Sunday Baroque Conversations

Seattle-based oboist Bhavani Kotha earned degrees from the University of Southern California Thornton School of Music and the University of Washington. She plays in numerous orchestras, and over time, she has experienced challenges and obstacles as a woman in a traditionally male-dominated environment. So she set out to change that, becoming the Founder and President of UNBOUND SYMPHONY, a professional women's orchestra that was officially launched in Seattle on March 8, 2026. The group’s intent is to "… challenge longstanding inequities in the orchestral field, …[and] expand paid performance opportunities and artistic visibility for women in the orchestral workforce."   Unbound Symphony's first big project was a Women’s Orchestra Festival in July 2026, featuring music by female composers. Suzanne spoke with Bhavani Kotha about how and why she created Unbound Symphony.

Connor Chee is a Navajo pianist and composer known for combining his classical piano training with his Native American heritage. Chee made his Carnegie Hall debut at the age of 12 after winning a gold medal in the World Piano Competition. A graduate of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Cincinnati's College-Conservatory of Music, Chee's solo piano music is inspired by traditional Navajo chants and songs. Some of his recordings have been accompanied by music videos filmed on the reservation, directed by Navajo filmmaker Michael Etcitty Jr. Suzanne spoke with Connor Chee about his life in music, including his 5th album SANDPAINTINGS (released in 2026), a sixteen-movement solo piano cycle inspired by the artistic principles and structural design of traditional Diné (Navajo) sandpaintings.

The poet Robert Frost said, "I am not a teacher, but an awakener." Reynard Burns awakened the creativity and talent of countless students in his 34 years as a public school orchestra director on Long Island. Mr. Burns also plays piano and bass, and is a prolific composer and arranger whose talents and interests span many musical genres. His compositions include music for orchestra, wind ensemble, concert band, jazz ensemble, and more, and have been performed throughout the United States and abroad. Suzanne spoke with Reynard Burns about his life as a teacher and composer, as well as his post-retirement lectures and workshops that focus on classical music of composers of African descent.

Composer Sarah Kirkland Snider's musical language is widely varied. She has written intimate instrumental solos, vocal works, chamber music, and  large-scale orchestral music. Her music has been performed by major orchestras in Boston, Chicago, Cleveland, and New York, as well as by Emerson String Quartet, eighth blackbird, A Far Cry, The Knights, and Roomful of Teeth. Suzanne spoke with Snider about her approach to music making, and her 2026 album of orchestral works, whose title cut is Forward Into Light, a commission for the New York Philharmonic inspired by the American women's suffrage movement.

The largest chamber music competition in the world is based in South Bend, Indiana and was founded by a music loving furniture salesman in 1973. The Fischoff National Chamber Music Association is a comprehensive organization that helps to launch the careers of young emerging chamber musicians, and supports grassroots musical education and outreach.  Not only is the competition live-streamed online, there is also a rich performance archive available on its website. Suzanne spoke with Josh Aerie who is the Executive Director of the Fischoff National Chamber Music Association about its ambitious mission.

Edward Klorman is a violist and Professor of Music at the University of Wisconsin - Madison's Mead Witter School of Music. In 2025 he published his book, BACH: THE CELLO SUITES, exploring what makes these seemingly humble unaccompanied cello compositions so extraordinary and lasting. Over the centuries, they have become the "holy grail" for every serious cellist, and have migrated from the practice room to the concert stage, films, and beyond. Cellists including Yo-Yo Ma and Janos Starker have revisited Bach's Cellos Suites multiple times. Professor Klorman chatted with Suzanne about what makes Bach's music so great.

What would it take to present THE COMPLETE BACH? Thanks to an extraordinary 11-year project underway in Worcester, MA, you can find out! Starting in 2024 and continuing through March 21, 2035, Music Worcester is presenting a series of concerts encompassing all of Johann Sebastian Bach's massive compositional output. Chris Shepherd is Artistic Director of THE COMPLETE BACH, and he talked with Suzanne about how and why this project came to life.

The talented recorder player Vladimir Soares made a recording with harpsichordist Fabian Grosch of Flute Sonatas by Anna Bon di Venezia that I have admired (and played regularly on Sunday Baroque) for years. Vladimir Soares was introduced to music through the Orquestra Villa-Lobos, a social project that provides free musical education to children in the South of Brazil. Soon, he was graduating from the Arts Institute in Porto Alegre and winning competitions. He continued his training at the Musikhochschule Stuttgart, earning his Master's in Chamber Music in 2015 and a Master's in Recorder in 2016 under the guidance of Professor Hans-Joachim Fuss and Andrea Buchert. He also earned the Laurea Prize, which has not been given to a recorder player since 1991. VladimirSoares (with help from translator Jessica Oliveria) spoke with me about his life in music.

Pianist Simone Dinnerstein has many loves – her family, her hometown, her musical collaborators, and Johann Sebastian Bach's music, to name just a few. The proud Brooklyn resident founded her musical ensemble and called it BAROKLYN. They named their 2025 debut album Complicité, a term she first heard from her son, who studied the teachings of the French theatre practitioner, Jacques Lecoq. Suzanne spoke with Simone Dinnerstein about Complicité, how the concept relates to the album and her group, and how she feels about being a conductor now.

New Zealand-born composer and educator Matthew Suttor's passion for music began when he was a small child. Throughout his career he has explored many facets of music making, with a particular interest in computer music and, now, the use of AI in music and as a creative catalyst. That's what led him to "collaborate" with AI to write his opera about Alan Turing, the British mathematician whose work was key to breaking Nazi codes during World War II. Far ahead of his time, Turing was interested in – and cautious about – AI, and Suttor's opera I AM ALAN TURING explores the nuances and prescience of Turing's life and work. Suzanne spoke with Matthew Suttor about his life in music, including his path to incorporating computers and technology into his musical toolbox, and his philosophy of teaching creativity.