A crazy 2010 has come to an end. It was the year of the Shanghai Expo and vuvuzelas, of positive events and negative happenings, and not least, lots and lots of music festivals. Apart from the countless music events and

For years, my New Year’s resolutions have looked like this: Get better grades; Find a handsome boyfriend; Increase revenues in my business; Lose some weight; Get married; Have a baby; Lose more weight; More babies; You get the idea. As

Florent Schmitt (September 28, 1870 – August 17, 1958) is one of the most fascinating French composers active in the first half of the 20th century. A Lorrainer, born in Meurthe-et-Moselle, Schmitt originally took music lessons in Nancy with the

The Snowman and the Bear (City Chamber Orchestra of Hong Kong) 5PM, Sunday 5 December 2010. Concert Hall, HK City Hall As a pre-Christmas concert for children, featuring a narration of two children’s beloved tales with muted animation and a

In 1993, Dr Frances Rauscher and her colleagues from the Centre of Neurobiology of Learning and Memory, University of California published a letter in “Nature” magazine that shook the music world. The report suggested that listening to Mozart’s music could

Being a “huge romantic” at heart, my preference in classical music has always been evolving around the genre of “concerto grandioso”. I did attend some concerts of chamber music in the past, but frankly, they were far from impressive, and

Described by The Washington Post as a “brilliantly polished, profoundly gifted young pianist” following his debut recital at age 20 at the Kennedy Center, the French pianist, organist and composer Jean-Frederic Neuburger has been showing an exceptional musical aptitude and

I’m not sure what I was expecting when I decided to board Windstar Cruises for my first music cruise, but it definitely exceeded whatever I had in mind. To be frank, I boarded the cruise ship extremely naïve. For one,