Debra boarder coming up right now. Deb bra board certificate former president and ceo of the los angeles philharmonic. She brought in a conductor and she built the artistic reputation and the financial covers of the institution. She oversaw the rebuild of the Hollywood Bowl and after two decades has stepped down to become president and ceo of the new York Philharmonic. Should i get on my knees . No. I feel like i should beg you to stay. This is so not fair. Youre leaving us. Hey, you know, im a new yorker. Although i thought i did very well. I became a californian when i was here. People always accused me of having the new york accent and new york walk. But i loved it here. Its been just the greatest stuff, professional, 17 years of my lichlt its been my joy, my lifes work. And so its time to return home to my family. And to help one of the great orchestras beside the los angeles philharmonic. Its funny that i worked for two philharmonics, new york and los angeles. To really assume its rightful place in the pantheon of orchestras. Its interesting. The new York Philharmonic is you 175 years old. It is the oldest orchestra in america. And whats interesting to me about that is you know im a futurist. Im always thinking about where can we go . What can we invent . And what i want to be able to be a part of is work with the musicians and the board and the community is to not be weighted down by that legacy but to use it. To move to a vibrant youthful 21st century future. Because so much of what has happened here embodies what an orchestra of the 21st century can be like. Thats the question though. Can you do in new york what you did in l. A. And not be weighted down by the legacy or the expectations or the parameters of the new york crowd . Well weeshgs goi, were goin. I left there once before, 17 years ago because i was looking for challenges. So one thing about me is frank geary once said, debra loves jumping off cliffs but always lands on her feet. Its a challenge. Its exciting. Its a moment in my life where im up to do this. Im up for doing it is what i should say. I think im up for doing it, too. I listed a number of things at the top of the conversation we have done remarkly well and thats why i was begging you not to leave. Remarkably well here in los angeles. Of those things or something perhaps i did not list, what are you most proud of here in los angeles . I i put it in a larger sense. I mean, yes, the opening of walt disney concert hall, really the reimagining of what a Symphony Orchestra could mean to a community. So in a way, bringing gustavo who lit up the imagination of our community and the international community. What that all goes to is a core belief that music is important to the community and that the community loves and values the los angeles philharmonic for all of the art, for all of the education, for what it can mean to peoples hearts on an every day basis. And i think the los angeles philharmonic really means something to us. They love it. They love it. It wasnt always that way. To your point, what do you make of how can you put this . The cultural . Its cultural, artistic. Its fashion. But there is a cultural renaissance that the city of l. A. Has undergone that parallels nicely to the time that you have been here. What do you make of that . And what role do you see the orchestra having played in that renaissance in the city . You know, a pivotal dynamically Pivotal Moment was the opening of walt disney concert hall. Until that moment it was an epic journey. And you remember what the downtown is like then. I remember when i was here for the press conference to announce my appointment, you could have shot a gun in the streets and no one would have heard. Today you go downtown, there is the broeg, there is the walt disney concert hall, the music center, there is mocha. L. A. Live. Everything. Its a happening, exciting place. Thousands of people are moving to downtown l. A. So maybe im a little walt disney concert hall sen trisen trick, but the Pivotal Moment is the opening of that hall. You know, we opened it in a very special way. The opening wasnt the big gala where people pay thousands of dollars. Remember this. We opened with a week called fi phil the house in which we invited 18,000 people to come to the hall. The first people to hear the con sefrt in that hall was school tehe kids, teachers, firemen, policemen, and a music director did series of one hour concerts. I think it really, in that moment, sort of found its way into the heart of the community or made a start at it. But thats how we have to think about things. Nobody had ever done that before. Now thats what people do. At the time it was considered outside of the box. Yeah. Im going to have you dif you willth any confidences on your financial paperwork. But it is reported that one of the other things of the many things you did quite well here you is got more respect for the players. More respect for the artists. Were told, i read at least that they may be the highest paid orchestra players in the world, certainly in the country. But without divulging that, what did do you to make sure that they had a higher level of respect . Central to the success of the organization, you have to look at what is the actual part of the Symphony Orchestra. And thats the 106 women and men who make up the los angeles philharmonic. I have the most profound respect for them. Weve had great dialogue about where the orchestra is going, where it should go and where it shouldnt go. Weve been able to Work Together very well. They dedicate their entire lives to being in this orchestra, to making it great. When we have an opening at the los angeles