Ask the Music Director

Today I’ll be talking with Twin Cities musical icon Leslie Ball. Leslie has performed on theater stages and in music clubs around the region and the country, and her first solo recording “Loring Park” earned her a Minnesota Music Award for best female songwriter. Many musicians, including Helen Reddy and Nick Lowe, have performed and recorded Leslie’s material.

In August of 1991, she launched BALLS Cabaret, a weekly experimental stage for artists of any discipline, at any level of experience. BALLS continually wins awards as the best open stage in town, and was cited in The New York Times as a “must-see” while in the Twin Cities. The local press often refers to Leslie as “the den mother of the Twin Cities art community.” We spoke at my studio in North Minneapolis.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: Leslie gets to ask the Music Director!

You can find Leslie on the web at LeslieBall.com.

This episode brings us to the end of the Spring 2018 season of Ask the Music Director, and I want to thank you all so much for listening. I hope you’ve enjoyed meeting this talented group of Twin Cities music makers, and maybe you’ve even learned a thing or two from me, the music director, along the way. What have I learned? That I seem to be drawn to people engaged in work on the fringes. From Tyler Michaels’ new theater company to James Rocco’s avant garde art to Leslie Ball’s weekly experimental cabaret, I always want to hear about the new, the exciting, the cutting edge. I hope the same is true for you as well!

I will be back in the fall of 2018 with a whole new set of interviews, but in the meantime I hope you will subscribe to the podcast. There will be a bonus episode or two coming this summer, and I wouldn’t want you to miss anything! Do you have any comments? Questions? Suggestions? You can always reach me on Facebook, @askthemdpodcast, or on the web page askthemdpodcast.com. Send your friends to find us on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODE NOTES Episode duration: 53:51 At 40:17 Leslie Ball sings “A Cappella” from Painting It Red (duration: 1:37). Composers: Leslie Ball and Gary Rue Publisher: Loose Canon Used by permission. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’ll be talking with James A. Rocco, who began his career as the youngest member of the (Art) Linkletter Totten Tots. Since then he has worked around the world, from Broadway to Tokyo, garnering accolades and awards from critics and audiences alike.

Most recently, he was the Vice President of Programming and Producing Artistic Director at The Ordway Center for the Performing Arts in Saint Paul, where he booked distinctive Broadway tours like August, Osage County and Next To Normal; participated as a producing partner on the Broadway productions of The Color Purple and Fun Home; and produced Ordway’s Award Winning productions of Love, Janis, Cabaret, Jesus Christ Superstar, West Side Story, In The Heights and Grey Gardens. His Broadway Songbook Series was one of the Ordway’s most anticipated yearly events.

He is a Broadway actor and director who has sung with Frank Sinatra and Herbie Hancock, and we spoke at my studio in North Minneapolis.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: James gets to ask the Music Director!

You can find James on the web at jamesrocco.com and broadwaysongbook.com.

Thanks for listening. Do you have any comments? Questions? Suggestions? You can always reach me on Facebook, @askthemdpodcast, or on the web page askthemdpodcast.com. Remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODE NOTES Episode duration: 50:07 At 37:36 James Rocco sings “Lullaby of Broadway” from Forty-Second Street (duration: 3:22). Dennis Curley accompanies on the piano. Composers: Al Dubin and Harry Warren Publisher: Warner Bros. Music, a division of Warner Bros. Inc. Licensed through Harry Fox Agency. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved. James’ headshot by Bruce Alan Johnson

Today I’ll be talking with Leslie Vincent, one of the most exciting up-and-coming singer/actors in the Twin Cities. She has been seen on stage at the History Theatre, Park Square, and TRP, and is a regular on the independent theater circuit, including the Minnesota Fringe Festival. She has single-handedly put Monday nights at Minneapolis’ Troubadour Wine Bar on the map with her Cab Cabarets. In my humble opinion, she imbues every performance with a captivating blend of vulnerability and strength, and her powerhouse voice is truly unique and unforgettable. We spoke at my studio in north Minneapolis.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: Leslie gets to ask the Music Director!

You can find Leslie on Facebook, and on Twitter and Instagram with the handle @KillerKweeen.

Thanks for listening. Do you have any comments? Questions? Suggestions? You can always reach me on Facebook, @askthemdpodcast, or on the web page askthemdpodcast.com. Remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODE NOTES Episode duration: 42:46 At 34:05 Leslie Vincent sings “You Know I’m No Good” by Amy Winehouse (duration: 3:50). Composer: Amy Winehouse Publisher: EMI Blackwood Music Inc. on behalf of EMI Music Publishing, Ltd. Licensed through Harry Fox Agency. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved. Leslie’s headshot by Craig VanDerSchaegen

Today I am lucky enough to be talking with Tyler Michaels, a Twin Cities-based actor/singer who first came to prominence with noted performances at Minneapolis Musical Theatre and Bloomington Civic Theatre, but very quickly rose to take on starring roles with Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, Theater Latté Da, Children’s Theater Company, Ordway Center and the Guthrie. In 2014 he was named City Pages’ Artist of the Year, and he won the Ivey Award for Emerging Artist that same year. He is the founder and Artistic Director of Trademark Theater Company, and also a founding member of the Bearded Company improv troupe. We spoke at my studio in north Minneapolis.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: Tylergets to ask the Music Director!

