The Counterpoint Club
Join The Counterpoint Club with the Skyros Quartet as we explore chamber music history, rehearsal ideas, performance techniques, and conversations with special guests - all with a dash of frivolity! The Counterpoint Club is a program of the nonprofit organization Chamber Music Madness located in Seattle, Washington.
Episodes
43 episodes
Opus 5: Episode 5: Roundtable with Skyros Quartet
In this special roundtable discussion, Sarah, Brandon, Justin, and Willie, the members of Skyros Quartet, take on the roles of both hosts and guests. Get ready for an insightful conversation as they share their unique perspectives and experienc...
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Season 5
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Episode 5
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48:46
Opus 5: Episode 4: Creative Pathways
Brandon and Justin have a fun, engaging interview with composer, producer, and violist Jonah Sirota. Jonah’s varied career has taken him from violist of the renowned Chiara Quartet to composing for major film scores in LA. Some of h...
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Season 5
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Episode 4
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41:21
Opus 5: Episode 3: Activism Through Music
Brandon and Sarah have a fascinating interview with the renowned violin soloist and composer, Curtis Stewart. Curtis talks about his multifaceted career as composer, Artistic Director of the American Composers Orchestra, professor at The ...
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Season 5
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Episode 3
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54:40
Opus 5: Episode 2: Classical Wellness
Sarah and Willie sit down with cellist and entrepreneur Jalayne Mitchell for a wide-ranging interview. Jalayne shares her musical journey, from a young child who became fascinated with the cello to a professional musician. Along the way, she st...
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Season 5
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Episode 2
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47:49
Opus 5: Episode 1: The Missing Link – Maddalena Lombardini’s Six String Quartets
A new Opus of The Counterpoint Club begins with an exploration of the life and music of Maddalena Lombardini, an 18th-century violinist, operatic singer, composer, and businessperson and her integral role in contributing to the development o...
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Season 5
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Episode 1
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47:25
Opus 4: Episode 5 - The Neverending Story
In the final episode of Opus 4, the Skyros Quartet explores the ways in which we know we are done. For many musicians, creating a sense of completion in our practice and preparation is not always easy. In the history segment, Brandon and Wil...
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Season 4
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Episode 5
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58:50
Opus 4: Episode 4 - I Know What You Did Last Summer: Chamber Music Edition
In I Know What You Did Last Summer, the Skyros Quartet talks about summer music festivals and the powerful impact they can have during a musician’s formative years. In the History segment, Justin covers the history and legacy of the Marlboro Fe...
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Season 4
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Episode 4
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55:42
Opus 4: Episode 3 - Rock ’n’ Roll Never Dies
In Rock ’n’ Roll Never Dies, the Skyros Quartet examines the relationship between classical music and rock ’n’ roll. In the history segment, Sarah rocks out to Beethoven’s Grosse Fugue and discusses the elements of rock that Beethoven wrote ...
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Season 4
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Episode 3
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54:49
Opus 4: Episode 2 - Bend it Like Beethoven
Each member of a chamber ensemble plays a unique and vital role. The Skyros Quartet explores competitive situations with musical colleagues and how to handle these situations with respect and grace. In the history segment, Willie looks at in...
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Season 4
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Episode 2
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1:01:45
Opus 4: Episode 1 - The Counterpoint Coven
In this fall-themed episode, the Skyros Quartet explores strange and occult music. In the history lesson, Sarah and Brandon discuss scary music and how composers used innovative techniques to portray these characters. Next, Willie introduces ex...
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Season 4
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Episode 1
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49:47
Opus 3: Encore Interview - Lafayette String Quartet
In this talk which combines the segments from episodes 2, 3 and 4, the Skyros Quartet takes part in a round table discussion with the Lafayette String Quartet discussing topics from chamber music from how to create a quartet sound to respect...
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Season 3
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44:20
Opus 3: Encore Interview - Greg Beaver
In this unabridged interview, Sarah Pizzichemi and Willie Braun speak with cellist Greg Beaver. Greg is an incredible musician and as a member of the Chiara Quartet, was a very influential mentor for the Skyros Quartet during graduate school...
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Season 3
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Episode 0
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39:31
Opus 3: Encore Interview - Dennis Bourret
In this unabridged interview, Justin Kurys and Willie Braun speak with violinist, violist, and conductor Mr. Dennis Bourret. Mr. Bourret directs a string youth orchestra program called Tucson Junior Strings that trains all students in all si...
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Season 3
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26:36
Opus 3: Episode 5 - “Play It Like Chamber Music!”
In the fifth episode of Opus 3 “Play It Like Chamber Music” the Skyros Quartet looks at how the chamber music and orchestra genres are intertwined. Brandon examines the historical links of the two traditions, starting with composers such as ...
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Season 3
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Episode 5
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44:05
Opus 3: Episode 4 - Let Them Eat Cake
Finding the right balance between each individual voice in a chamber ensemble isn’t easy. In the history segment, Willie discusses the hierarchy of voices in an ensemble and how these roles changed and evolved across different eras. Justin e...
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Season 3
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Episode 4
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41:45
Opus 3: Episode 3 - Transfigured Night
In the third episode of Opus 3, “Transfigured Night,” the Skyros Quartet dives into the ever-mutable subject of transitions. Sarah and Willie begin with a conversation about the complex emotional transformation depicted in Schoenberg’s famou...
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Season 3
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Episode 3
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55:59
Special Episode: What’s with All the Gnomes?
Have you been wondering what’s with all these Pencil Gnomes? Where do they come from? Why do they need pencils? What tried and tested techniques does Skyros use to keep them away from our pencils? We’ll have answers to these questions and mo...
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Season 3
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10:00
Opus 3: Episode 2 - R-E-S-P-E-C-T
In the second episode of Opus 3 of the The Counterpoint Club, R-E-S-P-E-C-T, the Skyros Quartet explores how to work with your colleagues in a respectful and constructive manner. Sarah explores how Haydn wrote parts that were more equa...
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Season 3
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Episode 2
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46:10
Opus 3: Episode 1 - The Plan
The Skyros Quartet begins the third season of The Counterpoint Club with an episode about organization. In the history segment, Justin explores how famous string quartets got started. Next in technique, Brandon discusses a great organization...
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Season 3
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Episode 1
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48:57
Opus 2: Encore Interview - James Dunham
In the final ENCORE Interview for Opus 2, Willie and Justin speak with violist James Dunham. This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the fourth episode:
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Season 2
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39:04
Opus 2: Encore Interview - Annie Fullard
In this ENCORE Interview for Opus 2 Brandon and Justin speak with violinist Annie Fullard. This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the fourth episode:
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Season 2
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44:00
Opus 2: Encore Interview - Rachell Ellen Wong
In this ENCORE Interview for Opus 2 Sarah and Brandon speak with violinist Rachell Ellen Wong. This conversation is the unabridged version of that heard in the third episode: “
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Season 2
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41:34