Hello and I'm

and welcome to sticky notes, the classical music podcast. My name is Joshua Weilerstein, I'm a conductor, and I'm the artistic director of the Lozan Chamber Orchestra in Lozan Switzerland. This podcast is for anyone who loves classical music, works in the field, or is just getting ready to dive in to this amazing world of incredible music.

Before we get started, I want to thank my Patreon sponsors Andrew, Matt, Katerina, Edwin, Chad, and Walter for making season two possible.

If you would like to help out the show monetarily, please check out our Patreon page,

Patreon.com slash sticky notes podcast. Thanks and enjoy the show.

First of all, sorry to everyone for last week, but I couldn't even record an introduction

to this week's shows in the state I was in, so thanks very

much for your patience.

Today I'm thrilled to have with me the Grammy Award-winning Metso Soprano, Sasha Cook, on the show to begin the week of opera interviews. We taped this interview at the end of May when we worked together for a world premiere of Mason Bates' Passage with the National Symphony in Washington, D.C.

The occasion was a centennial concert marking the birth of President John F. Kennedy.

In between rehearsals, we sat down to talk about life on the road, becoming a singer, multitasking, improv comedy, and a whole lot more.

Thanks to Sasha for joining me and thanks to you for listening today.

Don't miss later in the week I'll have another interview with the incredible

bass baritone Eric Owens. For now let's get right into the interview with

Sasha. So big welcome to Sasha Cook, thanks for coming on. We're talking a little quietly because your daughter is sleeping in the next year.

So I always start kind of at the beginning of your life or of all the guest life. So I'm just so you started out as a pianist yeah I mean I

started I hesitate to say that amongst musicians because I can't compete with any

but I started early I really wanted a piano and it was the

sanctuary for me always and it became something rather competitive but that's

usually the case when you enter into any field and what I like

about it is that regardless of what was going on in school or where I didn't

you know compete as fast as the other girls or whatever it was, I could always make music, you know, in my own space and it's been a huge asset.

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