'Tis the season for new season announcements from orchestras across the United States and already there's a trend: dead composers. Now, I listen to dead people as much as the next guy, but I also love new music. Part of what makes classical music so great is that the new stuff builds on, refines, and … Continue reading Coming to a Concert Hall Near You: A Zombie Apocalypse
This is my version of a year-end list. There are a million blogs out there about the best classical recordings and performances of 2014. Go read them too. But for pure classical music awesomeness, this is the place. (Yeah, yeah, yeah...I know, it's not comprehensive. So, feel free to leave more awesome classical happenings in … Continue reading 13 Awesome Classical Music Things that Happened in 2014
A couple of days ago, an article appeared in Bloomberg that was so misinformed, so short-sighted, so petty, so ignorant, and so utterly ridiculous that to let it go unchallenged would be irresponsible. The article came from Manuela Hoelterhoff, the Pulitzer Prize-winning executive editor for Bloomberg Muse and author of Cinderella & Company: Backstage at … Continue reading Orchestra Musician: It’s Not a Cush Job
With Major League Baseball's League Championship Series getting underway this weekend, we find ourselves bearing witness to the best teams playing baseball at the highest level under the most pressure-packed circumstances. To me, that always sounds a lot like what goes on year round in concert halls across the country. That big clarinet solo in … Continue reading Orchestra Playoffs
Brian Lauritzen 