Storytelling at the Symphony: Ian Niederhoffer on The Best is Noise

Photo Credit: Rebecca Fay

Conductor Ian Niederhoffer recently appeared on Ben Gambuzza’s The Best Is Noise podcast, which explores the versatility and expansiveness of classical music. They discussed Parlando, the New York City-based chamber orchestra that Niederhoffer founded in 2019, whose mission is to provide intimate and accessible musical experiences through storytelling. For Gambuzza, Parlando is reminiscent of Leonard Bernstein’s Young People’s Concerts with the New York Philharmonic. “No one can compare with Bernstein,” Gambuzza says, “but perhaps Bernstein’s experiment wasn’t a one-off achievement to be eulogized, but a genre unto itself: the learning concert.”

Parlando concerts are defined by spoken interludes, where Niederhoffer contextualizes each piece within an overarching theme. For instance, their most recent concert performance, “Crossing Over,” examined the influence of jazz rhythms and harmonies in 20th-century classical music using works by Shostakovich, Ellington, and Nikolai Kapustin. Niederhoffer, both a skilled conductor and charismatic speaker, weaves a narrative from the podium that resonates with all types of listeners and builds on their existing knowledge, resulting in greater appreciation and understanding of the music at hand.

Listen to the full episode here. 

Photo Credit: Rebecca Fay