philharmonic, 400 and a00 people aplichlt we select one person. So my partnership with them, their partnership with me has been one of the very special aspects of being here. I really love them. And i feel that coming back from them. I think what is at the base it of though is a mutual respect. A mutual respect. I so much respect what they do. I think theyve been really pleased to think of a positive future. Because you know, im an optimist. I think optimists really can get things done because you can see all the things that go wrong or can go wrong. But if you see what it is that can go right and you set your mind and your heart to it, you can get so much more done. Let me flip what you said. I can make the argument given what you achieved in l. A. And given where you are at this point in your career, you dont need to take the risk to go back to new york, to take on an orchestra that is lowsing money and needs to be more innovative and creative, all the things you hope to bring. You dont need to take that risk at this point in your career. Why roll the dice that way . Because i believe in music. Because i believe its not just about one grade or institution. Why cant we have two flag ship institutions on either coast . Besides, i love a good challenge. This could be fun. Yeah. This is a challenge. And, you know, ive done pretty well. So well see. Yeah. Im willing to take that risk. There is a new conductor coming to the new york phil. Yes. Thats part of the reason im going. By the way, it breaks my heart to leave guchlt. Stavo. I can only imagine. When this all got decided and happened very quickly, weve been together for a long time. How did he take it . We were both very sad. I was a tearful conversation. But hes doing great. You know, hes an innovator, its the most profound geniuses ive ever seen, just a natural, natural talent. We met him when he was 24. Hes in his mid 30s now. He has a kid and a vision for the future. Well always stay friends. I certainly dont worry about him. Hes done amazing work. His amazing work is in front of him. I found in him somebody who is eager the same way that i am to take on challenges. And to think about things in a different way. We should continue to do abcd. Im saying lets go red, white, yellow, blue. Lets look at things completely differently if we can. I felt the partner. I felt a partner. Also he conducted with the los angeles philharmonic. I saw how our musicians fell in love with him and really responded. They all came to me right away and said can we get this guy back . And so its a combination of those matters. I assume that there are bench marks that you have set or will set to let you know whether youre on the right track. So can you give me some sense of what we should expect over the next couple years to judge whether or not you made the right decision . Youre asking for a very quantitative measurement. Of a great artistic institution. I can give you metrics. Do we have a deficit . How much can we raise for the endowment . What is the percentage of attendance . But really, yeah. That will happen if other things happen. And what has to happen is a progr problem atatic flair and have a integration into the fabric of the community. That we can have Something Like that in new york. Now what im not going to say to you yet is i know just how im going to do this or how were going to do it ts not just me, its a team much its the musicians of the new York Philharmonic. Its the board. Its the staff coming together to create a great vision that touches people. And thats you know what . Youre going to get the buzz of. That youll decide do we want to have debra boarder back on this show . Maybe not. I dont know. I kent imagine. He would never that youd ever be in that program. Youve always been kind to me personally. Youve been kind to the show. You and mr. Dutamel. I hate to see you leave. But they are blessed and fortunate to have you come to new york. And i have no doubt in my mind that youll do everything you promised them you would do and all best to you. Thank you so much. Thank you for what you do. I was sitting in the dressing room looking at the people you interviewed. I thought what a strong representation for the arts. You know, the arts can be so marginalized today. So thank you for doing that. I love the arts g to you have here. Congratulations. All right, new york. I hate you. Anyway, up next, senior producer sanfa. Stay with us. Im delighted and pleased to welcome sanfa to the program. He has roots in erra leone. He is getting a lot of love these days for i had debut album called process. He joins us now to talk about the album and later in this program a special treat for you. Hes going to perform for us and do you not want to miss this, i promise you. Im honored to have you on the program, brother. Thanks for having me. With k. I go straight to the album . I love lighter notes. Im a fan of them. I pulled this thing out. I saw this photo of you and your precious mother. You dedicate the project to your mother. Tell me about your mom. My mom and shes like shes someone who we kind vf a very similar nature. She was cry quiet and reserved and elegant and thoughtful. Really like a career woman. Did your mother have your mother and your father for ma that matter, did why you parents have any influence on your music . Yeah. They d and that obviously has a huge infect on my life. My dad used to buy lots of music coming home from work. He would see a pickup and anything from hmv, a music store in the uk from the spice girls, paragraph ratsy, african music, foe. Yeah, and they were very encouraging as well. Can w. So many he c with so much he check tick sound, how