Imagine… John Winston (later Ono) Lennon was born on 9 October 1940, in Liverpool, England, to Julia (Stanley) and Alfred Lennon, a merchant seaman. When his parents separated, 4-year-old John ended up living with his Aunt Mimi. John showed some

The Global Perspective Few musicians manage to balance teaching and performing as well as Greek-born violinist Areta Zhulla. A recipient of the Triandi Career Grant as well as the Tassos Prassopoulos Foundation Award, a passionate chamber musician with an equally

The Interpretive Genius There can be no doubt that Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) was “one of the most prodigiously talented and successful musicians in American history.” He once told the New York Times, “I want to conduct. I want to play

Telling a personal story The small Italian town of Locarno plays host to the Settimane Musicali di Ascona each summer. At its head is internationally-renowned pianist Francesco Piemontesi, the recently-appointed Artistic Director of his home town’s music festival. ‘I’ve lived

1+1=1 Estonian-born composer Arvo Pärt (b. 1935) has managed to strike a sound of devotional archaism into a world of chaotic modernity. Highly experimental during his early musical career, Pärt’s study of early music inspired a new, and completely unique

Seeing with Fresh Eyes Charlie Siem is one of very few violinists to have undertaken solo tours to Norway and Holland, be the centrepiece of a dedicated Buzzfeed article, and have modelled for Vogue, Armani and Boss.

Art is a matter of evolution, not revolution 70 years ago, the world completely ignored the passing of one of the most creative and influential composers of the 20th century. Béla Bartók (1881–1945) originally hailed from the Hungarian town of

The energy with which Balkan folk music is infused is infectious, driving, compelling. Couple this with the fireworks of a world-class saxophone quartet, accordionist, and drummer, and you have the recipe for a band bubbling and brimming with an inimitable