The pressure of sight reading can seem a lot like a bad date: unpleasant surprises, sweaty palms and awkward silences can be just as common across the dinner table as when fumbling through an unfamiliar piece of music. Thankfully, although

Anna Amalia, Princess of Prussia The 18th century shows a wonderful increase in the number of women composers who we know today. The number of royal composers, including Barbara of Portugal who became Queen Barbara of Spain, Princess Anna Amalia

I am just an ordinary city girl, and one of the greatest joys during the burning hot day of summer is a visit to my local cinema. Sitting in a comfy chair in a chilled air-conditioned room with a huge

The history of classical music is essentially populated and written by Caucasian white males. Everybody knows the names Ludwig van Beethoven and Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart, but do you know Margaret Bonds, Eleanor Alberga, Bright Sheng, Isang Yun, Priti Paintal and

The Ukrainian lands have given rise to some of the most exceptionally gifted artists on the planet. Steeped in musical traditions established well over 1,000 year ago, Ukrainian composers and performers have significantly contributed to the world of classical music.

Freedom Square in the heart of Kharkiv, Ukraine houses the State Academic Opera and Ballet Theater, Kharkiv Philharmonic concert hall, and numerous universities and government buildings. On March 1st, the square, the second largest city square in Europe, became the

The expression “small but perfectly formed” is rather over-used, but in the case of this new book How to Practise Music (Hal Leonard) it is entirely apt. Written by Andrew Eales, a highly respected British music educator, piano teacher and

Easter is the most important holiday for Christians around the world. But you don’t have to be seriously religious to enjoy that particular time of year, as the coming of Spring, at least in the Northern hemisphere also signals a