Launch of New Podcast Series
First conversation now available on Spotify
The first edition of the new 1000+ Concerts Podcast series, hosted by Avri Levitan, is now live. The podcast features conversations with musicians, teachers, and experts from fields such as health, education policy, and sports, who share the practices and approaches that have shaped their work.
Listeners can expect in-depth discussions on the learning processes and dimensions that shape music education and ensemble performance: from practice strategies and ensemble dynamics to listening, interpretation, audience engagement, and sports-science perspectives.
Episodes 1: Johannes Meissl on the Art of Practising
The first episode features violinist and Vice-Rector for International Affairs and Art at mdw Vienna, Johannes Meissl, exploring the practical and artistic challenges of preparing and rehearsing music within limited time.
Rethinking practicing, how can ensembles practice more efficiently? What makes individual preparation meaningful, and how can musicians reach convincing musical results under time pressure? Find out how practicing is not simply a repetition, but a structured process that connects intention, listening, and ensemble dialogue.
Releasing on December 24th – Episode 2 with Tabea Zimmermann: “Train the ear first”
She recommends, “the hands will find a way to express the music.” Conversation two with Tabea Zimmermann, a guest who for four decades now is one of the finest violists of her time, and whose approach to music-making and teaching has influenced generations of musicians. The conversation highlights how teaching is a process of showing possibilities and guiding students through imagination and experiments with sounds.
What is the key to making necessary repetition remain meaningful rather than mechanical? What might be lost when young musicians turn too quickly to recordings instead of discovering a piece on their own? Vibrato, breathing, and the shared experience of performing are a glimpse of the topics explored in the full episode.
What’s Next
Upcoming episodes in 2026 welcome Dr. Molly Gebrian, a professional violist with a background in neuroscience, and Jonathan Brown, violist and Professor of Chamber Music at the Colburn Conservatory of Music in Los Angeles. Next editions will draw on insights from sports science to explore concentration under stress and its relevance for musical performance.
