We’ve begun our epic Symphony for the Cities week that takes us from Hudson, WI to Plymouth, Winona and Excelsior, MN. They’re all outdoor venues, which present their own very peculiar challenges (I don’t usually have to fight gnat swarms … Continue reading →
People who attend our Inside the Classics concerts often ask Sarah and me how long we spend preparing each show. We never know quite how to answer: on the one hand, we generally have only a single 2-1/2 hour rehearsal … Continue reading →
In what I can only describe as a distinctly English rant, Guardian art critic Jonathan Jones tried to explain this weekend what makes him qualified to pass judgment on other people’s work… “The reason so much average or absolutely awful … Continue reading →
Taking a mini-vacation this week (attending a wedding in Vegas) – back on June 29.
My former colleague over at ArtsJournal.com, Laura Collins-Hughes, has detected a noticable uptick in the number of people who seem to be reading and talking about Dickens lately, and she speculates that it may be that the gloomy, moralizing Dickens … Continue reading →
A stunning video installation in the elevator of the Standard Hotel in NYC by artist/director Marco Brambilla, depicting an eye-popping journey from hell to heaven: [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vQJVr8Lvce0] It’s positively Boschian (with Brueghelic undertones!), and I love that Stravinsky was chosen as … Continue reading →
An article in Sunday’s Chicago Tribune talked about the impact of skyrocketing parking rates and 24-hour meters on the Windy City’s cultural institutions. Basically, the article’s thrust is that “getting folks to come out to your entertainment venue involves convincing … Continue reading →
Two timely questions dropped into our inbox this weekend. One has an easy answer, and the other is more complicated. To start with the easy one, Jean wants to know… Q: When will we hear who is going to be … Continue reading →
Just had a great week off at home (I’m finding scheduled time off to be a real necessity these days – gotta maintain that equilibrium in life!). Thus the absence of blogging on my end last week – I’ve been … Continue reading →
To put a bow on this week of blog tributes to our soon-to-depart concertmaster, I wanted to post an essay I originally wrote for Showcase, our in-house program book. For one reason or another, I never submitted the piece for … Continue reading →
