Sculptor Kate Hunt visited Phil in our Chester studio to talk about small town sensibility, and the realities of sending her work out into the world.

see Kate’s work at www.katehunt.com

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Dr. Buker

Dr. Buker came to Chester in the 50s and established a rural hospital that today boasts 25 beds, emergency services and a clinic.  In these parts he is legend.  What brought him to a small town in Montana?  For that matter, why did he pursue a career in medicine?   Philip talks with Doc about his life before arriving in Montana, and several fascinating entrepreneurial and culinary adventures as he made his way through medical school at Yale.  It takes a certain kind of fortitude to be a rural doctor, and as you listen, you’ll realize Doc Buker has always had that in spades.

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Over the course of his career, archeologist Steve Aaberg has crafted an interesting specialty, paleoethnobotany: the study of plant use in pre-contact cultures.   On a recent fishing trip he and Phil talked about music, archeology, their home town Chester, and Steve’s profound respect for the Plains cultures.   He reminds us that in order to preserve the future we must respect the past.

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As president of the Ucross Foundation, Sharon Dynak wears many hats;  advisor, juggler, economist, politician, soother of  egos.  Wrangling creative people can be challenging, but Sharon has a way of making the artists feel at home, supported and appreciated for what they do.   Philip talked with Sharon at the new composer’s cabin at Ucross, about the transition from the world of publishing in New York to this artist colony in rural Wyoming.

Sharon Dynak's agents Iris and Jewel

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Philip Aaberg is known for creating music that evokes a feeling of Montana’s rivers, sky, mountains and plains.  Explore the idea of nature as inspiration in music – complete with some examples from the keyboard.

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Jack Mahood was a classic.  He played his horn at The Ozark Club in Great  Falls, Montana, caring about the music and not about race.  He loved jazz, he loved art, and most of all he loved his wife Dora. 

Philip had the privilege of getting to know Jack and hearing his stories about “back in the day”.

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 Download: Jack Mahood: A Short Story

“Lake|Flato’s architecture can serve as a lesson for us all: how a building stands to the sun, how it welcomes the cooling breeze, how it partners with plant materials. Nothing sensational or exotic, no visual fireworks of fashion, just architecture that intrigues the mind, delights the soul, and refreshes the eye with its elegant detail and simplicity. Timeless architecture needn’t shout …” William Turnbull, FAIA

Couldn’t have said it better ourselves! David Lake talks to Philip about Plains architecture and the 100 mile rule.

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Poet, musician, professor, a true Renaissance man.  David Romtvedt is all of these things, with a generous spirit and zest for life that shines through, even on the radio. 

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After decades behind a movie camera, Gary Thieltges founded Doggicam.  He creates innovative camera mounting and moving systems, enabling cinematographers to create on film the shots they imagine. In 2005 he was awarded a Technical Achievement Oscar for invention of the Sparrowcam. Gary visited his hometown Chester, Montana and spoke with Phil at the Sweetgrass Music studio “The Bin”.

www.doggicam.com

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I’ve always wished that everyone could have a lesson with my teacher, Margaret Saunders Ott. Her students left her home with a powerful sense that somehow, in that 45 minutes, the world had become a better place. Margie May, as all her friends call her…Mrs. Ott as all her students call her…has been very active in the Music Teachers National Association, or MTNA…the largest music teachers’ organization in the country. The MTNA gave Margie May their Teacher of the Year Award in 2003, when she was 83 years old. Her lessons are models of practical creativity in teaching, and of the art of revealing “the pattern that connects” as Gregory Bateson said. Margie May attended Mills College in Oakland, and was one of the first women to get a Masters degree from Julliard Conservatory. She taught at Whitworth College and  Gonzaga in Spokane, where she has lived for most of her life. Her husband, Franklin, passed away a few years ago. A farmer and farm implement dealer, he was the perfect partner for Margie May. Their home was a glowing refuge for many of the artists who played in Spokane, including Artur Rubinstein and Glenn Gould, who became friends of the Otts, as did everyone they met.

This interview took place over several days in Spokane where we talked about her childhood, ideas about teaching, years at Julliard, life and music…and more. This program is a very short Lesson With Margie May Ott.             -Philip Aaberg

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Download:  Margaret Saunders Ott