Musicians always had rather hectic traveling and work schedules, with appearances frequently organized along incredibly tight timetables and in far-flung locations. And the Irish composer and conductor Michael William Balfe (1808-1870) was no exception. He started his career as a

The song Misirlou first hit the airways in 1927 and went on to capture an international audience. From this recording, which found its popularity in the US in the Greek/Armenian diaspora of the 1920s, started to appear in recordings of

Respect is a crucial part of teaching – mutual respect between teacher and pupil, and also between teacher and parent/the person paying the teacher’s fees. From my side of the bargain, respect towards my students and their parents includes:

The four cello concertos of Karl Davidov are remarkable and should be included in our list of concertos which deserve to be played. The Davidov Concerto No. 1 in B minor is on the shorter side at twenty minutes, but

It might well be that William Crotch (1775-1847) was the most precocious musical talent of all times. Son of a humble carpenter, young William showed great enjoyment of music, and before his 2nd birthday was able to play a number

Gilbert and Sullivan’s The Mikado (1886) wasn’t the first sign of the West’s fascination with the exotic East. The Paris Exposition of 1867 brought Japanese art to the world in its first national pavilion and artists including Vincent van Gogh