Blogs

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The Prodigal Pianist
The adult ‘returner’ pianist I’m a returner pianist – and maybe, if you’re reading this article, you are too and therefore what follows will resonate with you. Or perhaps you are thinking of taking up the piano again after a
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Women Conductors Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Jane Glover
Without experience in front of an orchestra, without opportunities to learn the craft, women conductors have had little hope of being hired until very recently. Today conservatories, colleges, and festivals include conducting curriculums, and more women are being accepted into
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In Memoriam
Peter Serkin (1947-2020)
The musical world is deeply saddened by the loss of Peter Serkin (1947-2020), who died after a long struggle with pancreatic cancer at the age of 72. Described as “a brilliant, resourceful instrumentalist, a sensitive, original interpreter and a performer
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Women Conductors Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Simone Young
Conductor Simone Young, the soon to be first female music director of the Sydney Symphony, and currently the orchestra’s Chief Conductor designate, has been in the news recently. On March 1st, she will lead London’s best Australian musicians to raise
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In Memoriam: Barry Tuckwell (1931-2020)
Barry Tuckwell (1931-2020), widely acclaimed as the preeminent horn player of his generation, has died on 16 January 2020 at a hospital in Melbourne. I still remember seeing and hearing him perform at a concert in Amsterdam, and like the
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The Marsalis Brothers and Other Siblings in Classical Music
Music is decidedly part of the Marsalis family DNA. Wynton is a virtuoso trumpeter, composer and artistic director of Jazz at Lincoln Center, while Branford is a virtuoso saxophonist, composer and bandleader. Their father Ellis Marsalis Jr. is a world-renowned
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Women Conductors Breaking Through the Glass Ceiling
Once the entire symphony orchestra has tuned and is seated, we anticipate the conductor, his arm extended, his greying hair smoothed to a sheen. Pompously, he crosses the stage and leaps onto a red-carpeted podium. Exuding unquestionable authority and power,
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My Beethoven by Oliver
Unlike many of my colleagues who grew up around Beethoven, either by hearing him in the home or studying his piano music, I managed to (unintentionally) avoid him for a long time, only really discovering Beethoven as I embarked on
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