Podcast - Ed Bazel,  Michael Repper, and Kandace Cornell

David Fogel Interviews 
Pianist/Composer Ed Bazel, 
GRAMMY®-Winning Conductor Michael Repper, 
and Producer Kandace Cornell

 

Ed Bazel

Prolific pianist and award-winning composer Ed Bazel proudly announces the release of RÊVERIE, a breathtaking new instrumental album recorded with the London Philharmonic Orchestra at the iconic Abbey Road Studios in London. Featuring 12 of Bazel's most beloved compositions from his acclaimed solo piano albums, A Weekend in Marin and The London Sessions I & II, RÊVERIE reimagines these cherished works in sweeping, cinematic orchestral arrangements, marking a landmark moment in Bazel's celebrated musical career. RÊVERIE is currently submitted for GRAMMY® consideration in Best Contemporary Instrumental Album.

Known for his elegant instrumentals, soul-stirring melodies, and polished performances, prize-winning pianist and celebrated composer Ed Bazel is releasing RÊVERIE as his seventh acclaimed contemporary instrumental studio album. Based in Southern California, Bazel’s performance credits boast top destinations, including Hyatt hotels and the Ritz Carlton. Bazel is also the founder of The River Of Calm radio station (125k+ listeners monthly) with philanthropic projects designed to comfort chemotherapy patients. 

A regular recording artist at prestigious locations, including Abbey Road Studios and Skywalker Sound, Bazel has collaborated with GRAMMY®-winning talent and has cultivated a robust body of work that can stand alongside some of the world’s top instrumental artists.

Michael Repper

Conductor Michael Repper is the youngest North American conductor to win a GRAMMY® Award in Best Orchestral Performance. His album with the New York Youth Symphony, which features debut recordings of works by Florence Price, Jessie Montgomery, and Valerie Coleman, achieved widespread critical acclaim, reached #1 on the Billboard Chart, and marked the first time a youth orchestra had won a GRAMMY in that category. 

His album Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Toussaint L'Ouverture, Ballade Op. 4, Suites from "24 Negro Melodies," performed by the National Philharmonic and featuring Curtis Stewart, received two Grammy nominations for Best Orchestral Performance and Best Classical Solo Performance. 

Repper is currently the Music Director of the Ashland Symphony Orchestra, Mid-Atlantic Symphony Orchestra, and the Northern Neck Orchestra of Virginia.  He recently concluded tenures as Music Director of the New York Youth Symphony, and as Principal Conductor of Sinfonía por el Perú. Repper was the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Conducting Fellow for two seasons, and he served as the BSO's New Music Consultant. Recognizing his success at these ensembles, and his growing profile as a guest conductor all over the world, Repper was awarded a Solti Foundation US Career Assistance Award in 2020, 2021, 2022, and 2023.

Repper's most influential conducting mentors are Marin Alsop and the late Gustav Meier. He believes that a conductor's main role is to connect people and to use performance as a vehicle for positive change. 

Kandace Cornell

Kandace Cornell is a producer of RÊVERIE, the latest album by award-winning composer and pianist, Ed Bazel. She is also the project’s creative director, and a media and public relations specialist. Also an accomplished screenwriter and film director, with a musical background, Cornell made her directorial debut in 2018 with her award-winning short film, THE JUST. Written and directed by Cornell, the film has been celebrated internationally with awards and nominations in the international festival circuit, including three Best Director wins. Cornell has worked in Original Programming & Television Development at Sony Pictures, and in the development offices of notable film producers, including Brett Ratner and Lynda Obst. Beginning her career as a magazine writer and editor, she also has a Masters degree in Journalism from Emerson College, and is a graduate of the UCLA Screenwriting program in film and television writing. She has studied in Paris, Florence, Boston, and Washington DC, and currently resides in Southern California.

Please enjoy this long-format conversation between David Fogel (CEO, The Symphonina Foundation) and Ed Bazel,  Michael Repper, and Kandace Cornell.