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The Modern Academy in Focus: Ripieno Ensemble
Talk about off and running. The Manila-based Ripieno Ensemble only formally launched in January, and its debut performance in February featured an ambitious repertoire: the works of modern-day music stalwarts Schoenberg and Webern as well as those of contemporary Philippine
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The Castrato and Allegri
Today, the idea of a castrato singer is a bit embarrassing. For our hyper-masculine world (would you like muscles on that?), the idea of a male singer who can only sing at a soprano pitch just seems wrong.
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Flow My Tears: Weeping With Dowland
John Dowland (1563 –1626) brought the art of weeping to an exquisite height in the early 17th century. This English Renaissance composer, lutenist, and singer became famed for his melancholy songs that have an inherent darkness that stands in contrast
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Sherlock and Music and Mysteries
We looked earlier at Sherlock and Opera and now, when we see what other music he ventured into, we find a connoisseur of the musical arts of his time at its highest point.
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What is a Concertmaster?
Sometimes the actions of an orchestra seem quite mysterious. You’d expect that the orchestra would come on stage, take their seats, the conductor would arrive, and off they’d play. Instead, the orchestra seats itself, and then the first chair of
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The Modern Academy in Focus : Composer Ken Ueno
The Modern Academy, an innovative and intensive short course in music performance and composition, kicked off June 10th in Hong Kong, drawing a talented cohort of local and international students and young professionals.
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Instruments of the Orchestra X: The Trumpet
The next of the brass winds is the trumpet, which developed much on the same lines as the horn: first a simple structure, then with the addition of valves, an instrument more suited for ensemble work was created. The process
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Temple of High Culture or Political Debate?
When the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra got ready for a performance of the Brahms Requiem recently, two members of the audience began singing the old civil rights tune, “Which Side are You on?” Other protestors seated on the main floor
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