Damien Sneed is an award-winning musician, conductor, composer and arts educator who works across classical, jazz, R&B and other genres. When he was five years old, Sneed’s parents told him he was adopted. He walks us through the story of how, through a series of dreams and coincidences, he eventually reunited with his biological family and learned to accept the complexity of life and music alike.
In this episode, Sneed reflects on how playing Liszt’s Étude No 3, “Un Sospiro,” for both his biological and adoptive mothers allowed him to finally loosen his grip around ideas of adoption, rejection and acceptance.
This performance of Franz Liszt’s “Concert Etude No. 3” is by André Watts from his EMI record, “André Watts Plays Liszt - Album 2." The performance of “The Will of God” is by Karen Clarke Sheard and Kierra Sheard from the Island Black Music record “Finally Karen."
Anne-Sophie Mutter on Why Bach Is Always the Answer
Víkingur Ólafsson on the Unpredictable Futurism of Rameau
Garth Greenwell on Finding Refuge in the Music of Britten and Pears
Jennifer Egan on Chopin's Narrative Masterclass
Rowan Williams on Bach and the Daily Discipline of Silence
Dexter Filkins on Tension, Tenderness, and Ravel
Marin Alsop on Beethoven and Humanity’s Infinite Potential
Nathalie Joachim on the Connection Between Brahms and Haiti
Elizabeth Day on Jacqueline du Pré’s Elgar and Navigating Loss
Deborah Frances-White on Chance Encounters and Mozart
Tom Hiddleston on Arvo Pärt and the Infinite
The Open Ears Project Returns!
BONUS: Tom Hiddleston on The Nutcracker
30. Esther Perel on Peace
29. Krystal Hawes on Imperfection
28. Dessa on Patience
27. Jesse Eisenberg on History
26. Christopher Wheeldon on A Journey
25. Megan Reid on What Changed My Life
Create your
podcast in
minutes
It is Free
Irish Songs with Ken Murray
Immediately Kinfolk
Turned On
Resident by Hernan Cattaneo
Markus Schulz presents Global DJ Broadcast