I was playing jazz fusion in Boston. And then recording my first album when I was in my 40s but still working a day job. And then turning 60 and deciding that I could not let my youthful music dream go to waste. So I reformed my band Project Grand Slam and started writing and recording my music - now 15 albums and many singles. And then, like just yesterday, the pandemic hit and I didn’t know what to do with myself. So I started Follow Your Dream. And here we are 5+ years and over 775 episodes later. Follow Your Dream has been an extraordinary second act for me and a great gift. When I started the podcast in March 2021, I had no audience and no guests. I never imagined that it would evolve into what it has become today. I’ve had wonderful conversations with so many creative artists from all around the world. Over 40 countries. Musicians. Actors. Authors. Photographers. Directors. Poets. It has been an honor and a privilege to meet them, learn from them, and share their stories with you. And as I’ve written recently, perhaps the most remarkable transformation is that Follow Your Dream has evolved from a mere podcast into a true global arts platform. What began as a creative outlet during the pandemic has become something much larger. And I created it out of love. Not as a way to make money, but as a way to give back to the creative community that has inspired and sustained me throughout my life. As I’ve said before, Follow Your Dream is totally independent. No partners. No corporate overseers. No advertisers. No one telling me who to interview or what to say. Just me, following my instincts and my curiosity. One of the most gratifying aspects of this journey has been hearing from my guests themselves. A few years ago, I began asking my guests for brief testimonials about their experience on the show. To date, more than 200 have responded with the most generous and heartfelt comments. Their words mean more to me than they could possibly know. And then there is the audience. Listeners from around the world continue to find the show, support it, and return week after week. I’ve learned that creativity, curiosity, and human connection have a remarkable ability to transcend borders. So —happy birthday to me. I feel incredibly fortunate. Fortunate to still be creating. Fortunate to still be learning. Fortunate to still be meeting extraordinary artists. And fortunate to have all of you along for the journey. As I like to say, thank you for listening to this podcast. And keep on rockin! Robert

LEGENDS: IRVING BERLIN - America's Greatest Songwriter. "God Bless America", "White Christmas", "Easter Parade", "There's No Business Like Show Business" And Many More!

Welcome to another Legends episode of Follow Your Dream, the award winning podcast and global arts platform. Legends features profiles of iconic artists and influential figures who helped shape our culture. This Legends episode spotlights Irving Berlin who was - simply put - one of the greatest songwriters of all time.  Irving Berlin was born in Russia with the name Israel Beilin. He moved to America at age 5 with his family to escape the pogroms against the Jews. He taught himself the piano and he composed only in the key of F#, meaning the black keys. His songs captured the identity and feel of his adopted country. He was known for writing music and lyrics that were uncomplicated, simple and direct, with his stated aim being to "reach the heart of the average American". He received Academy, Tony and Grammy awards, and the Presidential Medal of Freedom. Over his 60 year career he wrote 1,500 songs, with “Alexander’s Ragtime Band” in 1911 being his first hit. His catalog included the scores to 20 original Broadway shows and 15 original Hollywood films. His songs were nominated eight times for Academy Awards.  Let’s listen now to excerpts from several of his greatest hits sung by the stars of his era.  “God Bless America”, sung by Kate Smith;  “Blue Skies”, sung by Frank Sinatra “Easter Parade, sung by Judy Garland “Cheek To Cheek” sung by Ella Fitzgerald “There’s No Business Like Show Business” sung by Ethel Merman, and of course  “White Christmas” sung by Bing Crosby. None other than George Gershwin called Irving Berlin “the greatest songwriter that has ever lived", and Jerome Kern, no slouch himself, said that "Irving Berlin has no place in American music—he is American music."

David Rivard - Renowned Poet. 7 Poetry Books Including "Some Of You Will Know", "Sugartown" And "Torque". Guggenheim Fellowship, PEN/New England Poetry Prize. National Endowment For The Arts!

David Rivard is a renowned poet with seven books of poetry to his credit. His newest is called “Some of You Will Know”. His other books incude “Standoff”, “Otherwise Elsewhere”, “Sugartown”, “Bewitched Playground”, “Wise Poison”, and “Torque”. His work has won the PEN/New England Prize in poetry, the James Laughlin Prize from the Academy of American Poets, and he has been a finalist for the Los Angeles Times Book Prize. He’s also received fellowships from the Guggenheim Foundation, the National Endowment for the Arts, and the Civitella Ranieri Foundation.  My featured song is “Heat 2007”, from the album Prisoners Of Love. Spotify link [https://open.spotify.com/track/778XvSXXwMQecIsF9E0JWU?si=JHvAKDXjQBypAyhTFXra0w]. —------------------------------------ The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/start-here] for Start Here Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] for All Episodes  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/guests] for Guest List  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/testimonials] for Guest Testimonials Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/pillars] for Pillars Click here [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] for Robert’s Project Grand Slam Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/subscribe] to Subscribe  Click https://mailchi.mp/followyourdreampodcasthere [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/preview-emails] to receive our Email Updates Click here [https://www.ratethispodcast.com/followyourdream] to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH DAVID: www.davidrivard.net [http://www.davidrivard.net/] —------------------------------------ ROBERT’S NEWEST RELEASE: “THE BUZZ” - Ft. Darius de Haas (vocals) and Dave Eggar (Celo). Short, Sweet and Totally Different CLICK HERE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4C2DPAiXA&list=RDuw4C2DPAiXA&start_radio=1] FOR OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE [https://projectgrandslam.hearnow.com/the-buzz] FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films [https://www.kymera-films.com/] Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] - www.projectgrandslam.com

