Studs interviews Lukas Foss about his career as a classical composer and conductor. Foss talks about his work with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. He reflects on how teachers influenced his career and how he learns from each orchestra that he works with. He shares his love for poetry and explains how he makes music from poems and uses "Thirteen Ways of Looking at a Blackbird," a poem by Wallace Stevens, to illustrate. They discuss how Foss composes and how it is very similar to the way Jazz is composed with improvisation.

Presenting music published by Chicago record label Cedille Records including the music of composer and pianist Easley Blackwood along with David Schrader and Ramon Salvatore.

Aaron Copland discusses his music, his colleagues, contemporaries, musicians, and composers.