After a day of kitchen fun, B and I are considering getting out of this music racket and refocusing our blogging careers on food. Happy Thanksgiving, everyone! … [Read more...]

Before orchestra musicians get up on stage to play those massive masterworks, they grocery shop and pick up their kids from daycare just like the rest of us. When life breaks from the hum-drum and things get really intense, however, they have a distinctly appropriate mental playlist on hand. We have all been to the panel discussions and/or read the articles lamenting that the symphony just isn't as cool/sexy as other genres, but it seems that as a society we still cleave to the collective … [Read more...]

Now, see, in this example, the singing totally doesn't seem like the silly, far-fetched part! It works in the trailer. In full-length, apparently not so much. Sad! Anyone have a report? So, um, what 21st-century opera needed to seem less ridiculous was an ice pick! I'll leave that to the sociologists. Do wonder though: What would Ron Rosenbaum say? … [Read more...]

A couple of short composer interviews I conducted have surfaced on the internet in recent weeks (Doug Cuomo / ACO composers). In all cases, the point of these pieces was to provide a little amuse bouche for potential attendees. If I did my job, they serve as the warm oven of the concert hall. Want a taste of this? Well, walk this way. Grabbing a quick drink after the BAM production of Cuomo's Arjuna's Dilemma, my concert companion said she really enjoyed the show, but pointed out that she … [Read more...]

After all the hand shaking, speech making, and historical precedent setting that came to a massively satisfying celebratory close on Tuesday night, you would have thought the President-Elect would have had to--I don't know--sit down for a few minutes. But it's Friday and already the train is pulling out of the station. Maybe this is how it always works, or maybe it's just plain necessity considering how many things are broken in our nation, but damn does it impress me. There are a lot of people … [Read more...]

Just in case you missed Greg's directive, when you need some relief from election-day banter today, anyone at all interested in new music should go and read this essay. Seriously. As soon as we get the Obama/McCain decision delivered, we will once again be at liberty to discuss something else. And you'll want to be able to discuss this. … [Read more...]

I had the awesome experience of being connected to this little love song project last year. It was 100% amazing to hear our song in concert last Wednesday, and it proved to be one of those nights when the talent of the friends who surround me leaves me speechless (okay, nearly speechless). Maybe that's why I found the story of this "critic death threat via pop song" so unshakable. How completely unreal yet totally logical would it be if the music that you loved bit you back with such a direct … [Read more...]