We are delighted to be joined today by Alison Norris, who has served as one of our conducting fellows with the Canton Symphony Orchestra throughout the 2024-2025 season. A Cincinnati native, Alison originally earned a bachelor of science degree from Valparaiso University in Indiana before earning their Master of Music degree from the University of Wisconsin and professional studies diploma from Manhattan School of Music, both in orchestral conducting. They were the founding conductor of the STEM Wind Ensemble at Valparaiso, and have served as a cover conductor for the Madison Ballet and Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra. They also produced and conducted a large-scale performance of Messiaen’s massive Turangalila Symphony in New York City, in a concert which explored the intersection of contemporary music and gender expression. Alison will be joining us again in the 2025-2026 season, continuing their role as Conducting Fellow.

Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org.

On this episode of Orchestrating Change, we're honored to welcome the legendary Garrick Ohlsson—one of the greatest living concert pianists. With a career spanning over six decades, Ohlsson has performed in the world’s top concert halls and with leading orchestras around the globe. He made history in 1970 as the only American to win the International Chopin Piano Competition and later earned a Grammy Award for his Beethoven recordings.

We talk about his recent performance of Rachmaninoff’s Third Piano Concerto in Canton, his lifelong dedication to the art of piano, and his current role mentoring young artists at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music. From his roots in White Plains to his life in San Francisco, this is a deep dive into the extraordinary legacy of a true master.

Today we are delighted to be joined in person by operatic baritone Brian Keith Johnson. Brian has performed regularly with the Canton Symphony Orchestra throughout his career, most recently as Coalhouse Walker Jr. in last summer’s concert presentation of the musical Ragtime. He also appeared on Gerhardt Zimmermann’s final concert in April of 2023, singing Dvorak’s Te Deum and the Catalogue Aria from Mozart’s Don Giovanni. He has also appeared with the orchestras of Cleveland, Charlotte, and Akron, and has performed with opera companies throughout the region. Brian received his Bachelor of Music degree from the University of Akron, and also studied voice at the New Opera Academy of Rome and the American Institute of Musical Studies in Austria. In addition to his performing career, Brian taught vocal music in the Akron Public Schools system for 34.5 years before retiring last spring.

Orchestrating Change is available wherever you get your podcasts. Visit www.orchestratingchange.com/stay-informed to sign-up for email reminders, view past episodes, and see the various channels where you can view our content. For more information about everything else we are offering at this time, please visit www.cantonsymphony.org.