Tag Archive for: Podcast

It’s Black History Month

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Oh Happy Day! 

It’s Black History Month. 

There are so many events celebrating “black excellence” in all genres of music.  I’ve only mentioned a few, including the Colour of Music Festival.  See more links below. 

There’s a new audio edition of the Harry Potter books. 

Believe it or not, the National Endowment for the Arts is offering Challenge Grants.

The Cliburn ends its piano competition for Amateurs.  There are plenty of other piano competitions for amateurs, like this one in Paris.

Then there’s the closing of the Kennedy Center, ordered by the President.

Here are more links to Black History Month events:

Oakland Interfaith Gospel Choir

The Oakland Symphony

The Indianapolis Symphony

Song Offerings From Christopher Tin

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So many events are happening this month and early in February in the classical music community.   

There’s the Grammys, a new album of choral works from the composer of Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, a fresh take on Bach, another cancellation at the Kennedy Center and the March broadcast of the Oscars with a nomination about Verdi. 

There’s also a sad story about a violinist whose violin case was too big for the overhead bin. 

Who won the largest single gift ever dedicated to one Jazz artist?

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While we look forlornly at the holiday bills as we head into tax season, there is some joy this January. 

The Grammy winning and nominated this year again Jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner is grateful and humble after winning the 300k Gilmore inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award.

Donors have nearly flooded the Washington National Opera with funds after the opera company departed the Kennedy Center. 

There are still many ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. and many other African American leaders as we head into Black History Month. 

And oh my as George Takei would say, there’s a Star Trek version of a Mozart opera.

Here’s a link to the League Of American Orchestras Student Leadership Council. 

Zara Hudson Kozdoj Remembers Who She Is

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Sometimes things happen that let you know that you are on the right path.    
This is the experience of the Zara Hudson Kozdoj of the UK.  This 29-year-old Polish-Jamaican cellist, composer and conductor isn’t all about classical music but has surrendered herself to it in bits and pieces.

She released her first album in October called Remember Who You Are. She found out while making the album that there were items about business that she wasn’t taught during her years at the Royal College of Music in London.  Then the fates stepped in again. 

Here are links to the competitions mentioned in the show.

Early Music America Scholarships

Bang On A Can

Opera’s Civil War

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Which opera team are you on?

“Old” operas versus the “New” operas.

According to the book, Opera Wars by Caitlin Vincent, artistic directors and others at the nation’s opera companies are in conflict with themselves over staging the standard operas from the 18th and 19th centuries or producing those composed in the late 20th and 21st centuries. 

Caitlin Vincent

There’s a new directory for musical instruments adapted for those would be musicians with disabilities.  Other companies and engineers are developing adaptations too. 

Apple Music Classical has made a surprising choice for it’s classical album of the year.

The Emerging Black Composers Project is back

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While we still might be recovering from Thanksgiving,  there’s the rest of the holidays to consider.  Shopping for gifts, decorating the house while listening to music. Gifts have already come to Kyle Rivera, who won the Michael Morgan Prize for Black composers. 

The Pegasus Opera Company in the UK is looking for partners to produce an opera about the Windrush Generation. 

The Detroit Opera presents two little known and rarely staged operas. 

The Miro Quartet debuts its first holiday album called Hearth.

The Opera Austin Festival and a Jane Austen Tribute

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A new era of operas is emerging. Not that the popular ones are stuffy or just plain old.  Composer Nathan Felix seeks new 21st century operas at his second annual Opera Austin Festival.  Another member of the Kanneh-Mason family of England, has released a new album.  Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason shows her love of Jane Austen with an album of music in honor of the 250th anniversary of the novelist’s birth.

Nathan Felix. Composer, Filmmaker

Native American Artists On the Indigenous Directory for Musical Storytelling

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In observance of National Native American Heritage Month, White Snake Projects, has introduced the Indigenous Directory for Musical Storytelling.  It names Native American musicians, artists, and crew members who are available for work. Some of them are Grammy award winners.  The co-founder and Artistic Director of White Snake Projects, Cerise Lim Jacobs says Native American artists were initially reluctant to sign up, fearing it was a scam. That’s despite the Pulitzer Prize White Snake Projects won in 2011 for the opera Madam White Snake. 

Links that may be of interest:


Music By, For, And About Veterans

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With the federal government shut down, (as of this writing)  it’s difficult to say if there will be a federal observance of Veteran’s Day on November 11th. 

So, In gratitude for their service, the podcast this week is all about the music composed to honor them.

The men and one woman featured in this show are just a few of the Veteran composers who wrote music for and about Veterans.  One piece was composed and performed while the composer was in a POW camp.

Betsy Listenfelt, William Grant Still, Aaron Copland, Gustav Holst, Olivier Messiaen

There is also a piece about Native American Heritage Month.

For The Love Of Samuel Coleridge Taylor

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One man, a conductor, has such love for the music of British composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor (August 15, 1875 – September 1, 1912) that he made it his mission to find his manuscripts.  The album, produced by conductor Michael Repper and performed by the National Philharmonic with violinist Curtis Stewart is a love note to Coleridge Taylor on the 150th anniversary of his birth.  Much of the music on the album titled Samuel Coleridge-Taylor are world-premiere studio recordings of his work.  Some of them have not been performed for 100 years.

Violinist Curtis Stewart and Conductor Michael Repper photo credit: Elman Studio

The La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors

The Declaration Project