Living With A Genius Interviews

Fletcher Sheridan is a name you may not recognize, unless you're in the sequestered world of session work in Los Angeles. But, you've no doubt heard Fletcher's solo voice in films like The Lorax, The Hangover 3, Horton Hears a Who, and as a playback singer on just about every major motion picture that uses voices coming out of LA. I think Fletch is super cool, and I know you will, too. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer Dale Trumbore is my guest this week. I love her compositional style, her pragmatic attitude and the fact that she came over to have a nice chat for the show. She's easy going and thoughtful, and I know you'll like the interview as much as I did. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer/producer Michael Nielsen is my guest this week. He's a founding partner of Ninja Tracks, the premier creators of film trailer and video game music. I guarantee you've heard a lot of their stuff, if you like going to the movies. Or maybe you've seen his YouTube or Facebook channel, Big Hairy Guitars? Michael is a sensitive and very nice fellow, and I'm happy to call he and his partners Kaveh and Collin, friends. I hope you enjoy our chat, and thanks for tuning in! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Chris and I go way back to Cal State Fullerton. He's carved out a nice career for himself as a bass-baritone, singing all over the world, including the Metropolitan Opera. I hadn't seen him for over a decade, and it was great catching up over our chat. He's a thoughtful guy- hard working, talented and a real rising star, so look out for him! Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Tim Campbell is an audio book narrator, working singer, editor, studio engineer, and all-around nice guy. He's narrated a ton of books in all different genres, using accents and the whole bit. Please check him out at www.timcampbell.me- his sample readings are amazing! I learned a lot about the narration business and I found our talk really informative and fascinating- I hope you do to! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer, pianist, vocalist and peace-lover, Shawn Kirchner is my guest this week. I had a great time getting to know Shawn over the course of our chat and as it goes sometimes, I feel like we left a lot of subjects untouched. Also, I made a couple flubs that I'll fess up to right now- first, I think I said that 'Memorare' was premiered in 2015, when in fact, it was not. Also, I guessed Rumi where the quote was from S.T. Coleridge. So, there. Listen, I do great on those Facebook quizzes, so I'm not gonna sweat it. Thanks for listening, and I hope you enjoy our talk! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

I'm thrilled to have as my 25th guest, Edie Lehmann Boddicker. Most of us around town know her as a vocal contractor, but there is definitely more than meets the eye. She's had an amazing career here in tinseltown- from concertizing as a classical pianist and learning music theory from Morten Lauridsen, singing and contracting Academy Award nominated soundtracks, to being a regular cast member on General Hospital. There's a lot in between, too. I really like Edie, and I like her even more after sitting down with her for this really nice chat. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Nicholas C. Pappas is a director, dramaturge and Heideman Award-winning playwright. His plays include The Ballad of 423 and 424, Fatty, Including Shooter, and The Dreams in Which I'm Dying. Nick is a thoughtful, bright guy who I'm glad to know, and I wouldn't be surprised if we collaborated again in the future. Thanks for being on the show, buddy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Mo. Grant Gershon is my guest this week. He's an amazing pianist, conductor and colleague. He holds the titles of Artistic Director of the Los Angeles Master Chorale, and Resident Conductor of the Los Angeles Opera. Our conversation whizzed by and I was left with a ton of questions I didn't have the time to ask- hopefully we'll have time for a "shorty" follow-up interview in the future. Anyway, I hope you enjoy the interview and thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Peabody is a globally recognized mezzo-soprano and burgeoning set and costume designer. She has a strong personality, strong opinions and highly formed ideas about her work, and the worlds she inhabits. I've known her for years and I find her fascinating- She's basically a female version of me, but taller, smarter and with a deeper voice. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Robert Thies has been a friend of mine for about ten years or so. We see each other around town and the last time we worked together was on Happy Feet 2, with John Powell. Rob is a tremendous pianist with a great career. He won the Prokofiev competition, plays with the Phil and with many ensembles around town. He's a Steinway Artist, session player... and on and on. Rob is also just a plain old good guy, and I'm glad to be his friend. Thanks for listening and I hope you end up liking this guy as much as I do. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Author Blair Tindall is my guest this week. You may know her from her controversial 2005 book, "Mozart in the Jungle", or the hit Amazon series of the same name, created by Jason Schwartzman and starring Gael Garcia Bernal. Blair has had a stellar career as a classical musician, playing oboe for the NY Philharmonic, for hit shows on broadway, and as a session player for film and television. There's also been a lot of commotion over Blair's tell-all book about life in the classical world, and she speaks candidly about her experiences with some of the major players who loom large in our community. Blair also details the subsequent fallout after the book's publication, which quickly led to her being black-listed by many former friends and colleagues. "Mozart in the Jungle" is a real page turner- I loved the book, and I'm loving the Amazon series, too, so check them both out- I hope you enjoy our chat! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Carla Jimenez is a working actress in Los Angeles. You may have seen her in films such as, Lady in the Water, Nacho Libre and Accepted, and in the television shows Lincoln Heights, My Name is Earl and Desperate Housewives, and currently on Raising Hope and Last Man Standing. She's had a long career in film and television, and supports herself solely as an actress, which is no easy feat. She's insightful, fun, and hard working and I was grateful to hear her story! Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

