In addition to profiling the musical output of the French composer Florent Schmitt, this website and blog seeks out the musicians and scholars who are performing or promoting his works in concert and on recordings.
Since 2012, numerous interviews have been conducted and published on this site. Included among them are some of the world’s most famous classical artists of today, along with a growing number of fresh, talented newcomers who show strong promise for the future.
Listed below are links to the interview articles. Each one is well-worth exploring.
Doug Adams, film music specialist and arranger (USA)
Film music specialist Doug Adams talks about Florent Schmitt’s Salammbô (1925) and other music scores from the silent film era, June 12, 2014
Robin Barber, physician and author (UK/Australia)
Florent Schmitt and Ralph Vaughan Williams: A friendship over five decades, December 4, 2014
Bill Barclay, actor and composer (USA/UK)
Rob Barnett, music critic (UK)
Music critic Rob Barnett talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and its growing presence on recordings, December 1, 2017
Christopher Bartz, saxophonist (USA)
Saxophonist Christopher Bartz talks about Florent Schmitt’s Légende (1918) and its pride of place in the saxophone repertoire, September 1, 2013
Matthew Bassett, timpanist (USA)
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015
Bruno Belthoise, pianist (France)
French pianist Bruno Belthoise talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Le petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil (1912), August 10, 2013
French pianist Bruno Belthoise talks about keeping Florent Schmitt’s Une semaine du petit elfe Ferme-l’oeil (1912) part of his performing repertoire over the years, December 10, 2017
Roberto Beltrán-Zavala, conductor (Mexico/Netherlands)
Orchestra conductor Roberto Beltrán-Zavala talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Rêves (1915), March 14, 2016
Matthew Bengtson, pianist (USA)
Violinist John McLaughlin Williams and pianist Matthew Bengtson talk about the challenges and rewards of performing Florent Schmitt’s Sonate libre (1918-19), October 26, 2022
Ewa Biegas, soprano (Poland)
Louis-Philippe Bonin, saxophonist (Canada)
Lionel Bringuier, conductor (France)
Passionate advocate: French conductor Lionel Bringuier talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 25, 2015
Eric Butruille, arts administrator (France)
Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Psaume XLVII in concert: An eyewitness report from Berlin, March 2, 2015
Dennis Carter, flautist (USA)
Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018
Roberto Casado, flautist (Spain)
Spanish flautist Roberto Casado talks about Florent Schmitt’s Sonatine en trio and Suite en rocaille – and their place in French Impressionistic music, January 20, 2014
Janz Castelo de Armas, violist (USA)
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015
Claudio Chaiquin, pianist (Argentina/France)
Musicians Beata Halska and Claudio Chaiquin talk about researching and recording French composer Florent Schmitt’s music for violin and piano, December 6, 2015
Nikki Chooi, violinist (Canada/USA)
John Clouser, bassoonist (USA)
Musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 20, 2015
Megan Varvir Coe, musicologist (USA)
Musicologist Megan Varvir Coe talks about the Symbolist roots of Florent Schmitt’s ballet La Tragédie de Salomé (1907/10), July 5, 2017
Julien Columeau, author and novelist (France/Pakistan)
Frank Cooper, pianist and musicologist (USA)
Catherine Dallaire, violinist (Canada)
Nadine Deleury, cellist (Canada)
Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018
Henri Demarquette, cellist (France)
French cellist Henri Demarquette talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and the Introït, récit et conge (1948), April 7, 2014
Guillaume Le Dréau, organist, teacher and music researcher (France)
Organist and music researcher Guillaume Le Dréau talks about French composer Florent Schmitt’s consequential work as a Parisian music critic (1912-1939), January 20, 2017
Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017
JoAnn Falletta, conductor (USA)
Conductors JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester talk about the music of Florent Schmitt, January 3, 2013
Conductor JoAnn Falletta’s Podcast Interview for NAXOS on the Musical Legacy of French Composer Florent Schmitt, November 1, 2015
Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017
Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020
Conductor JoAnn Falletta talks about performing In Memoriam (1935), Florent Schmitt’s fervent tribute to his teacher and mentor Gabriel Fauré, November 17, 2022
Jeannette Fang, pianist (USA)
Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015
Michael Feingold, orchestrator and arranger (USA)
French music specialist Michael Feingold talks about creating orchestrations of Maurice Ravel’s piano and vocal scores, December 28, 2018
Philippe Ferro, conductor and wind ensemble specialist (France)
French conductor and wind ensemble specialist Philippe Ferro talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and Hymne funèbre (1899/1933), September 10, 2016
Vincent Figuri, narrator and actor (France)
Stéphane Fontaine, clarinetist (Canada)
Mélanie Forget, bassoonist (Canada)
Reinhold Friedrich, trumpeter (Germany/Switzerland)
Fabien Gabel, conductor (France)
