My Beethoven Moment came by way of a Wagnerian dramatic soprano. The municipal theatre of the small town where I grew up – Bern, Switzerland – offered a rather limited operatic program. But they tried. When the Stadttheater Bern put

One of my best friends is a published author. With two popular and successful books under her belt, she gave up her day job to write full time and now her imagination and creativity seem to know no bounds. When

Musicians are very creative people. So creative, that when we get bored backstage, when we are waiting on tour for a bus or plane, when we pause while a conductor decides if he or she wants it louder or softer,

You’ve heard of pocketbooks, pocket watches, pocket battleships and pocket money, but what about pocket symphonies? According to Wikipedia, “a pocket symphony is a song with extended form. The term was popularized by English journalist Derek Taylor, who used it

intense, immersive, impassioned, hugely demanding and hugely enrichingJonathan Biss, pianist It’s the single most humane music imaginableIgor Levit, pianist Somewhere in the world right now, as I write, a pianist is performing or recording the Beethoven Piano Sonatas, maybe just

You can always count on musicians for a much-needed smile and some solutions, even during this global pandemic. The Coronavirus Etude—For Piano and Disinfecting Wipe is a must for all piano teachers. To be played Molto RUB-ato, and Molto Detergere.

The author Umberto Eco has a library of an astonishing 30,000+ books, most of which he has not, and probably never will read. Nassim Nicholas Talib (author of The Black Swan) calls this an “anti-library” and believes it represents an

Celebrating her 20th season at the helm of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra this year, JoAnn Falletta is the first woman conductor to be appointed music director of a major American orchestra. At a time when women conductors had to overcome