did you find your own way when wh youre exposed to so much . I just naturally gravitated toward certain things. Like . Like stevie wonder. Hey, can i say this . I have had a million guest on this show over the years. Whenever its a music guest and talk about influences, the first name that always comes out of everybodys mouth, stevie wonder. Why is that . Its just magical. Just completely liken grossed me. Hes like a magical man. I think its the harmonic language and the inventiveness and the production and the range of concepts and, yeah, just something about, yeah, songs i was addicted to from the age 7. And then tracy chapman. I think i just gravitated towards it. And thats how i kind of coughed up my own take. Its amazing. I think about stevie. Its hard not to follow in love with that project. Stevie wrote that. Hes just a year or two younger than you. Isnt that amazing . I know. Wow. And puts out an album like that. Unbelievable. Yeah. Your son is pretty unbelievable. Who i heard so many love songs over the years but never heard a love song that is so mel ottic to a piano. Not this phone. Well, its a song i wrote when i was like basically my mom was like diagnosed with cancer. I moved out briefly, took on to make music. And when it was kind of diagnosis terminal, i moved back in home. And i was sitting on soef why and watching tv and my mom was there. And the line no one knows me like the piano just came to me. I was like thin air kind of thing. And its just something that stuck with me. And i just like expanded on that. It was a note to my mother and the most important thing is the piano in my mothers hose and how formative, you know, that period of time was for me. I could see it. It was something i couldnt really i never contemplated before that. This isnt going to last forever. This is impermanent. Something i took for granted, you know . Yeah. Coming back home and being at moms house and my mom being there and, you yeah, my tpiano has been there and has been the same. You and i were talk brg we came on the air as black men, i think our number one goal is to make our mommas proud. Your mom didnt live long enough to seat debut album. She certainly saw enough of your sec success to know you were goring to all right. She wasnt a woman of many words. She wouldnt stay out. But she still complaining. She was smiling a lot more. She could see like i was like supporting myself from making music and looked like things were going to be all right. And that made me like so happy. I was like the happiest period of my life. It had gone really well. Yeah. I mentioned at the top of the interview here, top of the conversation that you seem most comfortable behind the scenes. I can tell you a little side. How are you navigating or how do you think youre going to navigate this process of being out front . Because now its all on you now. The spotlight is on you. Not on drake anymore, its on you. I know. Its been strange thing. I guess im going with the flow a little bit and seeing how i react to the same things and im just thing you know. Just the latest if i press this whole thing. I knew like in the path i wasnt quite ready for any of it really. Just to the person. Some people might be to be out front you mean . Yeah, to be out front. Because of all the things that come along with that. I felt like i was a little knee eve. And but now i guess, you know, through the experiences of that, im more used to being able to let go of things and being able to fail a bit more and self explore and not be so kind of scared. So, yeah. Im just kind of seeing how things are going. And taking all this stimulus in and analyzing it. I find a lot of artives over time work their way into being transparent. They work their way into being authentic and being open. You started out that way. Your stuff is so out there. Yeah. I mean a lot of it, to be honest, it just comes out. You know, when im like sitting at the piano as much as it may be like a cliche thing or something, but, you know, making this album, it was a bit of an escape for me. It was, you know, i was going through a difficult time personally. And, yeah, thats where, you know, i would come out with things i didnt even know i was thinking or feeling. Just, you know, my brain sort of, you know, there is something about the flow when youre sitting there and improvising and singing. There is just stuff that came out mef of me really. Its like sitting at a piano and writing music. Sounds like a process to me. Yeah. Process. Thats the name of the album. Its his debut. You do not want to miss picking it up and adding it to your collection. I promise you this time and time again. That is our show for tonight. Closing us out, performing no one knows me like the piano. Thank you for watching. As always, keep the faith. No one knows me like a piano and my mothers heart you show me something some people call it soul because no one knows me like a piano and my mommas heart you know i wont be alone and in my chest you know me best and you know ill be home, home an angel by her side all the time i knew we couldnt go they said its her time i said no inside i kept my feelings close and you held on to me and never, never, you never let me go because no one knows me like the piano in my mothers home in my mothers home in my mothers home [ applause ] good evening from los angeles. Im tavis smiley. First, allen alden understands his book. The text chronicle has journey to discover new ways to help people communicate and relate to one another more effectively. Then bluesy rocker Benjamin Booker joins us to discussss hi project witness. Were glad you joined us, all of that coming up in just a moment