Conductor Fabien Gabel talks about the strategy behind his October 2021 “Salome-centric” concert with the Orchestre du Capitole de Toulouse, December 3, 2021
Conductor Fabien Gabel talks about his musical journey with French composer Florent Schmitt, May 24, 2022
Karina Gauvin, soprano (Canada)
Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020
George N. Gianopoulos, composer (USA)
David Grandis, conductor (France/USA)
French-American conductor David Grandis talks about discovering the music of French composer Max d’Ollone and championing his music in the concert hall, September 4, 2019
Evelyn Grau, violist (USA)
Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015
Beata Halska-Le Monnier, violinist (Poland/France)
Musicians Beata Halska and Claudio Chaiquin talk about researching and recording French composer Florent Schmitt’s music for violin and piano, December 6, 2015
Armand Hall, conductor and educator (USA)
Håkan Hardenberger, trumpeter (Sweden)
Edmund Harris, heritage consultant (UK)
Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Antony & Cleopatra (1920) in a dramatic adaptation: An eyewitness report from London, October 10, 2016
Experiencing Florent Schmitt’s Symphony No. 2 (1957) in concert: An eyewitness report from London, November 1, 2017
Kenan Henderson, pianist (Australia)
Florent Schmitt’s Crépuscules (1898-1911): Richly evocative tone painting in the finest French pianistic tradition, October 27, 2013
Travis Hendra, orchestra librarian (USA)
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015
Élizabeth Herbin, pianist (France)
Élizabeth Herbin, French pianist and daughter of composer René Herbin, talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and her father, May 21, 2013
Alistair Hinton, composer (UK)
Scottish composer Alistair Hinton talks about the influential artistry of Florent Schmitt, September 1, 2020
Linda Ippolito, pianist and legal specialist (Canada)
Emmanuel Jourquin-Bourgeois, author and media programming specialist (France)
Carl-Philipp Kaptain, trombonist (Germany)
Andrey Kasparov, pianist (Armenia/USA)
Duo-pianists Kasparov and Lutsyshyn talk about their new Florent Schmitt recording project, February 5, 2013
Velda Kelly, violinist (USA)
Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018
Elisa Kohanski, cellist (USA)
American cellist Elisa Kohanski talks about Florent Schmitt’s Chant élégiaque (1899-1903) and its debt to Gabriel Fauré’s Élégie, August 1, 2018
Joshua Kovach, clarinetist (USA)
Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017
Steven Kruger, music critic (USA)
Arts critic Steven Kruger talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and its place in France’s “Golden Age” of classical music, September 4, 2017
Vincent Larderet, pianist (France)
French pianist Vincent Larderet talks about performing and recording the music of Florent Schmitt, December 10, 2014
César Leal, conductor and musicologist (Colombia/USA)
Rick Leder, trumpeter (USA)
Voluptuous colors: Florent Schmitt’s Suite for Trumpet (1955), February 2, 2014
Alain Lefèvre, pianist (Canada)
Tomer Lev, pianist and pedagogue (Israel)
Israeli pianist and pedagogue Tomer Lev talks about planning and producing the new NAXOS recording of Le Tombeau de Claude Debussy (1920) complete anthology, January 23, 2021
David Aprahamian Liddle, organist (UK)
The Composer and the Impresario: Florent Schmitt and Felix Aprahamian, July 28, 2014
Teresa Ling, violinist (USA)
Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015
Blair Lofgren, cellist (Canada)
Oksana Lutsyshyn, pianist (Ukraine/USA)
Duo-pianists Kasparov and Lutsyshyn talk about their new Florent Schmitt recording project, February 5, 2013
Teresa Majka-Pacanek, choral director (Poland)
Alain Margoni, composer, Prix de Rome winner, teacher and writer (France)
Julien Masmondet, conductor (France)
Anna Mattix, English horn (USA)
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015
Isaac Melamed, cellist (USA)
Members of the Garth Newel Piano Quartet talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s Hasards (1943) for performance, May 5, 2015
Pere Méndez, saxophonist (Spain)
Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021
Aaron Merritt, cellist (USA)
Jorge Mester, conductor (Mexico/USA)
Conductors JoAnn Falletta and Jorge Mester talk about the music of Florent Schmitt, January 3, 2013
Daniel Miguel, saxophonist (Spain)
Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021
Douglas Murdoch, trombonist (UK/Germany)
Eliesha Nelson, violist (USA)
Musicians of The Cleveland Orchestra talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and La Tragédie de Salomé, April 20, 2015
Alberto Nones, author and pianist (Italy)
Giuseppe Verdi and the nexus of music and politics: An interview with author Alberto Nones, August 9, 2014
Bruno Osinski, tubaist (France/Germany)
Emmanuel Pélaprat, composer, arranger and keyboard artist (France)
Susan Platts, mezzo-soprano (Canada)
Janneke van Prooijen, violinist (Netherlands)
Just Announced: Prisma String Trio to make a new recording of Florent Schmitt’s extraordinary Trio a cordes (1944), June 8, 2020
Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021
Gottfried Rabl, conductor (Austria)
Osmo Tapio Räihälä, composer and music journalist (Finland)
Finnish composer and music journalist Osmo Tapio Räihälä shares his experience of visiting the gravesite of Florent Schmitt in Paris (November 2017), December 7, 2017.
