Learning an instrument is hard work. Having a good relationship with your music teacher can make everything so much easier. So today we’re looking at five ways to impress your music teacher: 1. Listen carefully to what your teacher has

Claude Debussy, born on 22 August 1862, returned to Paris in the spring of 1887 after having spent two years at the Villa Medici in Rome. As a lauded winner of the famed Prix de Rome, he had left Paris

In 1877, Tchaikovsky received a letter that would change his life forever. It was from a wealthy woman named Nadezhda von Meck, who described herself as a “fervent admirer.” She commissioned some chamber music from him, and eventually, she began

Antonio Salieri, born on 18 August 1750 in the town of Legnago just south of Verona, was described as “the greatest musical diplomat, as he carefully cultivated friendships with people who could help him to build a career.” The first

Estonian composer Tõnu Kõrvits (b. 1969) used the inspiring and tragic story of the flyer Amelia Earhart (1897–1937) as the basis for his 2022 work Tiibade hääl (The Sound of Wings). Setting the text of Estonian poet Doria Kareva, Kõrvits

In looking at costuming for Rossini’s Il Barbiere di Siviglia, we found some interesting 19th-century interpretations of Figaro himself. In a production at the Théâtre Royal Italien in 1844, the artist and designer Alexandre Lacauchie put the serenading barber in

Every music lover knows that Mozart was one of the most extraordinary prodigies in the history of music: he began composing when he was only five years old! But have you ever sat down and listened to these early works?

In my last article, I introduced six Children’s operas written in the 1900s. Children’s operas are often made for children or young people, but they also appeal to adult audiences. In this article, I share eight more children’s operas that