Orchestrating Change by Canton Symphony Orchestra

We are delighted to be joined today by Alison Norris, who has served as one of our conducting fellows with the Canton Symphony Orchestra throughout the 2024-2025 season. A Cincinnati native, Alison originally earned a bachelor of science degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana before earning their Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin and professional studies diploma from Manhattan School of Music, both in orchestral conducting. They were the founding conductor of the STEM Wind Ensemble at Valparaiso, and have served as a cover conductor for the Madison Ballet and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. They also produced and conducted a large-scale performance of Messiaen’s massive Turangalila Symphony in New York City, in a concert which explored the intersection of contemporary music and gender expression. Alison will be joining us again in the 2025-2026 season, continuing their role as Conducting Fellow.   Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org.

On this episode of Orchestrating Change, we're honored to welcome the legendary Garrick Ohlsson—one of the greatest living concert pianists. With a career spanning over six decades, Ohlsson has performed in the world’s top concert halls and with leading orchestras around the globe. He made history in 1970 as the only American to win the International Chopin Piano Competition and later earned a Grammy Award for his Beethoven recordings. We talk about his recent performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto in Canton, his lifelong dedication to the art of piano, and his current role mentoring young artists at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. From his roots in White Plains to his life in San Francisco, this is a deep dive into the extraordinary legacy of a true master.

Today we are delighted to be joined in person by operatic baritone Brian Keith Johnson. Brian has performed regularly with the Canton Symphony Orchestra throughout his career, most recently as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in last summer’s concert presentation of the musical Ragtime. He also appeared on Gerhardt Zimmermann’s final concert in April of 2023, singing Dvorak’s Te Deum and the Catalogue Aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He has also appeared with the orchestras of Cleveland, Charlotte, and Akron, and has performed with opera companies throughout the region. Brian received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Akron, and also studied voice at the New Opera Academy of Rome and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria. In addition to his performing career, Brian taught vocal music in the Akron Public Schools system for 34.5 years before retiring last spring.   Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed [http://www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed] to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org. [http://www.cantonsymphony.org.]

Today's guest is Camille Delaney-McNeill, Director of the Judith and Thomas L. Beckman YOLA Center, serving the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles program in Inglewood, California. Prior to her arrival in Los Angeles in 2021, she was the Director of Programs for the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra’s OrchKids, a comprehensive music education program serving students in Baltimore City Schools. She currently sits on the board of El Sistema USA, and was trained as a flautist before pursuing arts management, holding performance degrees from the University of Maryland and Peabody Conservatory. Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed [http://www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed] to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org. [http://www.cantonsymphony.org.]

We are thrilled to be joined today in person by Chris Jenkins, Associate Dean for Academic Support, Liaison to the office of Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion, and Visiting Professor of Musicology at Oberlin Conservatory. Concurrently with his work at Oberlin, he is also pursuing a Doctor of Musical Arts degree in Viola Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music AND a Ph.D. in Musicology from Case Western Reserve University. All of this on top of degrees he already holds from Harvard University, New England Conservatory, Manhattan School of Music, and Columbia University. He is the former Deputy Director of the Barenboim-Said Foundation in the West Bank, and was a third place winner in the senior division of the 2005 Sphinx Competition. On top of all of this, he published his first book last year, titled Assimilation v. Integration in Music Education. Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. We also have a new website! Go to www.orchestratingchange.com to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org.