-
A Steinway grand, a Model A, 6 feet 2 inches long, which carries the serial number 87592, making it the 87,592nd piano since the company began--making pianos in the family kitchen. The item in question: an 1897 Steinway donated by Rose Gershwin. -
Last Kind Words: Elvie Thomas and Geeshie Wiley Unearthed via New York Times, "Motherless Child Blues" Revived
In the spring of 1930, in a damp and dimly lit studio, on a Wisconsin village off Lake Michigan, Thomas and Wiley recorded a session of songs that for over half a century had been named masterpieces of pre-war Americana. -
Transgender Violinist and Singer Tona Brown Takes Classicalite's Proust Questionnaire
I first read about Tona Brown, one of the Beltway's best singing violinists, in my colleague Tim Smith's pitch perfect profile in the May 22, 2011 early edition of the Baltimore Sun. To wit, I've been following Miss Brown's career--performer, pedagogue, activist--for the ensuing three years. -
National Jazz Poetry Month: 'Lambda Literary Review' Excerpts James Baldwin's 'Jimmy's Blues' in Celebration
If you haven't already heard (and since we reported on it, you should have), April is not only Jazz Appreciation Month...it's also National Poetry Month. And to celebrate, the good people at The Lambda Literary Review are clearly excited to share an excerpt from the famous writer James Baldwin. -
Baritone Sir Thomas Allen Takes on Scottish Opera, At Least for Now
Sir Thomas Allen has been named "music adviser" to Scottish Opera. The company has been music directorless since the abrupt resignation of its then-new music director Emmauel Joel-Hornak. -
Laura Wright Takes to London Marathon Leaving Little to the Imagination, Plans to Sing 'Jerusalem' Mid-Sprint
Laura Wright has made the brave decision to run the London Marathon on Sunday in, well, hardly anything--stopping halfway through to sing "Jerusalem" on Tower Bridge. -
UK Culture Secretary Maria Miller Resigns, Industry Nervously Eyes Her Successor Sajid Javid
It's all change at the top of the UK arts scene as the government's Culture Secretary Maria Miller resigns after becoming embroiled in a scandal over her expenses (she was cleared of the major charges, but still has to pay several thousand pounds of claimed expenses back). Music pros on social... -
Stephen (Steven?) Colbert ,1983 Spoleto USA Opera Star, Invites Plácido Domingo to 'The Report'
If you can believe it (and you should) Stephen Colbert has something of an operatic past. In his youth, apparently, he was associated with the Spoleto festivals in Charleston, South Carolina. -
Listening to the Bawdy Bellower Nerd: Amusing Anagrams of Famous Composers’ Names
Just for fun, we decided to test some anagram generators on the Web by typing in the names of our favorite composers. What hidden meanings might be lurking in these famous names? -
Wish You Could Hear: Pink Floyd's 'Wish You Were Here' Track Gets a Violinist's Touch per an Immersion Re-Release, Nick Mason Claims Travesty
The slowed-down ballad track from the conceptual 'Dark Side' LP featured not just a 12-string acoustic juxtaposed with a riffing six, but a fully orchestrated band crooning to the departed Syd Barett and Waters' lonely feelings of isolation. -
Sci-Fi Films Dominate the Chicago Symphony Orchestra‘s “At the Movies” Series: ‘2001: A Space Odyssey’ and ‘Metropolis’
Classic science fiction films like '2001: A Space Odyssey' are ideal candidates for the concert hall because many of them are more luxuriously paced than the often frenetic films being made today. And there are few loud special effects to drown out the musical score, as happens frequently in contemporary sci-fi. -
Disney's 20 Years on Broadway: Lion King, Beauty and the Beast Winners; Tarzan, Little Mermaid Losers
As 'The Lion King' continues its reign over Broadway, Disney Theatricals keeps up the pace with an ongoing series of musical adaptations of its hit movies. Next up, look for 'Jungle Book' and 'Frozen.'
Popular Now
-
Selena Gomez Reveals How Weight Fluctuations and Public Criticism Shaped Her Mental Health
-
Joe Jonas Responds After Viral Video Shows Him Picking Nose Backstage
-
SZA Calls Lizzo a 'Master Healer' While Defending Her Against Ongoing Lawsuit Fallout
-
Perry Farrell Claims Jane's Addiction Members Tried to Control Narrative in Lawsuit
-
Taylor Swift's New Album Release Triggers Worker Outrage Over Late-Night Shifts
