The Orchestra embarks on its inaugural Common Chords residency this week in Grand Rapids, MN. I arrived late Sunday night (as did a string quartet and brass quintet from the Orchestra) after a nearly four hour drive winding north from … Continue reading →
Happy New Year to all out there in the blogosphere! I’m hoping that everyone joyously rang in 2011 – I kept busy with a New Year’s Eve concert with my other orchestra, the North Carolina Symphony. It’s not always tons … Continue reading →
Late last week the city of Turku, Finland announced the launching of a new initiative, the distribution of 5,500 “cultural prescriptions”, available through doctors’ appointments at city health centers. Vouchers for cultural events ranging from art exhibits to a children’s … Continue reading →
From the Putting It All In Perspective file, trombonist Jeff Merriman sends along this incredible story of the world’s oldest Holocaust survivor, her friends, and her beloved music… It’s not often that you hear someone say, in all seriousness, “I … Continue reading →
“Classical music, opera, used to disperse teen loiterers” I really hate news stories like this, mostly because they seem to confirm common suspicion that the young people are repelled by this old-fangled classical music business. And, not only that; in … Continue reading →
Or, as we’d say on this side of the Atlantic, the more things change, the more they remain the same. Throughout my conducting career I’ve faced the dreaded “How is it being a woman in a male-dominated field?” question, and … Continue reading →
During a little online research for a preconcert lecture Friday, I came across this article on Mozart and Haydn which concluded with the following paragraph: Some years ago, I was discussing music with two friends, one of them a distinguished … Continue reading →
In the last few years, it seems like there’s been a surge of interest in music and the human brain. Renowned neurologist Oliver Sacks jump-started the conversation with his remarkable 2007 book, Musicophilia, which was part scientific examination of how … Continue reading →
I’m finishing up Michael Pollan’s wonderful The Omnivore’s Dilemma, which, I have to confess, I started back when the Orchestra was on tour in late February (I have a bad habit of reading up to a dozen books simultaneously, which … Continue reading →
I’m back in the Twin Cities and settling into my new house – the movers arrived yesterday with several tons of belongings (pianos and scores are very, very heavy), and with the cable installed I finally have internet access! I … Continue reading →
