Episodes

  • An Interview with Jamey Ray from Voctave
    Sep 5 2025

    Acclaimed a cappella group Voctave celebrates their 10th anniversary in Dr. Sinclair's conversation with founder Jamey Ray. Ray discusses the group's evolution from their first recording session in 2015 to becoming one of the country's premier vocal ensembles. The episode explores their distinctive sound, recent touring in Japan, and plans for a special anniversary concert featuring legendary guests Sandi Patty and Jody McBrayer. Enjoy this behind-the-scenes look at a decade of musical excellence and artistic growth.

    For more information on Voctave, make sure to check out their website at voctave.net

    Thanks for listening!

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    38 mins
  • An Interview With Dr. Byeol Kim
    Aug 30 2025

    Hello and welcome to the new series of Insights & Sounds. To kick off season 2, we have a very special guest with us.

    Dr. Byeol Kim is a concert pianist, Steinway Artist, creative collaborator, mom, wife, and artistic firestarter. Born and raised in South Korea, she now calls Florida home, where she balances an active performance life with a deep passion for creative projects that connect music to emotion, imagination, and story.

    For this episode. Dr. Sinclair and her talk about her upcoming performance of Gershwin's Rhapsody in Blue with the Winter Park Bach Festival, her previous performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto, her approaches to performance and preparation, as well as piano techniques and sound production.

    For more information on Dr. Kim, you can visit her website here.

    For tickets to her upcoming performances with the Winter Park Bach Festival, click here.

    The musical excerpt you hear at the beginning is of her performance of the Tchaikovsky Piano Concerto with the Winter Park Bach Festival.

    Thank you for listening!

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    36 mins
  • Orff's Carmina Burana
    Jun 27 2025

    In this episode, your host, Dr. John Sinclair, takes you through Carl Orff's Carmina Burana. Carl Orff's Carmina Burana opens with those thunderous "O Fortuna" chords you've heard in countless movies, but there's so much more beyond that iconic moment. Premiered in 1937, this cantata sets medieval drinking songs, love ballads, and spring celebrations to music that's both primitive and hypnotic.


    Orff discovered these 13th-century poems in a Bavarian monastery and transformed them into something that feels ancient yet modern. The result is raw, rhythmic, and primal; stripping away romantic complexity for pure visceral impact


    The opening theme is performed by the Winter Park Bach Festival. All other works are from the 1991 Decca release of Carmina Burana by the San Francisco Symphony led by Herbert Blomstedt.

    Make sure to rate the podcast and share it with your friends. More information can be found at insightsandsounds.com.

    Thank you for listening!

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    11 mins
  • An Interview With Ted Ricketts - Songs of War and Peace
    Jun 13 2025

    Join Dr. Sinclair as he interviews his dear friend, composer Ted Ricketts. During this interview, the two talk about Ricketts' newest work, Songs of War and Peace. This work premiered on November 3rd, 2024 at the Dr. Philips Center in Orlando, Florida. The performances are by the Winter Park Bach Festival orchestra and choir.

    For more information on Ted Ricketts, visit his website at symphonypopsmusic.com

    Thank you for listening!

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    24 mins
  • Puccini's Messa di Gloria
    Apr 22 2025

    In this episode, your host, Dr. John Sinclair, takes you through Giacomo Puccini's early life with a focus on his Messa di Gloria. The Bach Festival will be performing this wonderful work on April 26th and 27th at Knowles Memorial Chapel. For tickets and more information, make sure to check out bachfestivalflorida.org.

    Alongside this work, the Bach Festival will also be performing a piano concerto by Dr. Daniel Croizer. You can listen to an interview we had with Dr. Crozier here.

    The music you hear from the Messe di Gloria is performed by the José Carreras, tenor / Hermann Prey, baritone, the Ambrosian Singers, Philharmonic Orchestra, and conducted by Claudio Scimone. Excerpts from Puccini's Preludio sinfonico and Capriccio sinfonico are performed by the Orchestre national de l'opéra de Monte-Carlo under conductor Claudio Scimone.

