You can learn a lot about your friends from their favorite tracks.
A new podcast called On the Record proves that point with voices of area musicians. Hosted by Sarah Kienle, violist in the Dallas Symphony, the podcast invites DSO performers for laid-back conversations about compositions they find meaningful.
“I’ve always been a huge podcast fan,” says Kienle, who regularly tunes in to The Daily from The New York Times and listened to the true crime show Serial. “I wanted to make [a podcast] that highlighted different members of the orchestra in ways that people maybe haven’t heard before.”
Although this is Kienle’s first time podcasting, her sister, Elizabeth Harball, helped create a two-season show called Midnight Oil, which takes a deep dive into the oil industry in Alaska. “She gave me a lot of good tips and tricks,” Kienle says.
The DSO adds one episode to its website every other week, along with quotes from musicians about their selected compositions and recordings of those pieces. This allows listeners to discover new works and gain valuable insight into the music.
Guests on the podcast have chosen a wide range of pieces, from Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro to Steve Reich’s Music for 18 Musicians. Though they are classical performers, musicians have also selected hits such as Madonna’s “Vogue” and Toto’s “Rosanna.”
“One of the things that I wanted to stay away from is the idea that classical musicians only listen to classical music,” Kienle says, “because it’s really not true. We get influenced by so many genres.”
Other topics explored include the benefits of performing in a pit orchestra for an opera; the changes at the DSO since the 1980s; and the various instruments that percussionists play, such as washboards, snare drums and donkey jawbones.
So far, the DSO has released three episodes focusing on principal bassoonist Ted Soluri, principal percussionist George Nickson and principal first violinist Diane Kitzman. Kienle has a few more interviews lined up, and would like to continue the podcast “even as the orchestra gets back onstage.”
Details
Find the podcast at mydso.com/about-the-dso/press-room/news/ontherecordkitzman
