Belgian composer and pianist Arthur De Greef (1862-1940) was a child prodigy, winning his first piano competiion at age 11, even if it was only a local one. This led him to the Brussels Conservatory where he continued in the

The Chinese Buddhist monk Li Shutong—also known by a variety of other names—was a master painter, dramatist, calligrapher, poet, and musician. Born in Tianjin and educated in Shanghai, he went to Japan in 1905 and studied at the Tokyo School

One of the most influential oboists of the twentieth century was Marcel Tabuteau (1887-1966), originally from France, but settling in the USA in 1907, where he became a citizen in 1912. After studying at the Paris Conservatoire, Tabuteau became principal

We all remember that horrible night in 1996, when the Venetian opera house “La Fenice” was destroyed and gutted by fire. What at first looked like an innocent accident soon turned out to be a mindless case of arson! Enrico

One of our few ‘Forgotten Pianists’ to have both a screen and stage career, Spanish conductor and pianist José Iturbi (1895-1980) had an international career from Spain to Paris, to Mexico and then Hollywood.

The history of early electronic musical instruments is filled with evocative and colorful names. We find the Telharmonium (1897), Theremin (1919), Spharophon (1924), Electronde (1933), Trautonium (1930), Mellertion (1933), and the Ondes Martenot (1928). All these early synthesizers make use

It isn’t easy being a musician. Aside from the daily practising routine, usually done alone and in isolation, one can suffer from confidence and self-esteem issues, and crippling self-doubt, often the result of looking at what others are doing and

Brazilian pianist Guiomar Novaes (1895-1979) entered the Paris Conservatoire in 1909 at age 14 and instantly caught the attention of Debussy, who had been on her entrance jury. Even by that young age, she had already made fundamental decisions about