There is always much concern about the future audiences for classical music. The New York Philharmonic may have found the solution. It’s their 100-year-old Young People’s Concerts. A new one is coming up this month called the Young People’s Concert: Symphonies! Stories! Sibelius! It’ll tell an elaborate and fictional tale about the investigation of Sibelius’ Second Symphony written by classical music expert and writer Lauren Rico.
RAMPD. It’s the latest indication that disabled musicians are emerging as bonafide able musicians.
The Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities was started in 2021. Two handicapped musicians got tired of venues that were not ADA compliant. Founders Gaelynn Lea and Lachi also got tired of those who couldn’t see past the musician’s disability.
Watch Gaelynn play the violin and sing here.
Keep in mind that this month is the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26th.
It’s that time of year again.
Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute chooses the brightest young players from across the country to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.
This year 15 of the 96 student musicians chosen are from Texas. Two are from Austin.
Dorian Herri is a double bass player and Lerchen Zhang is a violinist.
Before heading out for their tour of Asia, there will be a concert at Carnegie Hall on July 20th.
Another Austin, Texas arts organization has lost its NEA grant.
However, the Tapestry Dance Company is taking it, in as much stride as possible.
Instead of their annual 3 day tap extravaganza, the Soul 2 Sole Festival, they are holding a one-day event.
Acia Gray, the Executive Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Tapestry Dance Company, says they are treating the Tap Jam as a fundraiser for 2026 including their silent auction.
They are also hoping the event on June 18th will act as a salve for the tap-dancing community.
This is a very exciting time for the Texas State International Piano Festival. They are holding this year’s event in Seoul, South Korea. It is the first time they will be “off campus” for the 15 year old competition.
It’s usually held at Texas State University in San Marcos, but it’s always been a dream of the co-founder Dr. Jason Kwak and some of his colleagues, Dr. SungEun Park and Dr. Martin Kesuma to hold the competition in Seoul.
The Texas State International Piano Festival gets underway June 24th and runs until July 6th.
There’s a young woman in the Dallas area who is introducing at risk and low-income kids to classical music through a program called Miles for Music. Emma Fossum, a 17-year-old high school student says the idea for the free program started with her youngest sister, who is autistic.
Fossum, a pianist and a beauty queen has been traveling to schools in North Texas presenting the program for the last 8 months. She’s hoping to expand the program statewide and maybe nationally.
There is something to be said for “togetherness” .
It’s the running theme in a recent study about the positive effects on young people who play in a classical music ensemble or orchestra.
Dr. Anna Bussu of Edge Hill University near Liverpool, England, is a psychologist and a senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice. She conducted the study called: Playing music together: Exploring the impact of a classical music ensemble on adolescent’s life skills self-perception.
This paper explored the effectiveness of ensemble performance on the development of an adolescent’s life skills.
A Cancer diagnosis changes everything.
Pianist Yoko Misumi knows that first hand, which led to the album she and her colleague from the Greenwich Trio, cellist Heather Tuach curated and produced. It’s called IN THE MIRROR, an emotional journey born of reflection, healing, and hope.
There are original works and new arrangements by 11 composers, all women on the album. They include Jennifer Higdon, Dobrinka Tabakova and Jessie Montgomery.
Women’s History Month has brought forth an album of classical music featuring two of the most famous women composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.
Their music is performed by pianist Anna Shelest in the album she produced called Donna Voce, Volume 3: Clara Schumann & Cécile Chaminade.
She even got her husband involved. Dmitri Shelest performs with his wife on Chaminade’s Pièces Romantiques, Op. 55 for piano four hands.
Volumes 1 and 2 feature the works of Fanny Mendelssohn and Amy Beach.
This album is one of the last supported by the recently closed The Sorel Organization
Applications are now open for the La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors. It takes place in Paris every two years. It is a competition that is fast becoming THE place where women conductors can be seen, heard, and hired. Even for those who don’t win or place, there’s an Academy co-directed by the Philharmonie de Paris and the Paris Mozart Orchestra led by Claire Gibault and Olivier Mantei.
The percentage of women conductors has increased worldwide to 8%. A big increase considering it was only 4.3% in 2018. It still wasn’t enough for Gibault. She started the competition to increase the visibility of women conductors and to showcase their talent.
The competition is also the subject of a documentary Maestra, now streaming on Netflix.