Classical Music

Won’t You Share My Cello, Neighbor?

By Gigi Yellen
Did you know that the director of the new documentary film about Mr. Rogers, Won’t You Be My Neighbor? – Morgan Neville – also directed The Music of Strangers, the 2016 documentary about Yo-Yo Ma’s Silk Road Project? And that Yo-Yo Ma’s son Nicholas is one of the producers of Won’t You Be My Neighbor? In a clip of his appearance on Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood, Nicholas Ma is Read More

This Gourd Is An Instrument Of Love – Find Out Why

By Gigi Yellen
Musician playing a small gourd.
Ah, June. Wedding season for so many, when even musical instruments can declare their loving intentions. 'D’amore': Italian, meaning 'of love.' And what does 'love' mean? Sympathetic vibrations, a soft, comforting voice, a whisper into the mysterious dark of the ancient, natural world. Welcome to the instruments d’amore: viola, oboe, and…yerbomatófono?Read More

Depression And The Composer: Rachmaninoff’s Story

By Anjuli Dodhia
Rachmaninoff at the Piano
Franz Liszt once said, “Mournful and grand is the destiny of an artist.” Was he referring to the seemingly large proportion of artists that suffer from some sort of mental disorder? Sergei Rachmaninoff was one. He dealt with depression throughout his life, but not only did he mostly overcome it, his management of it fueled his composing.Read More

Good Music And Good Food: Cooking With Rossini

By Anjuli Dodhia
Good music and good food: two indulgences that go well together. Composers have been writing music to accompany banquets, dinners and parties for centuries. Think of Telemann’s Tafelmusik (“Table Music,” in English), or the Divertimenti Mozart wrote for the wind band hired to play during the Emperor’s lunch. But one composer stands out as someone who created both the music Read More
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