The thoughtful American musician Matthew Aucoin has been pondering a century-old question. I’m a composer and conductor in the field that’s broadly known as Western classical music, a term that’s routinely applied to radically different […]
The two stars are among six new teachers in the college division string faculty, announced today. It’s a mid-career moment. Here’s the press release: Award-winning violinist Stella Chen, three-time Grammy-winning violinist Hilary Hahn, esteemed violinist […]
Charlie Chaplin When he died, in December, 1977, he was Sir Charles Spencer Chaplin, Knight of the British Empire, but he was born 136 years ago on 16th April 1889 as plain Charlie Chaplin in […]
Tarisio are accepting bids for a 1731 Stradivari violin on which Heifetz prepared the premieres of the Korngold and Walton concertos and made several famous recordings. Heifetz sold the instrument to colelctor Sam Bloomfield in […]
We have been notified of the death of Peter Strummer, master of 120 roles and a memorable cast member of leading US opera companies. By some mishap he sang only two roles at the Met. […]
The newspaper says officials are asking Congress to wipe out funding for the national broadcasters. Read it here. Did Trump get the idea from Liechtenstein? The post NY Times: Trump aims to scrap $1.1bn for […]
We’re hearing of mass sackings at the declining label. People we’ve tried to contact are no longer there. Among them is the boxed-set reissue specialist Robert Russ at the company’s headquarters in Berlin. Our mole […]
This is the 2025 list of Guggenheim award winners, out today. Three have been selected as ‘notable’ (good word for a composer) – Katherine Balch (pictured), Michael Patrick Dease and Huang Ruo. Full list: Holland […]
Having slashed the executive team last July, the haemmorhaging Nashville Symphony laid off eight more staff on Friday. Amounting to 13% of remaining staff, they are: Director of Analytics Director of Marketing Digital Communications Manager […]
Bessie Smith was a blues and jazz singer of the Harlem Renaissance who is still known as the ‘Empress of the Blues’. Elizabeth ‘Bessie’ Smith was the youngest child of seven, born in Chattanooga, Tennessee […]
