The Joys of Life
We all have joys of life – those people, occasions and activities that especially delight us. For me, one of the great joys is presenting the Bank of America Classical…
The Maestro’s Blog
The ‘Art Song’ Challenge
The term ‘art song’ has always disturbed me a little bit. What song is not a work of art, and therefore not an ‘art song?’ Are ‘art songs’ in the…
A Day in the Life of a Pair of Violists
As some of you may know, I began my musical career as a violist. I was very fortunate to be able to begin playing professionally in a symphony orchestra before…
A Visit with Saul
Last week I had the great pleasure of spending four hours with Dr. Saul Feinberg, my mentor, guru, high school piano teacher, and friend of fifty-three years. Saul is now…
Classical Music Is So Relaxing!
Or is it? One of the things frequently said about classical music is: “I love classical music because it’s so relaxing!” When I encounter this observation I can only think…
Whether to Laugh or Cry
Two recent items published on-line by the League of American Orchestras reminded me of the importance of allowing music to speak for itself – to deliver its own message. The…
Thank you so much for inviting us to attend the Saint-Saens “Organ Symphony” recording session. I have always enjoyed listening to this work. As is always the case, your tutorial was excellent! I cannot believe how much more I now know about the “Organ Symphony”. And with more understanding comes a better appreciation. The Discovery Orchestra is much bigger than I remember. Their performance was excellent and truly exciting! A really big pipe organ performed by Mark Miller further enhanced the entire listening experience.