The Arts Salon

This episode of The Arts Salon is an exploration of the philosophical tensions between historical inevitability and artistic freedom. We delve into the ideas of Hegel and Hume, questioning whether art follows a predetermined arc of progress or exists on a more fluid and open-ended plane. Through the lens of Picasso’s insights on artistic creation, the episode challenges the notio

I hope you enjoyedmy talk with Håkan Hardenbeger!Today,Ben Neill returns to The Arts Salon to discuss his new book,Diffusing Music: Trajectories of Sonic Democratization!This book explores the diffusion and democratization of music in our current era through the proliferation of digital technologies. Music has become ubiquitous and increasingly intertwined with everyday life, rend

Håkan Hardenberger returns to the Arts Salon to share his thoughts on what it means to be an interpreter of music and how cultural consumption informs his artistic process. If you have not listened to episode 64, I highly encourage you to do so, as it serves as a primer for this conversation. I hope you enjoy it!

In this episode of The Arts Salon, we prepare for our conversation about interpretation with international soloist Håkan Hardenberger! We talk about how universities and conservatories are failing their student bodies, and how artists can improve the quality of their cultural consumption and bolster their artistic education. For a transcript of this read, visit my website.

In this episode, I deal with the debate surrounding the role of AI in the creative industries, which exposes deeper tensions within society regarding labor, creativity, and human value. Join me in exploring the distinctions between craft and art and the complications that we face in the creative economy. To hear more from Jan Swafford listen to my talk with him. If you would like

On this episode of "The Arts Salon," we explore the current challenges facing cultural organizations like classical music presenters, museums, and non-profits. With programs shrinking, ticket sales declining, and costs rising, many institutions are looking for new leadership to navigate these troubled times. The prevailing thought is that entrepreneurial leaders—akin to

Find a comfy chair or get ready for that drive...this is a long one! Today we have Geoff Baker and Catalina Lobo-Gerrero to discuss the complex subject of Venezuela and it's "El Sistema." If you remember my episode demystifying Cuban propaganda, you will know I have a deep suspicion of programs that emerge from undemocratic regimes. Catalina, a prominent journalist

In this episode, I discuss my visit to the International Trumpet Guild (ITG) conference. I was there for two events: a panel honoring the late Tom Stevens and a recital by Håkan Hardenberger and Roland Pöntinen. This episode is a reflection on Stevens' efforts to elevate the trumpet beyond flashy technical pieces, and his plight to create a catalog of new music for trumpet p

Today's guest is Alex Mansour! Alex is a composer, cellist, and jazz pianist, and one of the true multi-hyphenates of Los Angeles. In this talk we discuss many issues related to the film music scene, the challenges facing the symphony (again lol), and many more issues. We will announce exciting things during our 60th episode so stay tuned!

Lucy Humphris and I sat down to talk about a great many things including the state of the arts, the attention economy (with comments on the great article by Ted Gioia), Chosen Vale, the decay of artistic education, and many more subjects. We will close out the month with a conversation with LA composer/cellist/jazz pianist Alex Mansour.