Michigan Creates

Tune in to the latest episode of the Michigan Creates podcast, where host Ara Topouzian sits down for a spirited exchange with Victor Ghannam, a multifaceted musician renowned for his virtuosity on diverse instruments and his entrancing fusion compositions. Together, Ara and Victor embark on a journey through their shared love for music, unraveling Victor's captivating narrative as an artist and his illuminating perspectives on the essence of performance and the creative process in music.

Michigan Creates is a podcast series highlighting artists and art & culture organization in Michigan. Produced and hosted by Ara Topouzian, award winning traditional Armenian musician. Podcast theme music: Song: Sun Never Sets Music by: CreatorMix.com

Tune in to the latest episode of the Michigan Creates podcast, where host Ara Topouzian sits down Vince Paul, President & Artistic Director of Music Hall.

Music Hall in Detroit is a historic theater and performing arts venue located in the heart of downtown, known for its vibrant Art Deco architecture. It hosts a diverse array of performances, including Broadway shows, concerts, dance, and community events, contributing significantly to Detroit's cultural landscape.

Michigan Creates is a podcast series highlighting artists and art & culture organization in Michigan. Produced and hosted by Ara Topouzian, award winning traditional Armenian musician. Podcast theme music: Song: Sun Never Sets Music by: CreatorMix.com

Ara chats with clarinetist Dave Bennett.
Dave began his national touring career at the age of 14. He has been a featured soloist at Carnegie Hall with The New York Pops (2013) and has been featured with 35 other US and Canadian orchestras including Nashville, Houston, Detroit, Rochester, Omaha, Toronto, Calgary, Vancouver, Orlando, San Antonio, Jacksonville, Portland, OR and Portland, ME. Some of his annual appearances include The Elkhart Jazz Festival, The Suncoast Classic Jazz Festival, The Arizona Classic Jazz Festival, The Sacramento Hot Jazz Jubilee, The Clambake Music Festival, and The Redwood Coast Music Festival.
Dave has been featured on NPR Radio’s “Jazz at Riverwalk.” He made his European debut in 2008 at The Bern Jazz Festival (Switzerland) in a combo with jazz legends and Benny Goodman alumni guitarist Bucky Pizzarelli and vibraphonist Peter Appleyard. He has also shared the stage with Ken Peplowski, Byron Stripling, Marcus Printup, Aaron Diehl, and Bria Skonberg.
He has been featured soloist on several jazz cruises, performing with Harry Allen, Warren Vache, Allan Vache, Banu Gibson, and Tardo Hammer.
Dave is a recording artist on jazz label Mack Avenue Records. His second release, Blood Moon reached No. 24 on the Billboard Jazz charts in 2018.

Michigan Creates is a podcast series highlighting artists and art & culture organization in Michigan. Produced and hosted by Ara Topouzian, award winning traditional Armenian musician. Podcast theme music: Song: Sun Never Sets Music by: CreatorMix.com

Ara chats Sarah Clare Corporandy, Co- Founder of Detroit Public Theatre.
In addition to her role as Co-Founder and Producing Artistic Director with Detroit Public Theatre, Sarah Clare is entering her 11th season at Chautauqua Theater Company at the Chautauqua Institution in New York, where she serves as the Managing Director. During her time at CTC, she has also served as the line producer for the Inter-arts collaborations of The Romeo and Juliet Project and Go West. Sarah Clare served as Managing Director for Philadelphia’s celebrated interdisciplinary ensemble Pig Iron Theater Co. and as company manager for Barrington Stage and New York Stage & Film. She served as an artistic partner with the Canadian-American cross-border Breathe Art Theatre Project and on the advisory boards of New York Shakespeare Exchange and the Serenbe Playhouse in Georgia. From 2009-2012, Sarah Clare held a full-time professorship at Savannah College of Art and Design, teaching in the master’s program for arts administration on both the Savannah and Atlanta campuses and through their online eLearning program, for which she developed new course curricula. She currently serves as a professor at SCAD. Her work has been published in the International Journal of the Arts in Society.
Detroit Public Theatre produces nationally recognized plays and programs with world-class writers, directors, actors, and designers in the heart of Midtown Detroit’s thriving cultural district. We create bold, relevant work that illuminates the thrills, joys, and challenges of our shared human experience.

Michigan Creates is a podcast series highlighting artists and art & culture organization in Michigan. Produced and hosted by Ara Topouzian, award winning traditional Armenian musician. Podcast theme music: Song: Sun Never Sets Music by: CreatorMix.com

Ara chats with Michael Hyacinthe, Founder of Wimee TV, an interactive live kids show that encourages imagination, vocabulary building, and storytelling through puppetry, music, and wordplay. Michael is also a veteran of the U.S. Navy and used his experience with wounded veterans to find a creative and therapeutic outlet for them to express themselves.

Michigan Creates is a podcast series highlighting artists and art & culture organization in Michigan. Produced and hosted by Ara Topouzian, award winning traditional Armenian musician. Podcast theme music: Song: Sun Never Sets Music by: CreatorMix.com