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Episode 6!
Marty & Jackie ring in 2025 with a fantastic conversation with celebrated pianist and accompanist Stevie Ryan - in 2001 Steven Ryan took first place in the Concours des Grand Amateurs de Piano international competition, after which he was immediately engaged to return to the Sorbonne in Paris to perform Tchaikovsky's Concerto in B-Flat Minor, which was filmed by the national television station France 2. As well as winning the French competition, Mr. Ryan took second prize in the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition for Outstanding Amateurs held in 2000.
Since then, he has carved a niche for himself as one of the region's premiere accompanists - for choirs, soloists, orchestra, and everything in between. He is currently the staff accompanist at Montclair State University and at the acclaimed Dessoff Choirs in NYC.
We talk about the joys and woes of practicing, the art of collaborative piano and working with conductors, and as he puts it himself - 'just making music beautiful'.

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Dr. Chris Shepard, conductor extraordinaire, shares his wisdom of all things choral conducting! We talk about inspiring teachers, conducting choirs in all forums from schools to community choirs to pro groups, conducting orchestras with choirs, and how the career paths have changed over the years. A MUST WATCH for anyone interested in this awesome field!

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Talented, generous, hilarious....teddy bear?! Award-winning composer Tarik O'Regan shares his experiences with the British vs American school systems, finding his roots in his music, writing for different genres, composing for King Charles' Coronation, and managing the business side of things, too. Gosh, what to say. He's just the best. We dare you to listen and disagree!

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Fabulous career soprano and now opera director Karen Driscoll drops in us to share her wisdom about all things opera and coming up as a modern singer - from managing auditions, young artist programs, early roles, and transitioning into academia and opera directing, this episode has got it all for anyone interested in the incredible world of opera.

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Alex Dezen is a platinum-selling songwriter, producer, mixing engineer, solo artist, and the lead singer and songwriter for the American rock and roll band The Damnwells, who just released their sixth full album “Bad at Beautiful” and will be performing an album release show on Nov 14 in NYC. The band was the subject of the 2007 documentary Golden Days which followed the band’s signing to Epic Records and recording of their debut album, and some of the business issues surrounding its release and its delays.

He has written and released songs for artists such as Justin Bieber, Robin Thicke, JoJo, and The Veronicas, and also written for and worked with a number of additional artist such as The Dixie Chicks, Dave Grohl, Sara Bareilles, Christina Perri, Simple Plan.

Alex also co-owns a boutique record label where he works with other artists producing songs and operates an in-house recording studio.

The trio bonds over being from Jerzey, talks about the Damnwell's formation in Brooklyn, branching out into a solo career, his lyric process, and some of the ins-and-outs of industry collaboration.

It's a thoughtful and fun chat that anyone interested in the field of songwriting should listen to!

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Welcome to the very first episode of our new podcast, "There Are No Jobs in Music?" with your hosts Marty Sedek and Jackie Burkat!

In each episode, we interview a professional musician making their living somewhere in the field of music - they'll offer perspectives on what their lives and jobs are like, how they got there, what keeps them there, and offer their advice for people thinking about a career in music.

In our first episode, Marty's college buddy, film composer Fred Emory Smith stops by - the trio chat about their Berklee days, moving to LA and starting a life as a film/tv composer, the importance of orchestration, techonology, and the interpersonal relationships with directors and music team members.

Podcast is available on all major streamers! Enjoy!

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*Wow, Marty's audio sucked on this one. We'll figure that out :)

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