The Counterpoint Club

The final episode of The Counterpoint Club’s first series, Opus 1, explores the wide variety of careers in the music industry. Justin first looks at the history of professional chamber music ensembles in America. Willie interviews Alyssa Saint, violinist and Associate Director of Admission at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music, about her advice to high school students on the application process and what to look for in a university music degree program. Special guest, internationally renowned violin soloist Augustin Hadelich, talks with Sarah and Justin about becoming a successful performer, what inspires him, social media, and much more.

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Episode 1 of The Counterpoint Club is titled Once Upon a Time. In this episode, we discuss creating characters in our music as we rehearse and constructing a narrative arc across each movement of music. Willie takes a deep dive into the second movement of Beethoven’s String Quartet in F major, Op. 18, No. 1, which is thought to be based on the story of Romeo and Juliet.

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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 experiences as both musicians and their own podcast guests.

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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 his recent film scoring credits include the 2021 Oscar-nominated short “If Anything Happens I Love You,” the 2021 Sundance film, Wild Hearts, and major cinematic releases from Mulan to the Mandalorian.

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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 in 1826. Next, Brandon, (who plays violin in Skyros and a band called Keltoi, in addition to being an award-winning Irish fiddler and singer, and a fantastic composer), offers advice on collaborative composition and rehearsal in small group settings like a folk band. In our guest interview, Sarah and Justin are joined by Mic Vredenburgh, a cellist and good friend, who spent several years touring in a rock band. Finally, the members of Skyros share their favorite non-classical musicians and music genres in the Skyros Chat.

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