Episodes

  • Laura Sinclair on Curating a Stress-Free Studio

    Laura Sinclair on Curating a Stress-Free Studio
    Jan 13 2026
    Joining us today is Violist, Educator, and Coach Laura Sinclair. We are talking about one of my favorite topics: music teaching! Specifically, we’re talking about reshaping the way we think about teaching to make it sustainably work within our own musical career goals and our portfolio of musical income. Topics include: -Seeing where the "yeses" come from -Breaking the cycle of perceiving teacher as "less-than" than performing, and realizing how teaching can improve our performing career -What is tuition-based teaching? -Reshaping our relationship with boundaries, studio policies, and value-based teaching -Creating your own Stress-Free Studio Laura K. Sinclair is reopening Stress-Free Studio next month—a one-on-one coaching program for private music teachers who want to design an intentional studio life, streamline systems like pricing and invoicing, and build a studio that supports both creativity and quality of life. Learn more on her website: https://lauraksinclair.com/
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    39 mins
  • Prateek Rajagopal on Scoring With Electricity: An inside look into VR Scoring, Haptics, and "In the Current of Being"

    Prateek Rajagopal on Scoring With Electricity: An inside look into VR Scoring, Haptics, and "In the Current of Being"
    Dec 20 2025
    In today's episode I chat with artist, composer, and record producer Prateek Rajagopal about building bold, immersive music. Prateek breaks down how he balances "feel" with technique, why rhythm is his north star, and how hardware synth/modular workflows can turn raw electric current into musical building blocks for composition and world-building. We also focus on Prateek's experience composing for "In the Current of Being," a haptic VR experience directed by Cameron Kostopoulos that tells the true story of Carolyn Mercer, a survivor of electroshock conversion therapy. Prateek Rajagopal is a film composer, record producer, and artist by way of Oman and India, known for his boundary-pushing work across film, immersive media, and music. He is the executive music producer and composer at KOST AI, where he scored In The Current of Being, which won SXSW 2025, premiered at Cannes Immersive 2025, and the 2025 Tribeca Film Festival. In the film and television world, Prateek has collaborated, written, and produced music on major studio projects including Trolls Band Together (Justin Timberlake), Star Wars’ The Mandalorian Season 3, and Creed III (Michael B. Jordan), as part of the team under Joe Shirley and Oscar-winning composer Ludwig Göransson; a path he began after being selected for USC’s prestigious Screen Scoring program. Most recently, he has returned to his musical roots through close collaboration with electronic composer and producer Bobby Krlic (Midsommar, BEEF, Beau Is Afraid). Outside of film, Prateek is the chief songwriter and guitarist of GUTSLIT, India’s leading death metal export.
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    38 mins
  • Alexander Parsons and The Intersection of Music and Technology Part II: The Spatial Audio Revolution

    Alexander Parsons and The Intersection of Music and Technology Part II: The Spatial Audio Revolution
    Nov 30 2025
    In this fascinating Part II of our conversation with multi-instrumentalist and composer Alexander Parsons, we explore how spatial audio and virtual reality are revolutionizing the concert experience. We chat about combining VR, augmented reality, and liver performances to create memorable and meaningful experiences for audiences. Alexander shares his groundbreaking work with The Room is Not Silent Collective and their immersive installation "From the Fields." Topics Covered in this Episode: -How spatial audio creates immersive 3D soundscapes with 64+ speakers -The future of VR concerts blending mixed reality with live orchestration -Behind the scenes of Mirror Shot Collective's multi-sensory performances at BAFTA and SXSW -Creating "From the Fields" - a historical audio installation exploring London's Saint Giles district -Why spatial audio changes music beyond just "sounds whizzing around" -The intersection of classical training, DJ culture, and software-based sound design
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    32 mins
  • From Instinct to Innovation: Etienne Forget Doesn't Believe in Genres

