Reading the Saturday Paper
Gordon Wright, a conductor who championed obscure composers and made music across the chilly climes of Alaska as founder of the Arctic Chamber Orchestra, was found dead on Wednesday on…
Steve’s click picks #17
Our regular listen to and look at living, breathing composers and performers that you may not know yet, but I know you should… And can, right here and now, since…
Last Night in L.A.: the Argento
Last night’s Never-on-Monday Evening Concert at LACMA presented the Argento Chamber Ensemble in its sampling of German music. Lanier Sammons wrote a nice review of the concert’s performance in New…
An Interview With Golijov
On Sunday, Argentinean composer Osvaldo Golijov won two 2007 Grammy awards—Best Opera Recording and Best Contemporary Classical Composition—for his opera, Ainadamar (Fountain Of Tears) starring soprano Dawn Upshaw and the…
Guilty Pleasures
We’re having an ice storm in the Center of the Universe this morning. Good day to be old and vested although it’s not really the thrill you think it’s going…
Happy Birthday to Hugh!
The Tablet PC-wielding piano-playing super-awesome Hugh Sung is celebrating one year as a blogger. He has a podcast here introducing his cool gear to musicians. Get with the program, folks,…
“Wilson’s Ivory-bill”
Times have been good for my old composition teacher Lee Hyla. After many years on the composition faculty at Boston’s New England Conservatory, he has been hired into an endowed…
And the Winners (We Care About) Are
Classical Vocal Performance: “Rilke Songs,” Lorraine Hunt Lieberson (Peter Serkin), track from Lieberson: Rilke Songs, The Six Realms, Horn Concerto. Classical Contemporary Composition: “Golijov: Ainadamar: Fountain of Tears,” Osvaldo Golijov…
Hugo Wolf for the masses — what’s elitist about that?
Found on the Web: ” … I think the thing about classical music being a class-signifier is more to do with the fact that our society has lost the notion…
Louis W. Ballard, 1931-2007
Composer Ann Millikan sent us a note yesterday. Please let it be known: The great Quapaw-Cherokee composer Louis Ballard passed just around midnight at his home in Santa Fe, NM.…