This podcast aims to explore life from a musician's point of view: the peaks, troughs and the downright unexpected. Hosted by London-based cellist Davina Shum
Episodes
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Friday Jul 03, 2020
Happy one-year Podcastiversary! My 25th episode features the wonderful soprano and coach Nadine Benjamin. Listen as she shares her experiences and insights during the pandemic, finding space in breathing and how she found her voice as an opera singer (including how to be a last-minute Tosca). She explains her role as a certified NLP mind and high performance coach and kindly provides some helpful tips for making choices and getting through this difficult time.
Music college didn’t prepare us for online music lessons, so we continue our theme of hilarious, relatable and terror-inducing quotes – this time, from the string-playing community. Got a quote or experience you want to share on the podcast? Email me: asitcomespodcast@gmail.com
Nadinebenjamin.com
Everybodycan.com
Nadine’s Facebook Live Sessions: facebook.com/NadinBenjamin
@nadinebenjaminsoprano
Follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram @asitcomespod for CATS and talking heads.
Remember to rate, review and subscribe on Apple Podcasts!
Friday Jun 19, 2020
Friday Jun 19, 2020
If you’re looking for something to put you through an emotional rollercoaster, just look at what you were doing in last year’s diary.
Violinist Jennifer Pike is my guest for this episode. We shared a chat about reassessing life’s priorities in lockdown, our insights on The Lark Ascending, which she’s recently recorded, as well as the power of quiet playing and diversity in programming. Find out what she would be if she weren’t a musician, and also, because I’m in the room, cats.
This episode features a mammoth conglomerate of quotes from the music teachers suffering through online teaching during the pandemic, so listen out for that which is hilarious, relatable, and terror-inducing. More to feature in future episodes!
Want to get in touch? Email asitcomespodcast@gmail.com or visit the website: asitcomes.com
Like and follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram @asitcomespod
Follow Jennifer Pike:
@jenniferpikeviolin
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Friday Jun 05, 2020
Double bass legend Leon Bosch is my guest for this episode. We cover a huge breadth of topics; his journey from South Africa to playing with the Academy of St Martin in the Fields, experiencing the essence of music, authenticity within a framework, the session business, and Leon’s passion for long-distance running.
Photography by Juno Snowdon. Art direction by Adam Hypki.
Mentioned in this episode:
leonbosch.com
imusicanti.co.uk
imusicantipublishing.co.uk
Friday May 22, 2020
Friday May 22, 2020
It’s Mental Health Awareness week, so this episode begins with a few thoughts about mental health.
My guest for episode 22 is Fiona Gibbs, a violinist, researcher, lecturer and founder of Orchestra Vitae. This is the last of my chats recorded face-to-face back in March and we talked about setting up your own ensemble so that you get to play Brahms, how the death of a loved one can affect the way you go to concerts leading Fiona to come up with her initiative “Concert Chums”. We also talk about our favourite bits of repertoire, as well as choosing what news to engage with, being cynical and what we can learn from Barry Manilow.
Don’t miss this week’s Music College Didn’t Prepare Me segment illustrating a musician working from home in a new job due to Coronavirus.
Mentioned in this episode:
Facebook: @OrchestraVitae
Instagram: @orchestravitae
Twitter: @OrchestraVitae
Website: http://www.orchestravitae.co.uk/
Fiona’s website: https://www.musicpeopleplaces.com/
Friday May 08, 2020
Friday May 08, 2020
Don’t feel bad for being unproductive!
Australian/British conductor and lepidopterist Jessica Cottis is my guest for episode 21. Listen to what a conductor does during lockdown, her personal story regarding physical injury, and what effective technique she DIDN’T learn in conducting school. Hear our discussion about the “buzz” of live performance, and the parallels between butterflies and music-making – you heard it here first!
Don’t miss this episode’s Music College Didn’t Prepare Me segment featuring food extraction from instruments.