Chloe Dufresne -  Newly Appointed Conductor And Music Director of Colorado Springs Philharmonic. Associate Artist of Two Other Orchestras. Operas Include Carmen And Don Giovanni!

Chloe Dufresne is the newly appointed conductor and Musical Director of the Colorado Springs Philharmonic. She also serves as Associate Artist of two other orchestras. She has conducted operas including Carmen and Don Giovanni, for Opéra Rouen, Opéra de Toulon, Opéra de Nice and Opéra National de Lorraine, as well as a production of Wagner’s The Ring for children at the Helsinki Festival.   My featured song is “Ma Petite Fleur String Quartet”, my recent release. Spotify link [https://open.spotify.com/album/2e2WIU61msPkfdJjVFuQvu?si=K5KT0pxZTnGNqQpMHqpYvQ]. —------------------------------------ The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/start-here] for Start Here Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] for All Episodes  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/guests] for Guest List  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/testimonials] for Guest Testimonials Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/pillars] for Pillars Click here [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] for Robert’s Project Grand Slam Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/subscribe] to Subscribe  Click https://mailchi.mp/followyourdreampodcasthere [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/preview-emails] to receive our Email Updates Click here [https://www.ratethispodcast.com/followyourdream] to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- CONNECT WITH CHLOE: www.chloedufresne.com [http://www.chloedufresne.com/] —------------------------------------ ROBERT’S NEWEST RELEASE: “THE BUZZ” - Ft. Darius de Haas (vocals) and Dave Eggar (Celo). Short, Sweet and Totally Different CLICK HERE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4C2DPAiXA&list=RDuw4C2DPAiXA&start_radio=1] FOR OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE [https://projectgrandslam.hearnow.com/the-buzz] FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films [https://www.kymera-films.com/] Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] - www.projectgrandslam.com

Mark Hammond - Drummer And Programmer. Creates Music For Disney. Recorded With Amy Grant, Whitney Houston, James Ingram, Michael Bolton And More!

Mark Hammond is a drummer and a programmer who made his mark in Nashville recording artists like Amy Grant, Whitney Houston, James Ingram, Michael Bolton, Peabo Bryson, Vanessa Williams, Faith Hill, Trisha Yearwood, Wynonna Judd, Martina McBride and Quincy Jones. He also produced many top Christian artists, and he then began creating and producing music for Disney while also producing artists such as Josh Groban, Patti LaBelle, Joss Stone, Jennifer Holiday, and Hillary Duff. My featured song is “The Buzz”, my recent release. Spotify link [https://open.spotify.com/album/2jI3qIuiYNSQDzff5eLpSR?si=wF5Ip0KFQfqKMU9bdS0d6g]. —------------------------------------ The Follow Your Dream Podcast: Top 1% of all podcasts with Listeners in 200 countries! Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/start-here] for Start Here Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] for All Episodes  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/guests] for Guest List  Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/testimonials] for Guest Testimonials Click here [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/pillars] for Pillars Click here [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] for Robert’s Project Grand Slam Click here [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/subscribe] to Subscribe  Click https://mailchi.mp/followyourdreampodcasthere [https://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/preview-emails] to receive our Email Updates Click here [https://www.ratethispodcast.com/followyourdream] to Rate and Review the podcast —---------------------------------------- ROBERT’S NEWEST RELEASE: “THE BUZZ” - Ft. Darius de Haas (vocals) and Dave Eggar (Celo). Short, Sweet and Totally Different CLICK HERE [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=uw4C2DPAiXA&list=RDuw4C2DPAiXA&start_radio=1] FOR OFFICIAL VIDEO CLICK HERE [https://projectgrandslam.hearnow.com/the-buzz] FOR ALL LINKS —-------------------------------------- Audio production: Jimmy Ravenscroft Kymera Films [https://www.kymera-films.com/] Connect with the Follow Your Dream Podcast: Website [http://www.followyourdreampodcast.com/] - www.followyourdreampodcast.com Follow Robert’s band, Project Grand Slam, and his music: Website [http://www.projectgrandslam.com/] - www.projectgrandslam.com