Tag Archive for: KMFA

Austin Opera Ends This Season In A Blaze Of Carmen

Austin Opera is ending their 2023-24 season with the red-hot opera Bizet’s Carmen.  The cast is full of young singers, many of whom are making their debut with the Austin Opera. 

CEO Annie Burridge is hoping this super popular work from Bizet will entice audiences back to the Long Center after the hibernation forced upon us by Covid. 

 

Conspirare Celebrates The End Of Their 30th Season.

As the end of most performing arts seasons come to an end, the Grammy winning choir, Conspirare is going out with a blast of three programs featuring a 30th anniversary event and the post pandemic return of Conspirare’s Symphonic Choir.   Founder and Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson is celebrating the end of their 30th season with a musical bash.  

Music Might Be Best With Your Medication

The Eclipse Is Coming and So Are The Concerts

The upcoming Solar Eclipse will darken the sky for a few minutes on April 8th.  Texas orchestras are providing the soundtrack with concerts celebrating the celestial event.  The Waco Symphony is having it’s ‘Sci-Fi Spectacular’  Sun, Moon and Superstars concert.  The East Texas Symphony has collaborated with Tyler Junior College for a musical and visual feast.  Here are other eclipse related music events.   

The End Of The Season: The Beijing Duo & David Russell

Just in time for the solar eclipse, Austin Classical Guitar presents two programs ending its 2023-2024 season.  Your eclipse guests might enjoy classical guitarists the Beijing Duo or if they stay long enough, David Russell.  Perhaps there’s an amateur classical guitarist in your circle who might be brave enough to try Open Mic night at the Rosette. 

Classical Music and Women, By The Numbers

At least six U.S. orchestras are performing the music of Florence Price this Women’s History Month.  Other women composers are getting the spotlight too. 

That’s nice says Liane Curtis, the President of Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy, but it’s not really enough.  The organization has released its Repertoire Report which analyzes the programming of the top 21 U.S. Symphony Orchestras.

Hearts Beating As One

When most of us attend classical music concerts, we’re most likely not thinking about how our fellow patrons are enjoying the music.  Apparently, we’re all affected by the performance at the same rate called Embodied Cognition

That’s according to a study by Dr. Wolfgang Tschacher,  Professor Emeritus at the University of Bern in Switzerland.  He and his team at the Experimental Concert Research Project found that our heart and breathing rates become the same during the concert. 

The World’s First Mariachi Opera

The Austin Opera is about to do something they’ve never done before. 

They are presenting the world’s first Mariachi Opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. It will also be the first time they are staging an opera sung in Spanish with help from the new Butler Fund for Spanish Programming.  Some of the cast is from Ópera de Bellas Artes, the national opera company of Mexico.

Back To Work.  Did You Bring Your Ear Gear With You?  

Going back to work this week might seem like somewhat of a letdown after all the fun and frivolity of the holiday season. 

There is a way to make it all better. 

Listen to music at the office. 

A recent study found that workers are happier and more productive when listening to instrumental music while on the job.

However, other researchers have somewhat opposing ideas about listening to music at the office. 

Find out what kind of music puts you in the mood to tackle that big project. And find out if any of this applies to you if you work from home.   

At The intersection of Early Music and Video Games

However you celebrate the holidays, there’s probably nothing like playing with your new toy this time of year.  It might be a video game with a soundtrack of some of the oldest tunes in the worldEarly Music

 

Dr. Karen Cook, an Early Music Scholar and a Video Game Scholar says while she’s playing some of the latest video games, she’s also listening to the soundtrack for the telltale signs of early music