Media Contact:
Liz Huff, officialandnowthemusic@gmail.com
440-754-0753
New Podcast Spotlights Northeast Ohio's Talented Musicians
And Now The Music, Presented by Co-founders Liz Huff and Bruce Gigax, Features Interviews and Jazz and Classical Performances
September 22, 2022 (CLEVELAND, OH) — It's no secret that Northeast Ohio's music scene is bursting with talent. A new podcast, And Now The Music (facebook.com/andnowthemusic), aims to spotlight some of the region's jazz and classical talent with behind-the-scenes interviews and incredible performances.
"Think a format similar to the NPR show Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, but for many different instruments, and performers playing jazz, world, and classical music," says co-founder/host Liz Huff.
The idea for And Now The Music came together in late June 2020, arising out of a conversation between Huff and Bruce Gigax, the latter the long-time audio engineer for The Cleveland Orchestra. "When Bruce called me up to see if I was interested in doing a project together, I said, 'Absolutely!'" says Huff, who's also a vocalist and co-founder of Notes To Music Productions along with Gigax. "It was early in the pandemic, and I was thrilled to have something creative to work on that would give other musicians a creative outlet as well. I love interviewing our guests—we've got great conversations and great music!"
Ensuring both the interviews and performances were of high-quality audio was important to both Huff and Gigax. Luckily, the latter owned his own studio, Audio Recording Studio, which gave the pair more control over their sound "I had watched other livestreams and became convinced that you didn't need to sacrifice sound quality when presenting performances online," Gigax says. "Since I had a real recording studio, I thought we could do a good job presenting people's musical skills to a broader audience. An added bonus was hearing a variety of talents, too."
And Now the Music's first episodes feature:
The latter episode of the podcast also encouraged Huff to release a digital EP, Jazz That Classical Harp, featuring the songs she and Stokes performed. "The podcast has been such fun, and I've been really gratified by the positive responses and support from listeners," Huff says. "It occurred to me, 'Hey, we should release the tunes for people who want the song list!' Calvin plays so beautifully, and it was such a joy to perform with him, I thought this would be a good place to start for a digital EP."
And Now the Music is available via Apple Music, Amazon, Stitcher, Spotify, and wherever podcasts are found. Expect the podcast's second series coming later this winter.
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About Liz Huff: A versatile performer, Liz Huff does concert work, theater, improv, and collaborative arts projects throughout the Midwest and locations as far-flung as Estonia, Northern Ireland, and Finland. Music and comedy have led Liz to performing on many diverse
stages and venues including Severance Hall, internationally renowned jazz venue Nighttown, and the Del Close Marathon at the Upright Citizens Brigade in NYC.
As an educator, Liz teaches improv at Baldwin Wallace Community Arts School, leads
musical theater/opera masterclasses, storytelling and communication workshops, and coaches voice. An advocate for new work in theater and music, Liz has premiered works by composers including Ryan Charles Ramer and Marshall Griffith, and by playwrights John Busser and Molly McFadden. A graduate of the Cleveland Institute of Music, she studied improv at The Annoyance Theater in Chicago.
About Bruce Gigax: Bruce Gigax retired from his long-time gig as audio engineer for The Cleveland Orchestra, now focused on classical, jazz, and choral recording projects.
About Calvin Stokes: Cleveland, Ohio, native Calvin Stokes is the winner of the 1995 Lyon & Healy Harpfest® International Jazz/Pop Harp Competition. He later went on to earn Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees in Music Performance from the Cleveland Institute of Music under the tutelage of world-renowned harpist, Alice Chalifoux. He has performed with major orchestras across the United States. It was while touring Europe that this Tanglewood alum played in his first jazz "jam session.”
This versatile artist can be found on various recordings ranging from classical pieces by 20th century American composers to jumping into the fray with rock-leaning bands. Currently, he performs various concerts around the country ranging from classical to jazz using his friendly, relaxed stage presence to expand the awareness and perceptions of the harp. This multi-talented performer has also made several television appearances both as a harpist and an actor.