Thanks for listening. Do you have any comments? Questions? Suggestions? You can always reach me on Facebook, @askthemdpodcast, or on the web page askthemdpodcast.com. Remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODENOTES Episode duration: 44:23 At 33:26 Tyler Michaels sings “How Glory Goes” from Floyd Collins (duration: 3:42). Dennis Curley accompanies on the piano. Composer: Adam Guettel Publisher: Williamson Music Co. on behalf of Matthew Music Licensed through Harry Fox Agency. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved.

Today I’ll be talking with Sally Ann Wright, a true Twin Cities theater veteran and one of my very favorite people! Sally’s resume is varied and eclectic, boasting plays like Agnes of God, Dixie Swim Club, Richard III and Twilight of the Golds, as well as iconic musical roles like Mama Rose in Gypsy at Artistry and Mrs. Potts in Beauty and the Beast at Ordway Center for the Performing Arts. She has twice been named Best Actress by Lavender Magazine. We spoke at her home in White Bear Lake.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: Sally gets to ask the Music Director!

Thanks for listening. Remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, Google Play, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODE NOTES Episode duration: 43:00 At 36:51 Sally Ann Wright sings “Sometimes” (duration: 1:39). Dennis Curley accompanies on the piano. Composers: Felice Mancini and Henry Nicola Mancini Publisher(s): Spirit Two Music on behalf of Northridge Music Co. Licensed through Harry Fox Agency. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved. Sally Ann’s headshot by Ann Marsden.

Today I’ll be talking with Dieter Bierbrauer, literally one of the hardest working actors in show business. He has been seen off Broadway and in regional theaters across the country, while locally he has performed for Theater Latté Da, Chanhassen Dinner Theaters, Ordway Center for the Performing Arts, and the Guthrie. His resume boasts some of the most sought-after roles for any musical theater performer, and I was lucky to catch him on a day off after opening his latest production. We spoke at my studio in north Minneapolis.

PART ONE: The Interview PART TWO: A Song PART THREE: Dieter gets to ask the Music Director!

Thanks for listening. Remember to subscribe on Apple Podcasts, the iTunes Store, or wherever you get your podcasts—and if you get a chance, leave us a review! It’ll help others find their way to us. Thank you!

EPISODE NOTES Episode duration: 44:35 At 33:27 Dieter Bierbrauer sings “What Is It About Her?” from The Wild Party (duration: 3:02). Dennis Curley accompanies on the piano. Composer/Lyricist: Andrew Edwin Lippa Publisher(s): Lippasongs/Warner Bros. Music Corporation Licensed through Harry Fox Agency. This recording ©2018 by Dennis Curley. All Rights Reserved. Theme music: “Let’s Start Where We’re At” — music ©2010 by Dennis Curley, lyrics ©2010 by James Arthur Robinson. All Rights Reserved. Dieter’s headshot is by Dani Werner.

The Twin Cities of Minneapolis and St. Paularehome to an incredibly vital and vibrant live theater scene, and we are also a hub for commercial production, film production, and music of all kinds. The backbone of all of these artistic endeavors is the community of gifted singers, actors, directors and music makers that populates our Cities, and I am fortunate enough to have gotten to know and work with many of them. Welcome to Ask the Music Director!

This is a podcast where I get to interview some of my favorite performers and directors about what makes them who they are, and they get to ask me, the music director, anything they want! I’m your host, Dennis Curley, and I think you will enjoy getting to know these talented folks as much as I have.

Our first season begins next week as I interview singer/actor Dieter Bierbrauer.

Here's how it works:I ask my guest some questions, they ask me a few questions, we have a nice chat together, and then perhaps most importantly, every guest willsing! You definitely don’t want to miss that. Hopefully you’ll learn something about these talented locals that you didn’t know before, and you may even pick up a professional tip or two from me. Over the next six weeks I will also be talking with Sally Ann Wright, Tyler Michaels, Leslie Vincent, James Rocco, and Leslie Ball. In the fall of 2018 I will come out with another half season — and yes, I’m calling each six-episode collection a “half season.” I’m not British enough to say that six makes a full season. I hope you’ll subscribe at AskTheMDPodcast.com, on iTunes, or wherever you get your podcasts.