A Conversation with Composer Caroline Shaw

A Conversation with Composer Caroline Shaw

Author: Joshua Weilerstein October 18, 2024 Duration: 47:32

Caroline Shaw is one of the most fascinating, innovative, and brilliant composers of our time. Since winning the Pulitzer Prize in 2013, she rocketed onto the scene and has stayed there ever since, writing music that has captivated audiences around the world. In this conversation, which dates back to 2020(so there is a bit of pandemic talk at the beginning), we talked about her musical upbringing, the shock and surprise of her Pulitzer win, her compositional process, and much much more. This was a really fun and edifying conversation and I hope you enjoy it as much as I did! 


There’s a particular kind of curiosity that draws people to classical music, but the sheer scale of the repertoire can feel overwhelming. Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast, hosted by conductor Joshua Weilerstein, meets that curiosity right where it is. Think of it as a series of open conversations about the music itself, designed to be equally engaging for someone hearing a symphony for the first time and for a lifelong devotee. Episodes might feature a thoughtful interview with a performing artist, offering a glimpse behind the curtain, or they could focus entirely on a single piece, peeling back its layers to explore why it resonates. Weilerstein guides these explorations with clarity and enthusiasm, moving seamlessly from foundational concepts to more nuanced details about different musical eras. The entire premise of this podcast is built on a genuine belief that this music belongs to all of us. It’s about replacing any sense of intimidation with connection and understanding. While past seasons are gradually being re-released, each episode stands as its own invitation to listen more deeply.
Author: Language: English Episodes: 284

Sticky Notes: The Classical Music Podcast
Podcast Episodes
Mozart, The Music, The Myth, The Legend, w/ Jan Swafford [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 59:52
"I think Mozart just really loved people." - Jan Swafford. For the Season 8 Finale, I had the great pleasure of welcoming back Jan Swafford, the great writer on music, who has written a spectacular new biography of Mozar…
The Life and Music of George Gershwin [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 43:15
George Gershwin's story is like the story of so many American immigrants. His mother and father, Moishe and Rose Gershowitz, were Russian Jews who came to New York City in the 1890s looking for a better life and to escap…
Haydn Symphony No. 94, "Surprise" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 39:41
If you want to understand how a symphony works, look no further than the works of the Father of the symphony, Joseph Haydn. In 1790, a concert promoter and impresario named Johann Peter Solomon showed up un-announced at…
Derrick Skye: "Prisms, Cycles, and Leaps" w/ Derrick Skye [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:27
Derrick Skye is one of the most creative, innovative, and brilliant composers of our time. His orchestral work, Prisms, Cycles, and Leaps is a musical thrill ride spanning influences from literally all over the world, fr…
The Music of Olivier Messiaen [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:34
There is one composer who I've never devoted a full show to that fills me with the same devotion and ecstasy as the people who claim that Wagner almost immediately dissolves them into tears. His music is widely played, b…
Dvorak Symphony No. 8 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:00:01
Bucolic. Sunny. Cheerful. Joyous. Folksy. Ebullient. Thrilling. These are all words that I found while researching Dvorak's 8th symphony. Dvorak's gift for writing the most gorgeous of melodies is on full display in his…
Mendelssohn Symphony No. 4, "Italian" [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 47:05
How does a composer capture the spirit of a country, especially if it's not his native land? Mendelssohn, in his Italian Symphony, gives us one of the best examples of someone doing just that, giving us a tightly integra…
Brahms Piano Quartet in G Minor (+Schoenberg!) [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 58:22
Today I'm going to be talking about one piece, but in two different ways. I'm going to start today with an in-depth look at Brahms' Piano Quartet in G Minor, an early piece of his that reveals an incredible sense of dram…
Berio Folk Songs [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 55:52
In 1964, the popular 20th century composer Luciano Berio was commissioned by Mills College in California to write a piece for voice and chamber orchestra. What Berio came up with is one of his most remarkably creative wo…
Prokofiev Symphony No. 5 [not-audio_url] [/not-audio_url]

Duration: 1:03:05
It's very easy to compare Sergei Prokofiev to Dmitri Shostakovich. They are the two most famous representatives of Soviet and Russian music of the 20th century, they lived around the same time, and their music even has s…