Blogs

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5 Composers Who Died in the Holocaust Who You Need to Know
The impact of the loss of life under the Nazi regime was incalculable. One of the only ways we can begin to comprehend the scale of the destruction is by looking at the impact that the Holocaust had on individual
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Wearing Your Music on Your Gown
The 2023 Met Gala brought out all kinds of dresses, including Karl Lagerfeld’s 40-year-old violin dress, designed in 1983 for Chloé, worn here by Olivia Wilde. But Lagerfeld wasn’t the only designer to find his inspiration in the instruments of
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The Power of Quiet
It’s still quite unusual these days to attend a concert where the programme begins with a quiet and/or slow piece. Often performers have a favourite “warm up” piece, one with which they feel very comfortable, which is a helpful way
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A Concert of Hot Air: Dr Puff Finds Some Instruments
In his ground-breaking pre-Surrealist drawings, the French illustrator Grandville (born Jean Ignace Isidore Gerard) (1803–1847) created worlds of anthropomorphic vegetables and zoomorphic figures that would influence artists up through the 20th century. His 1843 book Un autre monde (Another World),
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Classical Sounds in Modern “Machines”
We always listen to music, whether voluntarily or involuntarily. Recently, I met my friends at a music conference that was held at a casino resort. Our conversation about classical music in our lives began when we heard Beethoven’s Ode to
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Pianists and Their Composers: Franz Liszt
Franz Liszt divides opinion. For some he is regarded as one of the greatest pianist-composers of the Romantic era; for others, he is a showman and a charlatan who wrote vulgar, showy music. In fact, he was a remarkable musician
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Yunchan Lim: Is He the Best Young Pianist Today?
Pianist Yunchan Lim exploded onto the international music scene in 2022 when he won the gold medal at the prestigious Van Cliburn International Piano Competition, joining the ranks of past winners like Radu Lupu and Olga Kern. Yunchan Lim was
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Tabea Zimmermann is Bringing Dynamism to Minnesota
One of the new artistic partners of The Saint Paul Chamber Orchestra, Tabea Zimmermann is an astounding artist, multiple award-winning violist, and a mesmerizing personality. Currently the artist in residence with the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, previously holding the same
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