Musician forced to check viola in hold by Lufthansa
Sekyeong Cheon, deputy principal violist at the Finnish National Opera, was forced to check her viola into the hold of a Lufthansa flight last week … Read more
CLASSICAL
Why is a German orchestra’s planned performance in Turkey so controversial?
Last week, Germany’s Foreign Ministry abruptly cancelled a planned performance by the Dresden Symphony Orchestra in Istanbul. The performance was to have been the Turkish … Read more
Saint-Saëns and his Danse Macabre for Halloween
Camille Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre, Op. 40, was composed in 1874 as an orchestral tone poem based on a French legend about Death appearing every Halloween … Read more
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra reaches $25 million funding goal
Amid all the news of cuts at orchestras and musicians on strike in defence of pay, it’s something of a relief to hear a successful … Read more
61 years since Maria Callas debuted at the Met
Maria Callas made her much-anticipated debut at the Met on 29 October 1956, 61 years ago. Callas was already world-famous by the time she opened … Read more
Project to use music to track melting ice in Antarctic
A composer was in the Antarctic with a scientific exhibition to collect data that will be used in the creation of a piece based on … Read more
Musician shows how to respond to clients expecting a free concert
Laura Rose runs a string quartet called Bow Fiddle and an agent recently contacted her about a potential concert opportunity. But, there was a catch, … Read more
Five scary pieces of classical music just in time for Halloween
If you’re hosting a Halloween party, or just looking to get yourself suitably worked up into a frenzy of terror for whatever you have planned, … Read more
One-handed pianist debuts with orchestra
Norman Malone almost lost his life in a tragic incident at the age of 10. Although he was paralyzed in one arm, he didn’t stop … Read more
Project creating music with broken instruments
Symphony for a Broken Orchestra is a project in Philadelphia that is seeking to make use of abandoned instruments to create music and encourage children … Read more
Soprano saves the day by singing two roles in ‘La traviata’
Claudia Rosenthal, a soprano at the Pittsburhg Opera, stepped in at the last minute to sing two roles in La traviata after the lead soloist … Read more
Montreal Symphony becomes first orchestra to own an octobass
Audiences in Montreal got to see a world first: the Montreal Symphony Orchestra became the only ensemble to welcome an octobass into its ranks. The … Read more
Watch striking Pittsburgh Symphony musicians give free performance
Musicians at the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra remain on strike in opposition to plans by management to cut pay and reduce the size of the ensemble. … Read more
Franz Liszt was born on this day in 1811
The great pianist, composer and conductor Franz Liszt was born today in 1811. Liszt’s musical talents were legendary. He could reportedly make grown men weep … Read more
11-year-old composer compared to Mozart gets ready for opera premier
Alma Deutscher has composed her own version of Cinderella, which takes place in an opera house. Cinderella is transformed into a young composer, who offers … Read more