Got something to share? Email me: asitcomespodcast@gmail.com. Like and follow the pod on Facebook and Instagram @asitcomespod
Photo credit: Kaupo Kikkas
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Friday Apr 24, 2020
Who would’ve thought that one could do some productive practice during lockdown?
Jessie Grimes is my guest for episode 20- she’s a musician who plays the clarinet, works with vulnerable and special needs people and is a presenter. Listen to her chat about how life doesn’t always go the way you planned, making tough career choices, how she maintains her mental health throughout challenging projects, and what she thinks is “the most lesbian thing in the world”.
Music college didn’t prepare a whole lot of musicians for working in supermarkets during this difficult time – listen out for some topical anecdotes. Got something to share? Email me: asitcomespodcast@gmail.com
Huge thanks to James Bryant for helping me with the sound this episode.
Like and follow the podcast on Facebook and Instagram @asitcomespod for bonus content including cats, outdoor podcasting and poetry.
Follow Jessie (even though she doesn’t really use social media)
Twitter: @Jessie_Grimes
Instagram @jessiegrimes_clarinet
Friday Apr 10, 2020
Friday Apr 10, 2020
Violinist and cellist Rob and Verity Simmons from Estilo String Quartet are my guests this episode for my first ever remote (boozy) podcast recording. Listen to us chat about being festive despite lockdown, performing live by the seat of your pants via social media, imparting a bit of knowledge to one’s offspring from time to time (i.e. homeschooling), and WINE – things we’ve learnt from the “forest floor” from a qualified drinker. Find out also what they can’t live without and miss during these restricted times.
This episode was brought to you after possibly the strangest birthday celebration of my life (albeit still rather pleasant). Don’t miss this episode’s Music College Didn’t Prepare Me segment, involving sight-reading, comedians, and karaoke (sounds like the title for a web series).
Like what you hear? Rate and review on Apple Podcasts, like and follow the podcast on facebook.com/asitcomespod or Instagram @asitcomespod.
Follow the Estilo String Quartet:
Facebook.com/estilostring4
Instagram: @estilostring4
Friday Mar 27, 2020
Friday Mar 27, 2020
Episode 18 is brought to you from lockdown restrictions – you know the drill. My guest is Rocío Bolaños – a clarinettist, experimental and improvising musician who works with Distractfold Ensemble. We chatted a couple weeks ago (it feels like a lifetime ago) about teaching instruments you don’t play, being in the moment while making music, what to say to haters of new music, as well as that time she had to perform as a lung and what she would play if she hadn’t chosen the clarinet.
Music college certainly didn’t prepare any of us for lockdown, so thanks to those who’ve shared with me what they’ve been up to recently, which seems to include a whole lot of online teaching.
What have you been doing in lockdown? Let me know: asitcomespodcast@gmail.com or get in touch via Facebook or Instagram @asitcomespod – at least for the cat and silly video content.
Distractfold Ensemble: http://www.distractfold.co.uk/
Photo credit: Dimitri Djuric.
Friday Mar 13, 2020
Friday Mar 13, 2020
My 17th episode features a chat with an old uni friend: Kiwi violinist and avid consumer of icecream Amalia Hall, whom I caught up with while she was in London Listen to us chat about collaborating with living composers, staying positive and well during travelling, her roles as a soloist, concertmaster of Orchestra Wellington and violinist of NZTrio, and adjusting to your teachers becoming your colleagues.
Friday Feb 28, 2020
Friday Feb 28, 2020
Hello to all you wonderful people from around the globe!
Kiwi pianist and coffee-drinker John-Paul Muir is my guest in this episode. There is a lot of chat about food and coffee, as well JP’s recent travels, the challenges of teaching and playing in different styles, and his new album “The Cornerstone Suite”.
Our “Music College Didn’t Prepare Me” segment is dedicated to the fine art that is depping. Got an experience music college didn’t prepare you for that you’d like to share or have discussed on the podcast? Let me know: asitcomespodcast@gmail.com, Facebook or Instagram @asitcomespod.
Mentioned in this episode:
Facebook.com/jpmuirpianist
Johnpaulmuir.com