Bach, Community, the International Pride Orchestra

Bach, Community, the International Pride Orchestrawith Michael Roest‍  ‍founder & director, International Pride Orchestra  former Associate Dean of Academic Affairs, San Francisco Conservatory of MusicNicholas Phan sits down with Michael Roest — former Associate Dean of Academic Affairs at the San Francisco Conservatory of Music and founder of the International Pride Orchestra — to explore what Bach's music has to do with identity, community, and belonging. Michael shares how music became foundational to his life from fifth grade in Kenosha, Wisconsin, through Oberlin and Juilliard — and how that sense of belonging through music eventually led him to create the IPO, a global ensemble bringing together LGBTQ+ musicians to perform, commission new works, and celebrate queer artistry on a world stage. Along the way, they dig into what makes Bach's music so singularly adaptable — why it can be played on practically any instrument, why it keeps sounding fresh no matter how many times you've heard the Cello Suites, and why Bach might just be the rare composer who doesn't over-notate, even with so many notes on the page. The episode closes with an aria from Cantata 90 — a terrifying, virtuosic tenor piece about the end of times, filmed with the SFCM Baroque Ensemble.ARIAEs reißet euch ein schrecklich' Ende from Es reißet euch ein schrecklich' Ende, BWV 90PERFORMERSSFCM Baroque Ensemble | Elisabeth Reed & Corey Jamason, directors  Violin 1: Carla Moore (leader), Alexandra Santon, Cynthia Black, Eliana Estrada  Violin 2: Pauline Kempf, Annemarie Schubert, Luke Chiang  Viola: Jennifer Redondas, Caitlin Keen  Cello: Octavio Mujica, Hasan Abualhaj  Bass: Farley Pearce  Organ: Yunyi JiSOUND (BWV 90 only):  Chanho Han & Jason O'Connell | VIDEO (BWV 90 only): Clubsoda Productions with Edgar Garcia assisting | VIDEO (Interview): Nicholas PhanThis episode was filmed in partnership with the San Francisco Conservatory of Music.This project is a fiscally sponsored project of FRACTURED ATLAS.To find our more information and to make a TAX-DEDUCTIBLE donation to support the continuation of this project please visit:https://fundraising.fracturedatlas.org/nicholas-phan-recording-projects