Blogs

archive-post-image
Who Were the First Women Conductors?
Over the past decade, it has become more and more common to see women conducting orchestras. Many people believe that women only started conducting in the twentieth century, but that belief would be mistaken. As of 2025, we’re still waiting
Read more
archive-post-image
If You Like Schubert, You Might Like András Schiff
Franz Schubert is renowned for his melodic genius, emotional depth, and his ability to capture the human experience in music. His works, ranging from intimate lieder to expansive symphonies, have left an enduring mark on classical music. For those drawn
Read more
archive-post-image
Rosalyn Tureck: The Greatest Bach Pianist You’ve Never Heard Of
Most classical music lovers know about Glenn Gould and his legendary recordings of Bach’s Goldberg Variations. But do you know about Rosalyn Tureck, the incredible keyboard player who inspired him? Over the course of her very long career, Rosalyn Tureck
Read more
archive-post-image
Modest Tchaikovsky: A Younger Brother In the Shadows
Pyotr Tchaikovsky is one of the most beloved composers of the Romantic Era. One reason Tchaikovsky’s music has endured is that he had a devoted younger brother named Modest, who spent years of his life tending to his brother’s legacy.
Read more
archive-post-image
Konstancja Gładkowska: The Singer Who Was Chopin’s First Love
Konstancja Gładkowska, a talented Polish soprano, was a major figure in the life of Frédéric Chopin. Without even knowing it, Gładkowska became Chopin’s muse when he was in his late teens and early twenties. Their relationship may never have been
Read more
archive-post-image
Was Brahms Forced to Play in Brothels?
It’s one of the most famous stories about the life of Johannes Brahms: he played piano in brothels as a teenager, and the experience scarred him for the rest of his life. However, is this mythology based on truth? Some
Read more
archive-post-image
Alma Moodie: Why Has This Great Violinist Been Totally Forgotten?
Australian violinist Alma Moodie was one of the most important figures in early twentieth-century classical music. Her international career burned bright in between the world wars, and she inspired multiple major works by German composers in the 1920s. But she
Read more
archive-post-image
Making Fun of the Wild Pianists
Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals: Pianists
One of the unusual movements in Saint-Saëns’ Carnival of the Animals is his 11th movement: “Pianists.” We opened with the march of the lions, we had an elephant, and upcoming is the most famous movement, The Swan, but in the
Read more