PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS SHARES SIXTH EPISODE FROM NEW PODCAST: MUSICAL MINDS AND MISSIONS (M³) WITH STEVEN COPES AND STEPHEN PRUTSMAN

LISTEN TODAY: PROKOFIEV REIMAGINED: NEW COLORS, OLD FIRE

PODCAST SUMMARY

In this episode of Musical Minds and Missions (M³), host Sarah Cahill speaks with pianist-composer Stephen Prutsman and violinist Steve Copes about Prokofiev Reimagined, a bold new collaboration with the Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO). They discuss transforming Prokofiev’s piano and violin sonatas into vivid chamber orchestra works, the risks and rewards of transcription, and how familiar music can reveal entirely new colors when placed in different hands.

ABOUT THE ALBUM

The idea to re-imagine Sergei Prokofiev’s sonatas for chamber orchestra did not begin as a grand concept. It began as a relationship. For more than three decades, violinist Steven Copes and pianist-composer Stephen Prutsman have shared a musical language. This project expands The SPCO’s Prokofiev repertoire while remaining true to both composer and ensemble. Prokofiev Re-Imagined is a portrait of three forces in conversation: Prokofiev’s uncompromising voice, Prutsman’s singular ear and vision for color, and the SPCO’s collective artistry with Copes as a leader and featured soloist. Not rewritten. Re-imagined.

ALBUM CREDITS

Performed by: The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra
Recorded in 2025 at Ordway Performing Arts Center, Concert Hall
Recording Engineer: Cameron Wiley
Produced, edited, mixed, and mastered: Michael Fine
Original Artwork: Alex Sopp

FOR THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA
Jessica Mallow Gulley, President and Managing Director
Jon Limbacher, President Emeritus
Jonathan Posthuma, Artistic Planning Director
Jason Piehl, General Manager
Matt Thueson, Executive Producer of Digital Media
Kelly MacLennan, Director of Orchestra Personnel
Cassandra Flowers, Director of Operations
Jon Kjarum, Technical Director
Melissa McCarthy Steinberg, Librarian
Maddie Swenson, Operations Assistant

FOR THE ORDWAY PERFORMING ARTS CENTER, CONCERT HALL

Kris Brodersen, Head Electrician
Mark Dalglish, Head of Properties
Collin Sherraden, Head Sound Engineer

FOR PHENOTYPIC PODCASTS

Podcast Host: Sarah Cahill
Podcast Producer: AJ Machado

FOR PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS

Michael Hostetler, Founder & CEO
Stephen Prutsman, Creative Director
Cristin Canterbury Bagnall for BroadBand Collaborative, Fractional COO
Mary Paz Cubero Navarro, Director of Product Development and Strategic Partnerships
K. E. Sekararum, Podcast Executive Producer
Aryahi Naomi Onaga, Operations Specialist
Lisa Takemoto, Project Manager
Justin J. Holden, Copy Editor
Christopher Kornmann for Spit + Image, Art Direction & Graphic Design

THE ARTISTS

Steven Copes

Violinist Steven Copes leads a diverse life as soloist, chamber musician, and orchestral leader. A native of Los Angeles, he became concertmaster of the SPCO in 1998. Mr. Copes is a founder and member of Accordo, a chamber group in Minneapolis/St. Paul, now at the end of its second decade. He holds degrees from the Curtis Institute and the Juilliard School, and studied with Robert Lipsett, Aaron Rosand, Robert Mann, and Felix Galimir for chamber music.

Stephen Prutsman

Stephen Prutsman is widely regarded as one of today’s most innovative musicians, working fluidly as a pianist, composer, and producer across classical, jazz, and global traditions. Former Artistic Partner of the SPCO and Artistic Director of Colombia’s Cartagena International Festival of Music, he has curated and created programs spanning Mozart, contemporary works, and cross-cultural collaborations. Prutsman has appeared as soloist with major orchestras worldwide and has released numerous recordings as both composer and performer. Prutsman is Creative Director of Phenotypic Recordings and a Visiting Artist at Stanford University.

THE SAINT PAUL CHAMBER ORCHESTRA

Founded in 1959, the Grammy Award-winning Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra (SPCO) is renowned for its artistic excellence, remarkable versatility of musical styles and adventurous programming. SPCO concerts are primarily musician-led and include a broad range of repertoire, from Baroque works to new music, in close collaboration with a dynamic roster of internationally acclaimed Artistic Partners. SPCO musicians lead and develop the orchestra’s programming, determine members and choose artistic collaborators. The SPCO presents concerts in a variety of venues across the Twin Cities each year while offering the most affordable ticket prices of any professional orchestra in the United States.

ABOUT PHENOTYPIC RECORDINGS

Phenotypic Recordings is a media company that brings to light new music by world-class musicians and innovative composers, with a focus on music that highlights the most important issues facing the world today. Artists include Kronos Quartet, Osvaldo Golijov, Kenji Bunch, (MoVE) MoVE (Modern Violin Ensemble), W4RP and more. As another way of amplifying artistic voices, Phenotypic Recordings donates revenue from streaming and downloads to support humanitarian causes identified by the artists making the music.

For more information about Phenotypic Recordings, visit phenotypicrecordings.com © 2026 Phenotypic Recordings All Rights Reserved

For more information, please contact Krista Williams, Christopher Emond or Carla Sacks at Sacks & Co., 212.741.1000.