Podcast: Uncategorized

Matt Falker is a jazz and gospel pianist, vocalist, arranger, and founder and Director of the Oceanside Jazz Festival at MiraCosta College, where he also serves as a Professor. Matt is a champion for creating and advocating for accessible vocal jazz charts which can be seen in his publisher role with Anchor Music Publications (many thanks to Anchor Music for financially supporting InChoir). Today we feature two of Matt Falker’s vocal jazz arrangements, “Give me that Smile” and “Easy Love” that illustrate his creative versatility and multi-faceted artistry.  

Dale Trumbore is a Los Angeles-based composer whose music has been praised by The New York Times for its “soaring melodies and beguiling harmonies”. Listeners will be impressed with her compositional versatility and breadth of vocal writing, from simple two-part to accessible and advanced settings for all types of choirs. Join us as we feature the charming “Lullaby for the Newly- Hatched” and the captivating and creative “Part of Me Hurtling Toward”.

The American Choral Directors Association has awarded the Raymond W. Brock award for Student Composers since 1998 to recognize choral compositions of high quality. In this episode of InChoir, we talk to two composers who were Brock award recipients–Troy University’s own Michael Mills (2010, “Crossing the Bar”) and Patrick Vu (2023, “On the Hillside”). Each composer has gone on to also play important roles as conductors, music educators, and advocates for all things choral!

On this latest release of the Trojans Talk Research Podcast, “The Voice of the Trojans”, Barry McKnight, explores the remotest of regions of Tibet through the research and anecdotes of Dr. Jay Valentine, associate professor of history at Troy who, along with an international team of researchers, spent this past summer in Tibet diving into the sacred geography and history of the ancient “Northern Treasures” traditions of Buddhism. A tale of discovery awaits, on the Trojans Talk Research Podcast.

Nadia Tarnawsky masterfully weaves Ukrainian cultural and musical traditions throughout her compositions as we will hear throughout A Ukrainian Wedding. In this conversation, we learn about her Ukrainian heritage and hear the rich musical contributions of this talented composer.

In this episode we hear a powerful scene from Trains, written by this show’s host, Quinton Cockrell.

A husband and wife clash as trauma undermines their relationship.

The scene is performed by Troy Theatre students Reana Wallace and Devin Caster.

Frank Ticheli is best known for his works for wind ensemble and concert band, many of which have become standards in the repertoire. On this episode of InChoir, we feature how his choral compositions explore text through shifting color palettes and timbres. Join us as we trace how these evocative techniques can be heard in his two featured pieces – “Listen to the Silence” and “Earth Song”.

For the Season 5 finale of the IDEA Vault Podcast, Amanda Johnson and Brittany Owings share how Fostering Hope began with a moment they couldn’t forget: seeing a child displaced from their home with their belongings packed in a garbage bag. When Vine Church was asked to help provide bags for children entering foster care, the question quickly became something much bigger. Amanda and Brittany got connected and began looking at the difficult transitions foster children experience, the needs DHR cannot always immediately meet, and the foster parents stepping in to be the hands and feet of their community. From essentials during an unexpected placement to making sure a child is remembered with a Walmart gift card on their birthday, Fostering Hope is working to make an incredibly hard season feel a little less uncertain. As that mission was taking shape, the 2026 Idea Empowerment Competition came along at just the right time. Amanda entered Fostering Hope and was awarded $7,000 as the first-place winner, with funding provided by the Regions Foundation. Now, Amanda and Brittany have created the “Healing Heart Threads Care Closet”, a physical storefront in Troy designed to bridge the gap between foster children, foster families, DHR, and a community ready to help. In this Season 5 finale, they share how one tug on the heart became a growing local mission- and the promise behind the work: “No more garbage bags in Pike County.”

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The music of Juhi Bansal draws upon culturally rich musical traditions to create expressive and evocative “sound-worlds”. As an Indian composer brought up in Hong Kong, her music draws upon both traditions and can be heard throughout our two featured pieces—”Fear (Becoming the Ocean)” and “Aurora” (Special thanks to the L.A. Choral Lab for sharing their performance recording of “Aurora”).  Join us for our conversation with Juhi where we follow her musical journey “From Sea to Sky”.

Veteran labor-and-delivery nurse and instructor Amy Davis joins us on the Rounds to discuss what it takes to work in OB—from essential skills and technology changes to balancing emotions on the job. We debunk common pregnancy myths, explore the wonders of breast milk, and give practical advice to students preparing for their first clinicals.