25. Brandyn Lewis and Allison Migeon: BIPOC Representation in Classical Music

Juno Kim is a chef, photographer and food stylist who draws from their background in psychology, mindfulness and trauma informed healing to offer curated experiences and coaching services. We speak about cooking as healing, physical manifestations of trauma and mindful eating.  Instagram: @Jun0k

Cellist and composer Raphael Weinroth-Browne is one half of groundbreaking duo, The Visit, and East-meets-West ensemble Kamancello. His work as a collaborator is extensive, highlights include studio recordings with Lawrence Gowan (Styx) and metal band Leprous with whom he has recorded and toured extensively. Raphael’s debut solo album “Worlds Within” was released in 2020 to great critical acclaim. In this conversation we speak about Performance philosophy and mindset, exploring sonic worlds, building unconscious habits, and marketing musical content.   Instagram: @raphcello   Facebook: Raphael Weinroth-Browne  Soundcloud: https://raphaelweinroth-browne.bandcamp.com/album/worlds-within-live FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE: Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Madeleine Bouchard is an elementary school teacher in the Toronto District School Board. She also happens to be one of my oldest friends. You can follow her creative classroom projects on Instagram here: @madame_bouchard VOCATIONS is a semi-regular series which features interviews with inspiring individuals who felt a strong calling to their chosen employment, and harness their creativity in their everyday work.

Brandyn and Allison are the Artistic Director and Executive Director of Ensemble Obiora respectively. The mission of Ensemble Obiora is to uncover and disseminate works by composers of colour whose work has been omitted by Western classical music. They aim to promote diversity, equity and accessibility in the Canadian classical music scene and create a sense of belonging in underrepresented racial communities. We discuss being black in classical music, the mission of Obiora, and even get to hear the meet cute which led to this formidable duo! EDIT: Joseph Bologna's mother was a slave and her father owned plantation / Joseph Bologna's mother was a slave and father was a plantation owner. www.ensembleobiora.com   Facebook: Ensemble Obiora   Instagram: @ensemble_obiora FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Bev Standing is a full time international voice actor working mainly in commercial, corporate, explainers, e-learning/trainings and on-hold/IVR. Bev recently won a Reed award for Best Radio Ad – National Mayoral Campaign. She was chosen as Private Education & Development Awards’ Best e-learning voiceover artist – Canada in 2019 and 2021; and has received eight SOVAS nominations. In the fall of 2020, Bev discovered that her voice was being used for a text-to-speech translation on TikTok without her permission. As a result, she has since decided to pursue a lawsuit against the social media giant to seek justice for herself and artists to come. In this episode we speak about voice acting as an art form, Bev's discovery of her voice on TikTok, and why this lawsuit is important to her and artists to come. Please share Bev's story with the hashtag #standingwithbev to show your support for her!   www.bevstanding.com  Instagram: @bevstanding  Facebook: Bev Standing- Voice Talent FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Bernie Van Tiel (BVT) is a Sydney based Hip Hop/R&B Artist, beatboxer, producer, drag performer and actor. Highlights include touring with Aussie star Pete Murray as his "human drum kit", and joining Haiku Hands on their SuperVillian tour. BVT's debut single "Spend Some Time" is available on all streaming platforms. In this episode we speak about the language of beatboxing, what it means to be a TikTok influencer, navigating and defining happiness and success and more.   Instagram: @bossdembvt   YouTube: Bernie Van Tiel FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Harry Stafylakis is a New York City-based composer (b.1982) hailing from Montreal. His music has been described as “an amalgamation of the classical music tradition and the soul and grime of heavy metal” (I Care If You Listen), and “favoring doomsday chords and jackhammer rhythms” (The New Yorker). He is currently the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra's Composer-In-Residence and Co-Curator of the Winnipeg New Music Festival. In this episode we discuss his metal head years (kidding he still is one), meeting long lost relatives in Greece, associative Synesthesia, “lyric blindness” and more.   www.hstafylakis.com  @hscomposer FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Émilie Fortin is a trumpet player, improvisor and educator based in Montreal, Quebec. She is the artistic director of the soloist collective Bakalari which is dedicated to contemporary and creative music. Her upcoming collaborations  with composers Alexandre David, Gabriel Champagne and Jason Doell, include physical elements in connection with her parallel experience in mime, dance and theatre through multi-media pieces/productions. in this episode, we discuss professional rejection, Émilie's experience in mime school, and being a woman in the brass world.    Instagram: @efortin_trumpet  Soundcloud: https://soundcloud.com/emiliefortin_trumpet Tumblr: https://emilie-fortin.tumblr.com/ FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Hailed as a “lovely violist” (The WholeNote magazine), Ryan Davis is swiftly emerging as a sought-after artist in orchestral, chamber music and solo performances. He holds degrees from McGill University, Yale University and Colburn, and is currently based in Toronto where he was selected as a Rebanks Fellow in the Rebanks Family Fellowship and International Performance Residency Program. Ryan is also an innovative performer under the moniker Radia, fusing elements of classical, folk, electronic, and hip-hop music with a loop pedal. He is also a founder of The Upnote podcast which won the 2019 New Venture Competition, becoming the inaugural Entrepreneurs In Residence at The Colburn School in 2019. In this episode we speak about Ryan's love for basketball, switching to viola, using loop pedals, and his upcoming album!   www.ryandavis.com @radiaviola FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast

Jah Myhrakle, birth named Eric Garbutt hails from the tiny Central American and Caribbean jewel known as Belize. Jah Myhrakle migrated to New York City, where he founded his record company Gold Den Arkc Recordsz and began working with esteemed collaborators and producers in the scene. Highlights have included chart topping Lead the Way featuring Vaughn Benjamin (Akae Beka), and Key Kode featuring Bigga Haitian. His latest video release on ReggaeVille titled Too Much War features Mobyle Malachi. In 2020, he released two full length albums titled Igziabeher produced by Colin Diles (Central Root Studios), and All 4 U produced by Heights and Sounds record label. In this episode we discuss Rastafarianism, the meaning of "the message", the culture of fear during the past year, and more.   www.jahmyhrakle.com  @jah_myhrakle FOLLOW & SUBSCRIBE:  Insta: @nonessentialpodcast  Twitter: @nonssentialpod  Facebook: N.E.W Podcast