As a classical musician, we are often faced (in more normal times, at least) with the dilemma of having too many notes to learn and not enough time to learn them in. Concerts and opportunities come in at the last

If there is one opera I love above all others, it has to be Georges Bizet’s Carmen. It contains beautiful and ethnic melodies, plenty of action and great drama. But the reason I personally rate it above others in the

Some years ago, when I was working on two of Rachmaninoff’s Opus 33 Etudes-Tableaux for a performance diploma, I posted on Facebook a screen shot of a passage which was giving me some issues and asked if anyone had some

Ottavia’s Torment (Christa Ludwig) I never had the privilege of experiencing Christa Ludwig perform live. But I saw her year after year in the audience of the Salzburg Festival. Statuesque, elegant, attractive and humble, this true operatic diva was content

Musical quotation is the art of integrating one’s musical words and sentences into another one’s work. It is quite similar to how quoting works in spoken languages, but differs in the capacity in which the quote can adapt and almost

Few people would dispute that the last year has been difficult. Many of us have lived under extraordinary restrictions for months, unable to see family and friends. Largely confined to our homes, we have had to adapt to new ways

Mark Twain has always been one of my favorite writers. I just love the way he tells stories that focus on the follies of human nature. Twain was world-famous for his witty quotes and he once said, “Clothes make the

Francesco Geminiani (1687-1762) was, in his day, one of the great composers and musicians in Europe, often considered the equal of Handel or Corelli. Born in Lucca, Italy, he made his career in London and later Paris, arriving as a