    More information on the recording can be found here.

    Make sure to rate the podcast and share it with your friends. More information can be found at insightsandsounds.com.

    Thank you for listening!

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    12 mins
  • An Interview With Dr. Daniel Crozier
    Apr 11 2025

    Join Dr. Sinclair as he talks to his friend and colleague, Dr. Daniel Crozier. Today, the two talk about Dr. Crozier's newest composition, his piano concerto, which is premiering on April 26 and 27, and features Adam Golka on the piano. For tickets and more information, make sure to visit bachfestivalflorida.org.

    Daniel Crozier is an American composer and Associate Professor of Theory and Composition at Rollins College in Winter Park, Florida, where he has been a faculty member for over two decades. His distinguished academic career includes previous teaching positions at the Peabody Preparatory and Radford University.

    As a composer, Crozier has received multiple ASCAP awards since 1996 and has created notable works including two operas: "The Reunion" and the award-winning "With Blood, With Ink." He holds a Doctor of Musical Arts degree from the Peabody Conservatory of Johns Hopkins University and has collaborated with renowned composers including John Harbison.


    Thanks for listening!

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    26 mins
  • Beethoven's Mass in C
    Feb 17 2025
    In this episode, your host, Dr. John Sinclair, takes you through Beethoven's life with a focus on his Mass in C. Make sure to rate the podcast and share it with your friends. More information can be found at insightsandsounds.com. Thanks for listening!The music you hear is listed in the order that it appears in the episode.Piano Trio in B-flat major, Op.97 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)Performer Pages | Claremont Trio (Piano Trio) Publisher Info. | Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner MuseumPerformers | Emily Bruskin, violin; Julia Bruskin, cello; Donna Kwong, pianoCopyright | Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 3.0Symphony No.2, Op.36 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)2. LarghettoPerformer Pages | University of Chicago Orchestra (orchestra) Barbara Schubert (conductor)Publisher Info. | Chicago: University of Chicago SymphonyCopyright | Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 3.0Misc. Notes | Performed 30 April 2005, Mandel Hall. From archive.orgPiano Concerto No.1, Op.15 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)2. LargoPerformer Pages | DuPage Symphony Orchestra (orchestra) Barbara Schubert (conductor)Publisher Info. | DuPage, IL: DuPage Symphony OrchestraPerformers | Ching-Yun Hu (piano)Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0Misc. Notes | Performed 12 May 2012 in Wentz Concert Hall. From archive.orgMass in C major, Op.86 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)Performer Pages | Cantores Carmeli Linz (chorus) Michael Stenov (director) Publisher Info. | Michael Stenov Performers | Cantores Carmeli Linz, Collegium Instrumentale Carmeli, Michael Stenov Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 Misc. Notes | Live recording from the Karmelitenkirche Linz Easter Sunday 2022Hungarian Rhapsody No.2, S.244/2 (Liszt, Franz)Performer Pages | Simone Renzi (piano) Publisher Info. | Simone Renzi Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0Prelude and Fugue in C minor, BWV 847 (Bach, Johann Sebastian)Performer Pages | Peter Bradley-Fulgoni (piano) Publisher Info. | Peter Bradley-Fulgoni Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 Misc. Notes | Recorded September 2016 in St. Paul's Hall, Huddersfield University (Peter Hill, sound engineer)Piano Concerto No.1, Op.15 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)1. Allegro con brioPerformer Pages | DuPage Symphony Orchestra (orchestra) Barbara Schubert (conductor) Publisher Info. | DuPage, IL: DuPage Symphony Orchestra Performers | Ching-Yun Hu (piano)Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 3.0Misc. Notes | Performed 12 May 2012 in Wentz Concert Hall. From archive.orgPiano Sonata in B-flat major, D.960 (Schubert, Franz)Performer Pages | Charlie Albright (piano) Publisher Info. | Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0Piano Sonata No.14, Op.27 No.2 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)Performer Pages | Luis Kolodin (Piano) Publisher Info. | Luis Kolodin, 2020. Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0Für Elise, WoO 59 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)Performer Pages | German Kitkin (piano)Publisher Info. | Lev Kitkin, 2024. Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0String Quartet No.9, Op.59 No.3 (Beethoven, Ludwig van)Publisher Info. | Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum Performer...
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    35 mins
  • Valentine's Bonus
    Feb 14 2025
    In this special Valentine's Day episode, we take a fascinating dive into the complicated love lives of classical music's greatest composers and explore the passionate and often scandalous affairs that shaped these musical geniuses. Join us for an intimate look at the human side of these legendary composers, proving that even musical geniuses weren't immune to matters of the heart.The music you hear appears in the following order:Intro Music1. Music by Noru from Pixabay2. Flute Concerto in F major, RV 434 (Vivaldi, Antonio)| Performer Pages | Gardner Chamber Orchestra (Orchestra) | Publisher Info. | Boston: Isabella Stewart Gardner Museum | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.03. Cello Concerto No.1 in C major, Hob.VIIb:1 (Haydn, Joseph)| Performer Pages | Hans Goldstein (cello) | Publisher Info. | Pandora Records/Al Goldstein Archive | Performers | Aspen Symphony Orchestra (orchestra) | Copyright | EFF Open Audio License | Misc. Notes | Performed in Summer 20124. Flute and Harp Concerto in C major, K.299/297c (Mozart, Wolfgang Amadeus)III. Rondeau. Allegro| Performer Pages | Alexander Murray (flute) | Publisher Info. | Pandora Records/Al Goldstein Archive | Performers | Ann Yeung (harp) University of Illinois Sinfonia da Camera, Ian Hobson (conductor) | Copyright | EFF Open Audio License5. Piano Concerto No.2, Op.40 (Mendelssohn, Felix)II. Adagio. Molto sostenuto| Performer Pages | Yuli Hsu (Piano) Taipei Chamber Philharmonic (Orchestra) Wilbur B. Lin (Conductor) | Publisher Info. | Wilbur B. Lin | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial 3.06. Nocturnes, Op.15 (Chopin, Frédéric)I. Andante cantabile (F major)| Performer Pages | Luke Faulkner (piano) | Publisher Info. | Palo Alto: Musopen. | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 | Misc. Notes | Source: Musopen (lossless file also available)7. The Nutcracker (suite), Op.71a (Tchaikovsky, Pyotr)I. Ouverture miniature| Performer Pages | DuPage Symphony Orchestra (orchestra) Barbara Schubert (conductor) | Publisher Info. | DuPage, IL: DuPage Symphony Orchestra | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution Non-commercial No Derivatives 3.0 | Misc. Notes | Performed 12 December 2010, Wentz Concert Hall, Naperville. From archive.org.8. Aïda (Verdi, Giuseppe)| Performer Pages | Jacques Pottier (tenor) | Publisher Info. | Alain M. Jacques | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 | Misc. Notes | rec. 20109. Études d'exécution transcendante, S.139 (Liszt, Franz)III. Paysage (F major)| Performer Pages | Peter Bradley-Fulgoni (Piano) | Publisher Info. | Peter Bradley-Fulgoni | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 4.0 | Misc. Notes | recorded in October 2018 at St. Paul's Hall, Huddersfield University: Peter Hill, sound engineer10. Tristan und Isolde, WWV 90 (Wagner, Richard)Prelude (Act I)| Performer Pages | Fulda Symphonic Orchestra (orchestra) | Publisher Info. | Fulda: Fulda Symphonic Orchestra, 2003. | Performers | Simon Schindler (conductor) | Copyright | Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 | Misc. Notes | Recorded live March 9, 2003 at the Grosser Saal der Orangerie.Thank you for listening!
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    32 mins