This Grammy-Winning Orchestra Conductor Wants You to Stop Being Afraid of Classical Music

In this episode, we are going to do something extraordinary. We are going to demystify classical music with the help of a Grammy-winning maestro, because Catalyst listeners deserve only the best. James Blachly is an orchestra conductor.

He loves the three Bs: Bach, Beethoven, and Brahms. But he's winning acclaim for reintroducing the world to outstanding composers whose scores might literally disintegrate if not for the excavation work he and his collaborators perform. And he's making it okay to dance like a maniac to the Rite of Spring.

Any industry like classical music that is designed to consistently produce peak performance can feel imposing. Excellence requires a great deal of effort. But James reminds us that all that effort isn't worth anything unless it builds connections between people.

1:15 The surreal experience of winning a Grammy over Zoom

2:45 The M word

5:10 Elitism within classical music

6:00 James is proud to be a bridge into classical music and describes orchestral listening as one of the most profound shared human experiences.

11:30 What hearing a great orchestra in a great hall and attending a Major League Baseball game for the first time have in common

12:40 An orchestral performance is uniquely designed to produce peak human experiences on a regular basis

16:16 Jame’s upbringing. He did not grow up in a castle.

20:28 Experiential Orchestra lives up to its title

22:10 The Rite of Spring dance party

23:28 A lot of classical music was originally written as dance music, not for passive listening.

27:45 Imagining music from someone else’s ears

28:35 Historical concert practices differed dramatically from today’s expectations. There was food and conversation. Plus: the origin of the encore.

31:36 James’ Grammy-winning work expanding the classical canon.

39:05 Building and maintaining a career as an artist

41:00 Conductors get better with age.

43:53 How the Grammy changed James’ career