The trumpet player and composer Nadje Noordhuis joined me for a wide-ranging conversation about identity, creativity, and carving out a life in music on her own terms. Nadje reflects on her early musical upbringing in Sydney, Australia, and the formative training that led her toward jazz trumpet. She remembers her friend Lois Martin, and Nadje speaks candidly about experiences of sexism in the music world, and the challenges of breaking into the New York jazz scene—financial struggles, years at the Manhattan School of Music, and finding her footing as a woman in jazz.

She reflected on her collaborative project Multitudes with composer James Shipp, and you’ll be hearing clips from that project as well as Gulfoss with Maeve Gilchrist, Full Circle with Fred Hersch. She talked about being about to record with the legendary engineer Jan Erik Kongshaug, and Nadje encourages all of us to take risks to follow our own paths.

Complete Show Notes with all the links! (Video, linked episodes, Transcript, podcast merchandise and Ko-fi support page, newsletter)

Nadje Noordhuis Website

photo: Matt Baker

(00:00) Intro

(02:12) Sara Caswell, Dutch heritage

(03:45) Multitudes with James Shipp

(07:06) clip of Run Together from Multitudes

(07:48) more about Multitudes, clip of Say Goodbye

(09:31) Lois Martin

(13:36) Laurie Frink

(16:09) versatility in building a career, Anat Cohen

(19:21) early music training childhood in Australia

(22:20) experiences of sexism, decision to pursue jazz trumpet

(30:15) Full Circle album Elan Mehler, Fred Hersch (clip Little Song from Full Circle)

(34:24) move to New York, financial struggles

(39:06) breaking into the jazz scene as a woman, Manhattan school

(43:54) other linked episodes and ways to support this project

(44:51) youth in Sydney, Australia

(48:40) teaching, Fifth Bridge

(53:26) recording Gulfoss album with clip of Seven Miles

(57:25) working with Jan Erik Kongshaug, recording Ten Sails with Luke Howard

(01:05:35) clip of Rainbow from Multitudes, living as an expat

(01:07:36) clip of Full Circle, reflections on choosing her own path

Conversations with Musicians with Leah Roseman is available wherever you listen to podcasts. The video and transcript are linked here on my website, where you can check out my episodes catalog and sign up for Sneak Peeks for upcoming guests: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/jeremy-mastrangelo

This week’s guest is violinist Jeremy Mastrangelo, who’s a wonderful colleague of mine in Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra. He’s known in our greenroom as a great storyteller, onstage as an excellent musician, and having heard him give brilliant masterclasses I can attest to his excellence as an educator as well. This episode is infused with Jeremy’s wit and wisdom as well as a couple of beautiful violin performances. We talk about violin shopping in Cremona, teenage life at Interlochen Academy, the difficulties and joys of a career as an orchestral musician, family, and the benefits of deepening our understanding of the composers we play. You will find that one of the wonderful stories in this episode reveals an unexpected discovery!

This independant podcast needs your support. Can you help with $3? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks so much!

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(02:11) Jeremy’s brother Dave, his childhood starting violin

(10:31) Bach Aria from Goldberg Variations

(13:23) Dave Mastrangelo arrangements

(15:05) orchestra audition process

(19:11) working conditions, collective agreements, Syracuse orchestra experience, Sara Mastrangelo

(27:21) please support the podcast!

(28:00) different roles and chairs in the orchestra

(30:31) Interlochen

(34:13) intro to Piazzolla etude

(35:45) Piazzolla Tango Etude no. 3

(39:34) dealing with uncertainty, pandemic Syracuse then Ottawa with Pinchas Zukerman

(45:37) ideal orchestra experiences, role of conductor and players

(50:15) Cremona with wife Sara, Italian heritage, Vittorio Villa

(55:54) Jeremy’s violin teachers Rafail Sobolevsky, Bill Preucil, Hal Grossman, Paul Kantor

(01:03:26) Rafail Sobolevsky story

(01:10:13) Sally Thomas, James Ehnes

(01:14:12) cooking

(01:16:07) great books about composers and performers

(01:20:37) solo experiences, stress dreams, benefits of knowing more about the composers

(01:28:16) one final orchestra story

Avi Kishna is a Dutch sarod player based in Amsterdam, of Indo-Surinamese heritage. You’ll get to know the sarod as an instrument and hear Avi’s perspectives on Dutch society and his interesting collaborations. Among his mentors is his inspiring father, Ramdew Kishna, a multi-talented musician, director, and painter, who played a pivotal role in shaping Avi's musical journey along with his guru, Koustuv Ray. As a young man, Avi embarked on a successful career as in sales and marketing, but during this time he pushed music aside, and I found it deeply touching to hear how he was able to come back to music with the wisdom of having left such an important part of himself behind. You’ll hear about Avi’s project working with schools in Amsterdam to help provide music programs in underserved communities and this episode features some of his sarod music. Like all my episodes, you can also watch this on my YouTube channel, and I’ve also linked the transcript here to my website: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/avi-kishna

Can you buy this podcaster a coffee to support this series? https://ko-fi.com/leahroseman Thanks!

Here you'll find the links to Avi's projects like Raga Reflections, where to stream and buy his music, upcoming performances, including a video with dancer Shailesh Bahoran (which we talk about): https://www.sarodbyavi.com/

Link to Muziek Educatie Centrum Amsterdam: https://www.muziekeducatiecentrum.nl/jeugd-fonds-sport-cultuur-amsterdam

Follow me on Social Media: https://linktr.ee/leahroseman

Episode with sitar player Mohamed Assani: https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/mohamed-assani

Episode with bansuri player Milind Date:

https://www.leahroseman.com/episodes/milind-date-bansuri-player

Complete Catalog of Episodes: https://www.leahroseman.com/about

Newsletter sign-up: https://mailchi.mp/ebed4a237788/podcast-newsletter

Timestamps:

(00:00) Intro

(03:42) the sarod

(11:57) Indo-Surinamese heritage and history

(16:16) South Asian music in the Netherlands

(19:38) dancer Shailesh Bahoran

(25:00) excerpt from While She Sleeps

(28:06) bringing different music together, Soundscape Sessions

(38:01) please support this podcast!

(38:39) Ramdew Kishna, Avi’s father

(43:27) racism and inclusion

(50:53) sarod guru Gungun Kaustuv Ray

(56:14) learning from others

(57:56) Raga Reflections

(01:04:19) Darbari

(01:08:00) sales and marketing career, return to music

(01:13:05) giving back through music education