We all know that the world can be a dark and lonely place. But remember: as a musician, you have the power to shine light into dark corners. I belong to an adult amateur string orchestra, and every holiday season

In recent years, the blog (a truncation of the expression ‘web log’) has become a popular means of sharing information and opinions, and there are thousands of blogs across the web on the myriad aspects of classical music and music

Walter Gieseking (1895-1956) had a family that travelled frequently and so his first performances at the piano were without formal training. It wasn’t until 1911 that he was able to start formal study at the Hanover Conservatory. His budding career

Maurice Murphy (1935-2010) was born in west London, but spent his childhood in Yorkshire, in the north of England. He grew up playing in local brass bands, and in 1956 became the principal cornet of the internationally renowned Black Dyke

When Ravel wrote his piano suite Le Tombeau de Couperin in memory of the soldiers of the Great War, the first performance in Paris in 1919 was given by the Marguerite Long, who was the widow of Joseph de Marliave,

With the passing of Kurt Moll (1938-2017) the world has lost one of its greatest voices. Internationally renowned for his velvety and deeply moving voice, Moll was capable of reaching into the infra-bass range. Reaching to the glorious depths of

Benno Moiseiwitsch (1890-1963) was another of the great pianists who came onto the international stage in the 1930s and who brought an elegance of performance matched with a relaxed virtuosic style.

Pianist Egon Petri (1881-1962) was a Dutch citizen, born in Hannover, Germany, to Dutch parents. He first learned violin from his father, Henri Petri, who had been a student of Joseph Joachim, one of the most significant violinists of the