Biography

Behind every melody lies a story—of persistence, creativity, and transformation. Think Music, hosted by cellist John-Henry Crawford, invites you into those stories through authentic conversations with musicians, producers, educators, and innovators shaping today’s sound. More than a podcast, it’s a community where we explore not just how music is made, but why it matters.

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From Juilliard to Paris: Mosa Tsay on Fulbright, Groupmuse, and Music Administration Join us in this intriguing episode featuring Mosa Tsay a Juilliard trained cellist and Executive Director of the Groupmuse Foundation. Mosa recounts her journey from studying environmental science and music at UC Berkeley to being awarded a Fulbright scholarship that granted her a transformative year in Paris. We delve into her deep reflections on the role of silence in music, her passion for house concerts through Groupmuse, and insights on overcoming challenges for musicians. Discover how Mosa navigates her multiple roles, including her work for the Groupmuse Foundation and The Juilliard School, all while balancing being a new parent. 00:00 Introduction to the Fulbright Year in Paris 00:11 Discovering Groupmuse 00:33 A Conversation with Mosa 01:23 Mosa’s Journey from Childhood to College 03:06 The Intersection of Music and Environmental Science 04:12 Exploring Silence in Music 11:27 The Fulbright Experience in Paris 18:27 Understanding Groupmuse 25:12 Exploring Arts Administration 25:41 The Concert Organizing Process 27:52 How to host a Groupmuse 31:24 Groupmuse Foundation's Mission 37:59 Challenges for Young Musicians 43:09 Balancing Motherhood and Career 45:47 Final Thoughts and Reflections
Mosa Tsay: The Groupmuse Queen - Op.4
In this episode, Dr. Philip Lasser, a prominent music composer and professor at The Juilliard School, shares his extensive journey through the realms of classical music and art. The conversation covers his early musical life, rigorous compositional training, and influential mentors as part of the Boulanger school. He discusses the concept of contrapuntal voices, the spiraling tapestry of music, and the delicate balance between knowledge and original voice in composition. Dr. Lasser also delves into his family's remarkable history of fleeing the Holocaust and their deep roots in the art world, enriching the discourse with poignant personal anecdotes. The episode concludes with reflections on tonality, the evolution of music, and the profound question of how much of ourselves we're willing to suspend to truly listen and connect through music. 00:00 Introduction to Contrapuntal Voices 00:37 Meet Dr. Philip Lasser 01:04 Dr. Lasser's Musical Journey 02:58 Influence of Nadia Boulanger 07:05 The Rigorous Training of Composition 11:42 Understanding Counterpoint and Harmony 14:42 The Spiraling Tapestry and Dr. Lasser's Philosophy 26:50 Demonstrating Contrapuntal Voices 37:11 The Complexity of Schumann's Music 38:55 Counterpoint vs. Harmony 45:18 Conclusion and Moving Forward 45:39 Exploring the Evolution of Musical Composition 47:19 Influences and Individuality in Modern Composition 49:48 The Impact of Recording on Composers 50:54 Navigating Musical Styles and Isms 52:33 Challenges for Young Composers Today 01:02:57 The Role of Counterpoint and Harmony in Composition 01:10:34 Collaborations and Inspirations 01:27:23 Tonality and the Evolution of Musical Rules 01:31:38 Understanding Tonality and Its Evolution 01:32:31 The Rise of Chromaticism 01:36:16 Schoenberg and the Emancipation of Dissonance 01:48:46 A Personal Family History 02:03:41 The Intersection of Art and Music 02:10:31 Final Thoughts and Reflections
Dr. Philip Lasser: The Hidden Structure of Music - Op.3
Charles Yang is a classically trained violinist, graduate of the Juilliard School and member of the Grammy winning ensemble Time for Three. In this episode we talked about how he found his way into playing with Time for Three, going against the grain as a classical violinist, musical inspirations, the journey to winning a Grammy, scoring music for film and more. 00:00 Introduction and Early Struggles 00:41 Welcome to Think Music 01:07 Charles Yang's Musical Background 02:03 Growing Up in Austin 02:20 The Bird Scooter Incident 03:59 Charles Yang Day 06:34 Joining Time for Three 12:56 The Role of Improvisation 13:29 Family Influence and Musical Journey 22:43 The Impact of Music 24:01 Recording the Grammy-Winning Album 45:44 Reflecting on the Grammy Nomination 47:02 The Grammy Experience 54:26 Scoring the Film 'Land' 55:22 Creating Music During the Pandemic 01:04:24 The Solo Album and Collaborations 01:09:48 Challenges and Setbacks 01:18:49 Musical Inspirations and Heroes 01:22:15 Rapid Fire Questions and Fun Stories 01:26:51 Closing Thoughts and Audience Question
Charles Yang: From Garage Band to GRAMMY winner! - Op.2
Justin Abrams is a classically trained cellist, had a decade-long career in Marketing at Red Bull North America, and is the founder of Flagship, a software company that provides retail brands with a data science platform, helping them unlock millions of dollars of revenue by enriching their first-party data with machine learning algorithms In this conversation we talk about growing up in New York City as a musician, Justin’s studies at McGill University as a Music Major, finding his way to RedBull, interning on Wall Street, Parallels between music and business, starting a company right before the world shut down, inventory as a problem to solve in retail, and how he discovered a solution in AI. 00:00 Introduction and Early Musical Influences 01:18 Family and Musical Upbringing 02:48 Meadowmount and Musical Competitions 09:03 Deciding Between Music and Business 23:54 Red Bull and Transition to Business 29:15 Skills from Music Applied to Business 38:21 Starting a New Venture 41:17 Making Decisions Right 42:05 Bringing AI to Market 42:38 Challenges in Inventory Planning 45:54 The Role of Machine Learning 49:45 Building a Successful AI Engine 53:09 Finding Product-Market Fit 01:04:35 The Importance of Networking 01:19:52 Balancing Music and Business 01:23:00 Final Thoughts and Advice Follow John-Henry: https://www.instagram.com/cellocrawford/
Flagship CEO: Classical Cellist raises $13 MILLION for AI business! - Op.1
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