I spend lots of time, much more than I’d like, talking about nomenclature — the terms we use for various elements of the musical universe I inhabit. Very often, these terms are highly charged and nearly political in their implication. … Continue reading →
All right, blog readers, it’s been another another epic week on the Sting bandwagon – it’s hard to give a nutshell recap, but here goes… St. Petersburg has certainly been the largest crowd so far (150,000), but our most enthusiastic … Continue reading →
By some weird bit of scheduling and programming, I’m conducting all three of Stravinsky’s major ballets (and in chronological order, too!) between January and May; Firebird and Petrouchka with the North Carolina Symphony, and the Rite of Spring in our … Continue reading →
I’ve always been fascinated by the varied intersections of music and technology – some (potentially) successful, some less so. This one definitely goes into the former category. Those of you who skip over these tech-heavy blog posts, please don’t skip … Continue reading →
From pop music overlord Chris Riemenschneider at the Star Tribune: I still wish city leaders and the Minnesota Orchestra would figure out a way to bring back the sorely missed Day of Music to that same neighborhood. That used to … Continue reading →
I was struck by a recent notice for an upcoming concert entitled A Special Night Of Hip-Hop And Classical Music, featuring the Los Angeles New Music ensemble joined by DJ Journey and MoeRoc. A bit of ad copy made me … Continue reading →
If you thought this was oddly entrancing (not to mention hilarious), well… [youtube=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=MQ78IlJs5JQ] Yes, I tend to find the oddest things during my insomniac hotel moments on the road. But more importantly, this kind of thing reminds me of the … Continue reading →
So, to keep up with the levity here lately, have all of you been following the whole “Pants on the ground” phenomenon? If not, in a nutshell; last week on American Idol, contestant Larry Platt busted out with this incongruously … Continue reading →
I mentioned this song a couple of weeks back in the post about best/worst holiday music. I’ve never been much for carols, on the whole, but this Dar Williams song is Christmas to me, encapsulating all the familial gulfs and … Continue reading →
You’ve gotta try this out; it’s a web widget that allows you to type in a sentence which is then played back using those same words culled from a library of popular songs. Perfect 2-minute break on a manic Monday.
