Join us for Experience Talks Online, exclusive podcast interviews posted on our website. Carrying on the same tradition as our KPFK-FM/Pacifica Network syndicated radio show, the podcasts feature talented, creative people with experience worth sharing. Find our podcasts on the Listen Page of our website. They’ll post on an intermittent basis, so read this blog for updates about new podcasts as well as new Experience Talks radio shows. You can also like Experience Talks on Facebook and follow us on Twitter to get the latest news. ET Online is produced and hosted by John Semper Jr. and Cynthia Friedlob.
This week: Host John Semper Jr. talks with cellist John Walz and pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, who will be performing in Le Salon de Musique’s chamber music concert on May 20th at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles, and with veteran recording/performing guitarist John Chiodini.
John Walz is a celebrated soloist and chamber music artist, known for his dazzling virtuosity and elegant musicianship. A student of the legendary French cellist, Pierre Fournier, he has appeared as soloist with more than 150 symphony orchestras on 4 continents. His performances of 25 different concertos include both standard showcases and rarities like Martinu’s Concerto #1 and William Schuman’s Song of Orfeus. In 1979, John, along with pianist Edith Orloff, founded the Pacific Trio. Now performing with violinist Roger Wilkie, this renowned ensemble has played more than 900 concerts throughout North America and Europe. In addition to his solo and chamber music duties, he is currently the principal cellist with the Los Angeles Opera, a position he previously held for 20 years with the Long Beach Symphony. John is on the faculty of the Idyllwild Arts summer program and Academy. Click here to learn more at his website. Click here for details about his performance at Le Salon de Musique.
Praised by the Los Angeles Times for his “impressive clarity, sense of structure and monster technique”, Steven Vanhauwaert studied piano in Brussels at the Royal Conservatory, and continued his musical development in Los Angeles at the USC Thornton School of Music. Over the years, Steven has garnered a wide array of accolades and has toured throughout Europe and the US, both solo and in chamber music groups. He has appeared in major venues with orchestras such as the Pacific Symphony, the Flemish Symphony, the Concord Jazz Ensemble, the Eastern Sierra Chamber Orchestra and Prima la Musica, amongst others. In 2010 he made his China solo debut.
As a member of the Felici Piano Trio, Steven has given recitals and master classes all over the US, has been a frequent guest in festivals around the world, and has appeared in all the major concert halls of Europe. Steven’s performances are regularly broadcast on K-MZT, K-CSN, K-USC, WHKB, W-UOT, K-UAT and KLARA. Click here to learn more at his website. Click here for details about his performance at Le Salon de Musique.
Guitarist and composer John Chiodini began his performing career in clubs, recording studios and theaters throughout New England in the 1960s and ‘70s. As a member of the Boston Pops Orchestra under Arthur Fiedler, John made numerous appearances in concerts and on recordings, including the long-running PBS television series “Evening At Pops.” In the early 1980s, he relocated to Los Angeles, touring, writing, and recording with Peggy Lee. He toured and recorded with Natalie Cole on her “Unforgettable” tour. His own MCA album entitled “Weightless” was critically acclaimed. Other artists with whom John has toured and/or recorded include: Buddy DeFranco, Maynard Ferguson, Carl Andersen, LouisBellson, Tony Bennett, Michael Bolton, Bobby Caldwell, Celine Dion, Dr. John, Arthur Hamilton, Shirley Horn, Lainie Kazan, Hubert Laws, Barry Manilow, Rebecca Parris, Terry Harrington, Diane Schuur, Nina Simone, Barbra Streisand, Nancy Wilson, and Michael Buble. As a session player in Los Angeles, John has numerous motion picture and TV credits. Most recently you can hear him on Paul McCartney’s latest album, “Kisses on the Bottom.” CLICK HERE to see his discography.
