Living the Classical Life

“I never saw music as a career.”

Since his first solo appearance with The Cleveland Orchestra in 1977, Mr. Cohen has been featured as soloist in nearly 200 performances — at Severance Hall, Carnegie Hall, Blossom Music Center, and on tour throughout the United States, Asia and Europe. He has also been a featured artist with many of the world’s leading chamber groups. His former students hold principal positions in major orchestras in North America, Europe, Mexico and Asia. (Episode 29)

“I felt my life was over.”

In an intensely personal conversation, Grammy-winning oboist Alex Klein traces the ups and downs of a most unusual career, from a childhood with attention deficit and learning to play without an instrument, to becoming the Principal Oboist of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra. In a first for the show, the symptoms of musician’s dystonia are demonstrated visually and through an emotional account of how to live with a crippling condition. Full of anecdotes, musical and artistic concepts, and confessions, this episode is sure to have viewers talking. (Episode 51)