Kimberly Reighley, flautist (USA)
Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017
Tracy Richardson, harpsichordist (USA)
Members of the Mélomanie chamber ensemble talk about the music of Florent Schmitt and preparing his Sonatine en trio (1935) for performance, April 15, 2017
Jerry Rife, musicologist and author (USA)
Musicologist Dr. Jerry Rife talks about his introduction to Florent Schmitt’s music, October 13, 2012
Edward Rushton, pianist (UK/Switzerland)
Musicians Edward Rushton, Guillaume Le Dréau and JoAnn Falletta talk about Florent Schmitt’s captivating Chansons à quatre voix (1903-05), February 16, 2017
In Florent Schmitt’s 150th birthday anniversary year, a new recording featuring the composer’s vocal music is being prepared, December 3, 2019
Robert Seara, saxophonist (Spain)
Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021
Suddhaseel Sen, musicologist, author and teacher (India)
Musicologist Suddhaseel Sen talks about the artistry of Florent Schmitt and the importance of his orientalist compositions, August 15, 2017
Victor Serra, saxophonist (Spain)
Members of the Kebyart Ensemble talk about Florent Schmitt’s Quartet for Saxophones (1941) and its preeminent position in the saxophone repertoire, October 9, 2021
Elisabeth Smalt, violist (Netherlands)
Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021
Timothy Smith, trombonist (USA)
Members of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra talk about preparing Florent Schmitt’s music for performance and recording, March 15, 2015
Nicolas Southon, musicologist and author (France)
Musicologist and author Nicolas Southon talks about his new book profiling orchestral works by 16 Francophone composers including Florent Schmitt, September 22, 2016
Audrey Stottler, soprano (USA)
Reminiscing with American soprano Audrey Stottler about presenting Florent Schmitt’s Psalm 47 (1904) at the Washington National Cathedral, February 1, 2018
Jean-Luc Tingaud, conductor (France)
Conductor Jean-Luc Tingaud talks about Florent Schmitt’s choral masterpiece Psalm 47 (1904) and introducing the music to concert audiences in Poland, February 6, 2016
Francesco Todesco, dancer and choreographer (USA)
Yan-Pascal Tortelier, conductor (France)
Conductor Yan-Pascal Tortelier talks about his Chandos Florent Schmitt recording of Psaume XLVII, La Tragédie de Salomé and Le Palais hanté, September 11, 2012
Scott Tucker, choral director (USA)
Danse des Devadasis (1908): Florent Schmitt’s masterful evocation of the temple dancers of South India, February 3, 2020
Korliss Uecker, soprano (USA)
Biljana Urban, pianist (Netherlands)
Pianist Biljana Urban talks her new recording featuring world premiere renditions of works by Florent Schmitt, September 13, 2021
Corbin Wagner, French horn soloist and educator (USA)
Horn soloist Corbin Wagner talks about performing Lied et scherzo (1910), Florent Schmitt’s extraordinary double wind quintet composition featuring the French horn, November 26, 2016
Michiel Weidner, cellist (Netherlands)
Fascinating, complex sonorities: Florent Schmitt’s String Trio (1944), January 16, 2018
Members of the Prisma String Trio talk about preparing, performing and recording Florent Schmitt’s endlessly fascinating Trio à cordes (1944), April 16, 2021
John McLaughlin Williams, violinist and conductor (USA)
American violinist John McLaughlin Williams talks about the music of Florent Schmitt and the Sonate libre (1918/19), September 16, 2014
Musicians of the Scarab Club Chamber Music Series Talk About Preparing and Performing Florent Schmitt’s Quartet Pour presque tous les temps (1956), October 16, 2018
Violinist John McLaughlin Williams and pianist Matthew Bengtson talk about the challenges and rewards of performing Florent Schmitt’s Sonate libre (1918-19), October 26, 2022
Saul Davis Zlatkovski, harpist (USA)
Deux pièces (1911), Florent Schmitt’s strikingly original chromatic harp composition, gets a new lease on life, July 14, 2020
Martin Zuckschwerdt, trombonist (Germany)