John Pitman’s latest conversation is with two artists who knew each other’s work, but who had not worked together, before this project. In this bold new work, with a title taken from a poem by Robert Walters, the harp symbolizes the protagonist Earth, both fragile and powerful.

Terra Infirma was directly inspired by the experiences of its creative team. Composer Reena Esmail, who resides in the Los Angeles neighborhood of Altadena, was forced to evacuate her home during the catastrophic fires of January 2025. Harpist Yolanda Kondonassis, a committed advocate for the environment, is founder and director of the non-profit organization Earth at Heart.

The towering instrument is moved choreographically by Kondonassis across the stage as she journeys through various arrays of suspended percussion. In the composer’s words, the work is “part virtuoso concerto, part performance art, and part theater.”

Randall Scotting, who hails from rural Colorado originally, is an internationally known singer of that very specialized and cultivated vocal range known as the countertenor. He’s already well established in the opera world, singing music which was originally written for the superstars of the Baroque, the castrati.

Scotting’s fourth and newest album is the result of years of research into one of history’s top castrati, Nicolini.

In this interview with All Classical’s John Pitman, Scotting uncovers the fascinating world of these unique singers and the dazzling, pyrotechnic and ultimately very moving, music that was tailor-made for them. Scotting brings Nicolini and his music to life in his new album, Divine Impresario.

French classical cellist Gautier Capuçon and his instrument becomes the voice of the Earth in an inspired new album of world premiere recordings in Gaïa. Uniting seventeen original contributions by sixteen contemporary composers, his new project sets out to explore humanity’s relationship to nature through a multifaceted lens, drawing from different musical genres, aesthetics, and cultural influences as well as the formidable contrasts of the natural world.

Taking its name from the Greek goddess of the Earth and Mother of all life, Gaïa showcases diverse new works by artists you hear on All Classical Radio regularly, such as Max Richter, Ludovico Einaudi, and Joe Hisaishi – as well as emerging talents: Armand Amar, Jasmine Barnes, Olivia Belli, Quenton Blache, Michael Canitrot, JB Dunckel, Missy Mazzoli, Gabriela Montero, Nico Muhly, Xavier Foley, and Ayanna Witter-Johnson.

During rehearsals for his choral cycle The Lost Birds, Colorado-based choral group Kantorei collaborated with two-time GRAMMY-winning composer Christopher Tin on a new piece. The choir would later describe this new work as a celebration of “unbridled joy!”

American poet and lyricist Charles Anthony Silvestri worked closely with Tin and Kantorei on this project.

From these collaborations, the album Song Offerings was born.

All Classical Radio’s John Pitman recently had the pleasure of speaking with Tin about the inspiration behind the multi-movement cycle, how the sources – which range from Rabindranath Tagore to the New Testament and Ovid’s Metamorphosis – reflect ancient expressions of love, while at the same time giving voice to our fellow living humans.

All Classical Radio host John Pitman recently spoke with Portland violinist and Portland State University Professor of Violin, Tomás Cotik, about his unique approach to performing some of the most challenging works for solo violin: the Caprices of Nicolo Paganini.

On Tomás’ latest album, Paganini: Capriccio, he emphasizes the world in which Paganini lived, which wasn’t just as a virtuoso, but a composer inspired by Bel Canto opera. Dazzling pyrotechnics blend with achingly beautiful lyrical melodies; there’s that demonic quality to be found in such caprices as No. 24, but also angelic voices in the Cantabile and the “Moses Fantasy”, which features Portland pianist, Monica Ohuchi.

Paganini: Capriccio might be a good Halloween soundtrack, and it might also be just what you want to hear the morning after.

John Pitman’s latest conversation is with harpist Emily Levin, and a new group named Ember. They specialize in works for harp, violin and cello. Ember’s new album (on Azica, to be released in September 2025) is titled Birds of Paradise, which echoes one of the pieces on their album.

Levin, who is also principal harpist of the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, invited violinist Julia Choi and cellist Christine Lamprea to explore this specialized, though gradually growing, repertoire for their combination of instruments. In her chat, Emily shares the history of the harp and its role in society, including the contrast of how historically the instrument was played by women domestically, but by men in larger forums, such as the symphony orchestra. The music, by Henriette Renié, Angélica Negrón, and Reena Esmail, is stunningly beautiful, and full of invention and variety.

German-British baritone Benjamin Appl’s past recordings and recitals have explored subjects such as the idea of home (Heimat), the consequences of making choices (Forbidden Fruit), and the works of composers such as György Kurtág. Now on his latest album, For Dieter: The Past and the Future, Appl marks the centenary of the birth of arguably the greatest interpreter of Art song, Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, born in Berlin on May 28, 1925.

This new release is of personal significance for Appl, who in his mid-twenties was invited to study with the great baritone, during what became the final weeks of the elder singer’s life. The experience had a profound impact on Appl, who has felt his mentor’s presence and influence over the years. For Dieter contains Appl’s personal playlist, inspired by Fischer-Dieskau’s teenage experiences in World War II, through an extraordinary career spanning six decades, dozens of recordings, and a life well-lived.

All Classical Radio’s Director of Programming John Pitman’s latest Arts Blog interview is a timely one, in conjunction with Asian American and Pacific Islander Heritage Month and Memorial Day.

Composer, pianist, and vocalist Huang Ruo’s latest recording An American Soldier is a powerful and moving opera based on the true story of a young Chinese American Army solider named Pvt. Danny Chen, who was found dead at his base in Afghanistan in 2011, and the ensuing courts-martial of Chen’s fellow soldiers.

John’s interview is with composer Huang Ruo and his longtime creative partner librettist David Hwang (M. Butterfly, Yellow Face, and the Broadway production of Tarzan among others), who share their interactions with Danny’s mother and father in the musical telling of this tragic but also important American story.

Renowned for his interpretations of the music of Russian composer and mystic, Alexander Scriabin, celebrated pianist Yevgeny Sudbin is host John Pitman’s latest guest for this Arts Blog interview.

On Sudbin’s newest album, Ver La Flamme (Toward the Flame), the pianist shares his deep knowledge and appreciation for the music of the early 20th century composer, and his imaginative and thought-provoking piano pieces. The album includes preludes, études, sonatas, and fantasies.

In his conversation with All Classical Radio’s Director of Programming, John Pitman, Sudbin shares some fascinating stories about Alexander Scriabin’s wild ideas about the direction of his music, and his audiences. Listening to these works reminds us why the composer and his music truly feel “outside of time.”