The late 20th century and early 21st century were times of upheaval – whole populations on the move to escape war, to escape famine, to escape persecution, to just escape from the crumbled world that surrounded them. For the more

After a long hard winter there’s nothing like the gentle arrival of spring and after a wet spring, we welcome summer with relief. In the 13th century, a lovely rota, or round, was written that celebrated the summer’s arrival, ‘Sumer

Joly Braga Santos (1924-1988) brought Portugal into the full orchestral world of the 20th century. A student of Luís de Freitas Branco, he used his teacher’s symphonies as the springboard for his own orchestral explorations. As he looked at modern

Jacopo da Todi’s meditation on the emotions of Mary at the crucifixion of her son have inspired composers for centuries. The Stabat Mater, written in the 13th century, has been set by composers from the 15th century to the 21st,

The Chinese Zodiac uses a 12-year cycle and assigns an animal to each year. In 2020, the 12-year cycle starts again with the Year of the Rat. In addition, each animal is assigned one of the five elements (Wood, Fire,

Think back to the turn of the millennium – pop music was focused on getting that drum and bass just right and party music. And then came the events of 2001 and the world changed – 2 towers came down

In December 1983, organist Harry Huff was scheduled to play the New Year’s Eve service at the world’s largest (or second-largest) Anglican Cathedral, New York’s St. John the Divine, located by Columbia University in Morningside Heights in Manhattan. First discussion

That wonderful week between the festivities of Christmas and New Year is used by several countries in different ways. For many of us, it’s a quiet time to play with our new presents, visit old friends, get up-to-date on everything