    From Instinct to Innovation: Etienne Forget Doesn't Believe in Genres
    Nov 11 2025
    Our guest today is Etienne Forget, the award-winning French film composer renowned for his innovative fusion of synthesizers and neo-classical elements. He is known for his work on Netflix's "The Forest," "Missions," "Last Journey of Paul W.R.," "AKA," and many more. In this captivating conversation, we discuss Etienne's unconventional path into film scoring, starting with chance encounters on bulletin boards to working on high-profile Netflix projects. He shares candid stories about music school, his first film project, navigating the French film industry, and the importance of maintaining relationships while building a music career.
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    38 mins
  • Creating Without Limits: Saam Gabbay on Finding Harmony in the Human Experience

    Creating Without Limits: Saam Gabbay on Finding Harmony in the Human Experience
    Oct 28 2025
    Creating Without Limits: Saam Gabbay on Finding Harmony in the Human Experience by Frosted Lens Entertainment
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    42 mins
  • Juan Carlos Enriquez on Versatility, Organization, and Crafting Musical Narratives Across Cultures

    Juan Carlos Enriquez on Versatility, Organization, and Crafting Musical Narratives Across Cultures
    Oct 8 2025
    Award-winning film composer Juan Carlos Enriquez shares his career journey from progressive rock bassist to scoring Disney+ projects. In this episode, discover the pathway from assistant to lead composer, essential organization systems using Google Sheets for managing 40+ cues, and techniques for adapting musical themes across genres - from Cumbia to orchestral scores. Topics Include: - The composer's career ladder - Organization systems for managing complex film scores with multiple team members - Recording with live orchestras and working with directors - Creating cohesive scores for projects like Disney's "Mesa Para Dos" and Telemundo's "Velvet"
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    37 mins
  • Cultivating Your Sound and Persona with Rock 'n' Roll Cabaret Artist Egee

    Cultivating Your Sound and Persona with Rock 'n' Roll Cabaret Artist Egee
    Sep 24 2025
    Today we’re talking to Egee, the captivating rock 'n' roll cabaret artist taking Austin's music scene by storm! We chat about her life as a performing musician and her journey into curating her cabaret rock persona and developing her sound, which she displays in her most recent song “La Mer.” Topics Include: -How COVID changed Egee's perspective on pursuing music professionally -The psychology behind creating a stage persona vs. performing as yourself -Separating "music life" and "private life" -Breaking down the creative process behind "La Mer" and genre-blending techniques -Austin's supportive music community and networking tips -Overcoming imposter syndrome and embracing your authentic artistic voice -The balance between personal branding and artistic integrity
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    38 mins
  • The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition with Dr. Jeff Albert

    The Guthman Musical Instrument Competition with Dr. Jeff Albert
    Sep 9 2025
    Discover the cutting-edge world of music technology at The Georgia Institute of Technology! Dr. Jeff Albert, Interim Chair of the School of Music, reveals how students combine engineering brilliance with musical creativity to shape the future of music. He'll take us inside Georgia Tech's Guthman Musical Instrument Competition, whose timeline for submissions runs from now through October 10, 2025. We'll also cover improvisation and how we can learn more about humanity and human connection through technology. About our guest: Dr. Jeff Albert is Interim Chair and Associate Professor of the School of Music at the Georgia Institute of technology. His areas of research and creative practice include improvisation and interaction, jazz performance, performance paradigms for live computer music, and audio production. He has performed in concerts and festivals in the U.S and throughout Europe, and contributed as a performer, producer, or engineer on over 60 recordings, including the 2017 Grammy winner for Best Traditional Blues Album. He has been named a Rising Star in the DownBeat Critics Poll, and his album Unanimous Sources was named a Top 10 album of 2020 by Jan Garelick in the Boston Globe. Albert received his B.M. from Loyola University New Orleans, and his M.M. from the University of New Orleans. In May of 2013, he became the first graduate of the PhD program in Experimental Music and Digital Media at Louisiana State University, where he was a founding member of the Laptop Orchestra of Louisiana (LOLs).
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    38 mins