Hilary Seabrook - writer, podcaster, musician

The violin and piano duo  Opus Two  brings sparkling music and they joined me for some sparkling conversation - albeit across the miles. Opus Two's latest album is an arrangement of Stephen Sondheim's  A Little Night Music: Suite for Violin and Piano  from the pen of veteran Broadway composer Eric Stern.  This is a lovely release and it was a pleasure to discuss it with violinist William Terwilliger and pianist Andrew Copperstock. Thanks to William and Andrew for allowing me to use clips from the suite alongside our conversation.

The stunning harp of  Tara Minton  begins this episode , as the harpist and I discuss her latest album and the joy of working with musicians such as here duo partner bassist  Ed Babar  and producer, bassist and arranger  Geoff Gascoyne .     On  Two For the Road , we hear Tara and Ed in their own contribution to the the Great American Songbook and the modern British jazz canon. Gascoyne and Babar's contributions are evident and this is a wonderful album that is definitely on my 2022 favourites list, even at this early stage of the year.     Thanks to Tara for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.

In a rare twist to the usual format for Harmonious World, I was not speaking to either the performer or the composer of the album I had been listening to. This time, I was speaking to renowned conductor  JoAnn Falletta  on her work to bring the performances of pianist  Claudette Sorel  to the listening world.     Claudette Sorel Rediscovered   is a double DC showcasing the late pianist in solo works and American concertos, all taken from her out-of-print recordings. This was a labour of love for  Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra  Music Director JoAnn Falletta and it was fascinating to discuss Sorel, the music and the process of bringing this music to life once more.     Thanks to JoAnn for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.

For the latest episode of Harmonious World , I was joined by singer songwriter  Kira Velella .     Kira's latest single is  You Light Me Up , which is probably what we all need right now, as we approach two years of pandemic and lockdowns.  You can find Kira on  Bandcamp , along with many of my other guests from past episodes.     Thanks to Kira for allowing me to use the track alongside our conversation.

The first Harmonious World episode of season 7 - and 2022 - features composer and pianist  Paul Edis .     The Still Point of the Turning World   brings Paul's stunning composing and performing zeal to this debut album on  Lateralize Records . We had a great chat about how Paul came to release this album and something about what the future holds.     Thanks to Paul for allowing me to use tracks from the album alongside our conversation.