The Maestro’s Blog

Thank You

Annual Thanks – Encore 2019

In re-reading Thanksgiving blog posts from the past I sometimes think: “Mm, this would be good to repeat.”  The one I wrote in 2014 struck me, and so I offer…

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How 'Ya Gonna Keep 'Em Down On The Farm, Words by Joe Young & Sam M. Lewis, Music by Walter Donaldson

How ‘Ya Gonna Keep ‘Em Down On The Farm

(After They’ve Seen Paree?)…as the 1919 WWI song written by lyricist Joe Young and composers Sam M. Lewis and Walter Donaldson so ably asks. The problem, however, for classical music…

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Captain Nemo Meets Igor Stravinsky

First – mea culpa!  I wish to apologize for my two-month hiatus from posting.  Preparations during July and August for the production we just recorded for American Public Television – right up…

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Game Of Tones

Game of Tones Parties

14.7 million US citizens watched the first episode of the last season of Game of Thrones. . .according to Reuters news. That’s about 5.25% of our total population. According to…

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Celebrating 40 years Excellence in Music Education

Happy 40th Anniversary NJYS!

The New Jersey Youth Symphony (NJYS) celebrated its 40th anniversary this weekend in Newark at the New Jersey Performing Arts Center’s Prudential Hall. The truth is…NJYS has been celebrating all…

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The Emotional Space. . .That Music Can Provide

“. . .We have never needed more urgently the emotional space that music – and classical music in particular – can provide.” So wrote Clemency Burton-Hill in a January 2018…

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Marvelous job, Maestro, as always! Thank you for doing such a splendid, insightful and careful deep-dive into the art and craftsmanship that Tchaikovsky, after much effort, put into creating this work. There really is no greater portrayal of young love in music than his Romeo and Juliet, and your thoughtfulness demonstrates it so admirably.

— Chat Video Listener