AS: “What were some of the more popular styles when you were growing up?”
TL: “I would say the popular Top 40 Radio was very popular at the time. That was the 70s kind of rock and roll. That’s what I listened to.”
AS: “Okay... What kind of music did you like the most?”
TL: “Oh gosh, classical. I grew up with in the house with lost of classical too, so that’s a wide variety.”
AS: “Did you have a favorite song when you were younger?”
TL: “Gosh, did I have favorite song? I don’t think I had a favorite song; I think I loved them all. That’s a terrible answer.”
AS: “No that’s okay. Do you have a favorite now?”
TL: “Um, anything Brazilian or anything mandolin... Right now I would say “Mara’s Sleeping Song” by Catarina Lichtenberg would be my favorite song.”
AS: “Okay... Did you have a kind of music you hated when you were growing up?”
TL: “Well, no, not really. I... no. Laughing. I can’t think of any musical style that I hated.”
AS: “Did you and your parents ever have any disagreements onto what kind of music you should be listening to?”
TL: “Oh, I never had the choice. When my parents were in the room, we were listening to classical music.”
AS: “Hmm. Okay.”
TL: “And that was a good thing.”
AS: “Okay... Have you ever met any famous musicians?”
TL: “Very few actually. We met Sierra Hall in an elevator in Bristol, VA. She was on her way to a gig with three mandolins strapped all around her, and she ran into the elevator right as the doors were closing. We were like ‘YOUR’E SIERRA HALL’!”
AS: “Oh wow!”
TL: “It was awesome”
AS: “Did you ever esperience any global music through travel or other means?”
TL: “No, I think the most global music I played were symphonies, that were written mostly by the Great European Masters: Brahms, Beethoven...those. If that would be considered world music. That was my favorite genre in college.”
AS: “Okay; what you do you think of today’s music?”
TL: “I think today’s technology that allows anybody to publish anything they want opened up a huge creative field. I think music in general is getting better as the technology for producing music is better. Better instruments, better recording techniques, better everything really... As for the quality of music, I don’t think that the great classics will ever be beaten. Bach, Beethoven, Brahms.”
AS: “Okay.. What is your first memory of music?”
TL: “My mother playing the violin.”
AS: “Did you and Ms. Karen ever have any “special song?”
TL: “We both love Sting, the base player from The Police, who went off on his own after the band broke up, and he produced many albums of beautiful love songs that we have enjoyed together. He’s one of our favorite musicians.”
AS: “Hmm. Okay. Did you have any special music that you sang or played to your daughter when she was little?”
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TL: “Not outside of the standard lullabies... Just mostly lullabies.
AS: “Okay... I think that’s it.”
TL: “Oh, alright. So no hard questions there, thank you.”
Lightly Edited
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Ted Luchtenberg and Carrera Stamile playing El Diablo Suelto (Brazilian choro.)
I liked the video of your sister's mandolin teacher and I think it was cool that Ted had an opportunity to meet Sierra Hall in an elevator.
ReplyDeleteI've always wanted to see someone play the mandolin! The video is awesome! Haha i loved his part where you asked him what his favorite song was...he said "that was a terrible answer" haha that is a hard question to ask though. I don't even know if I could think of a favorite right now, it usually varies.
ReplyDeleteI looked up "Mara’s Sleeping Song" and it' lovely. His personality really showed through with this interview. He seems very funny. The video at the end with your sister was cute. 😊
ReplyDelete-Hayley
The video of them playing El Diablo Suelto is amazing, theyre both really talented. Also it's cool that he grew up listening to so much classical, I also grew up with a lot of classical but that's just because i liked it lol!
ReplyDeleteBy far my favorite answer was when he said that the first memory of music was his mother playing the violin. For many of us who didn’t grow up with a musical family, our first memory may not be related to a loved one. I also thought that the duet featuring your sister was very beautiful.
ReplyDeleteI really enjoyed watching the video at the end! You can tell how passionate he is in this interview.
ReplyDeleteTanjae H
It's really interesting to gain insight through your interview into what it is like to grow up in a musical family. No one close to me as a child played an instrument, and my parents definitely didn't listen to classical music.
ReplyDeleteYou interviewed Ted! We actually performed together about this time last year on Randy Foster's "There Goes the Neighborhood" CD release concert--we'd both recorded songs on that album. In fact, Randy's doing a follow-up concert this coming Thursday night at Chapman, so maybe I'll get to play with him again :)
ReplyDelete