Colin Holter posed a question in his post this morning on NewMusicBox that I'd like to consider here as well: We can agree that it is thought that the patrons of classical music in the United States are old and getting older. That’s the conventional wisdom. So let me ask you this: Have you ever read a piece of serious writing on the attitudes of the elderly toward classical music? If, as is often assumed, the over-70 crowd exerts a powerful influence over the institutions that deliver … [Read more...]

I was a late convert to the e-reader. Yet once I got going,  its 24/7 ready-access to the world of literature at the click of a button made me an easy candidate for seduction. Lately, however, I have been getting lost in the Amazon Kindle Store, the victim of too many choices shelved on a flat virtual table with no personal "you're going to love this one!" identification system yet worked out for myself. (I have never been a kindred spirit of the NYTimes bestseller list readers, and my … [Read more...]

There will be some actual content from me later in the week, but meanwhile I'll let Jan Swafford write the new music jokes and handle the analysis. Plus! Something beautiful I just saw on the internet: [via] … [Read more...]

My patience level doesn't often allow me to get terribly engaged in online video of much length. That said, this fun little production piece, designed to showcase a bit of video editing software, didn't lose me for even a second. For those trying to enjoy the holiday weekend without an excess of online distraction, I still think it's worth the time investment. And for those hiding from a family picnic in an upstairs bedroom, it's entertaining enough to watch twice! Be sure not to miss the extra … [Read more...]