The lovely and talented soprano, Jamie Chamberlin is my guest on this episode. Jamie is a very successful working singer here in LA, singing with the Los Angeles Opera, Long Beach Opera and in recordings such as Mark Abel's new opera, "Home Is a Harbor". She's lively, funny, hard-working and vivacious, and she's one of my favorite people. Enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Lesley Leighton is the Associate Conductor for the Los Angeles Master Chorale and the Artistic Director of the Los Robles Master Chorale. She is also a certified chef and a former member of Michael Bloomberg's inner circle, during his mayorship of NYC. Lesley is interesting, candid and a nice lady to spend an hour with. I hope you enjoy our chat- Thanks for listening! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Founding partner of Ninja Tracks, Kaveh Cohen sits down with me to discuss composition, the business of music and the cognoscenti class. Having known Kaveh for quite some time, I was excited to hear some new insights about his process, background and his time behind the counter at Guitar Center- maybe he was saving it up for the podcast. Noticing I've started each of these sentences with a gerund is fun, too- hoping you enjoy this episode, am I. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Leila Charles Leigh and I talk a lot about juggling kids with work, and where the two intersect. For me, it's a reminder that I'm not alone in dealing with disappointment and the trap of myopic perspective where success and failure are concerned. Leila is charming and sparkly, and it was great catching up with her. Thanks for listening- enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Stage director Trevore Ross came by the studio today. We talked about growing up in South Carolina and his journey from pianist to stage director and how he settled in Los Angeles. He offers up poignant ideas about life, love and work, and I really found this interview to be easy. Trevore is a good talker, and I’d love to have him back on the show in the future. Thanks, and I hope you enjoy our chat! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

Composer Jeff Beal is widely known for his work on such films as Blackfish, Appaloosa, and Pollock, and for his work in television- Monk, Carnivàle, Rome, and the current HBO hit, House Of Cards. Jeff is a generous, magnanimous fellow, and one hell of a great musician and composer. He records his work in the living room of his expansive, comfortable, tuscan-style villa in Agoura Hills, and mixes/masters/delivers it all from home. It’s a pretty sweet setup. Jeff is also scheduling more live performances, one of which I saw the terrific premier of late last year, entitled, “The Salvage Men”. Jeff’s upcoming engagements include “Blackfish Live” at the Hollywood Bowl (7/1/16) and a reprise of “The Salvage Men” later this year, in London, England, which is being conducted by our pal, Eric Whitacre. I hope you enjoy our chat, and thanks again for listening to Living With A Genius with yours, truly: Omar Crook. See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.

On this episode, I interview Bradon McDonald of Project Runway fame. We also discuss his time with the Mark Morris Dance Group, growing up in a crowded house, getting out of a small town to eventually become one of the country’s premier dancers and fashion designers. Our chat is a study in passion, perseverance and dedication- things that I wish I had more of , at least compared to Bradon. My thanks goes out to Josh Winograde for facilitating our meeting- enjoy! See acast.com/privacy for privacy and opt-out information.