Edith Coates 100th Birth Anniversary

MAY 31, 1908 Birth of English mezzo-soprano Edith COATES in Lincolnshire. d-Worthing, 7 JAN 1983. Debut as Giovanna in Rigoletto (Verdi) 1924. Teachers were Dino Borgioli, Clive Carey, Dawson Freer. Created Auntie in Peter Grimes (Britten). Housewife in Gloriana (Britten). Mrs. Bardeau in Olympians (Bliss). Priestess in Midsummer Marriage (Tippett). Mrs. Johnson in Moon & Sixpence (Gardner). Maggy in Logan Rock (Gundry). Sang in FP of Manana (Benjamin). She began her professional career in 1924 as a member of the Vic-Wells Opera company, which became the Sadler's Wells Opera in 1931. MORE | SHOP Edith Coates

Philadelphia Orchestra Returns to China

Monday night, the master will be in the audience at Beijing's Cultural Palace of Nationalities when the Philadelphia Orchestra performs the Yellow River Concerto, as it did in September 1973, when it made the first-ever visit by an American orchestra to Communist China.
MORE | Yellow River Concerto | Philadelphia Orchestra | SHOP Philadelphia Orchestra

"An Inconvenient Truth" to become an opera?

Now the next stop for Al Gore's "An Inconvenient Truth" is opera. La Scala officials say the Italian composer Giorgio Battistelli has been commissioned to write the score. MORE

GORE | Giorgio Battistelli | SHOP Giorgio Battistelli | SHOP Al Gore

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau, the great German baritone - the most important classical baritone of the second half of the 20th century - turns 83. Retired since 1993, he continues to conduct, on occasion, and to paint and write books.
The German baritone Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau (born May 28, 1925) is regarded by many as the finest Lieder singer of his generation.
If you're a fan, play some of his music today. His discography is huge.

WEB LINKS | SHOP Dietrich Fischer-Dieskau

HENRY BRANT Obit

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Henry Brant, best known as a pioneer in the use of spatial effects, died Saturday [26 APR 2008] at his home in Santa Barbara. He was 94.

Among the hundreds of works Mr. Brant composed over a long career was "Ice Field," a work for organ and orchestra commissioned by the Other Minds Festival for the San Francisco Symphony. Michael Tilson Thomas led the world premiere in Davies Symphony Hall in December 2001, and the piece was awarded the 2002 Pulitzer Prize for Music.

MORE |
WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP Henry Brant

Leroy Anderson 100th Birth Anniversary JUNE 29th

100th anniversary of the birth of composer Leroy (pronounced luh-ROY) Anderson. Anderson, who was born in Cambridge, Mass., June 29, 1908, was a master of light classical works, many of which have become so popular that we hardly realize anymore that they're by Anderson.
WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP Leroy Anderson

ACMA

ACMA was founded in 2007; we provide opportunities for the non-professional (but dedicated) classical musician to perform and network with fellow amateurs. Our members gather monthly in Manhattan to perform short classical pieces in front of an appreciative, supportive audience of fellow amateurs. Rather than focus on technical perfection, ACMA emphasizes the need for meaningful, inspired performances that are mutually satisfying for audience and performer alike. It is our mission to broaden the perception of classical music as a universal art form. I feel that many classical music students would greatly benefit from exposure to performance opportunities, as well as networking with a group of like-minded (and friendly) colleagues. Our website is: www.nycclassical.com.

Juliana Steinbach

Praised by the critics for her fiery temperament, exceptional charisma and great command of her instrument in the romantic and modern repertoires, as well as for the elegance, subtlety and intelligence of her classical interpretations, French-Brazilian pianist Juliana Steinbach is one of the most gifted artists of the young generation.

WEB LINKS | IMAGES | SHOP Juliana Steinbach