By Greg Cahill Ask Lucia Micarelli about her knack for eclectic programming and the soft-spoken, classically trained violinist offers a characteristically modest response. “I don’t think it’s a big deal anymore, because so many people are playing around with all…
By Emily Wright Double Concerto for Violin and Bandoneon Michael Guttman, violin; JP Jofre, bandoneon; Orpheum Chamber Orchestra (Self produced) JP Jofre’s Double Concerto for Violin and Bandoneon is a sensual, cerebral treatment of modern tango. It delivers all the…
By Megan Westberg The arts scene in Detroit today received a significant Halloween surprise—$20 million, in fact, courtesy of the John S. and James L. Knight Foundation. This is not the first time the Knight Foundation has invested in Detroit’s…
By Laurence Vittes Choong-Jin Chang–CJ for short–became principal viola of the Philadelphia Orchestra in 2006 after originally joining the orchestra in 1994. In 2013 CJ planned the Bach and Hindemith Project performed in four recitals over a year at the…
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By Cristina Schreil What defines “good tone”? How do you know if you’ve found it in a stringed instrument? As cellist Jia Kim describes it, players can usually intuit whether or not they immediately gel with an instrument, or whether…
By Megan Westberg If you’re throwing a Halloween party and you’re musically inclined, a great deal of thought goes into setting the right mood aurally. Is this a “Monster Mash” kind of affair or will you be leaning on organ…
By Laurence Vittes At a time when concerns about diversity in classical music are leading to action, from repertoire choices to educational and orchestral programs, it is exciting to be able to report that diversity in the rank and file…
By Megan Westberg There seems to be a steady stream of good news from the Los Angeles music world. In this latest installment, Los Angeles Philharmonic music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel has received the 25th annual Dorothy and Lillian…
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What’s your favorite part of the process of making an instrument—what day do you most look forward to? Let me first start by saying, I love most aspects of making new instruments. There are a few steps in the process…
By Leah Hollingsworth It was a reunion and a mixer, a place to reconnect and to meet for the first time. It was a roomful of artists and administrators, theater producers and concert presenters, dancers and photographers. They had traveled…
By Inge Kjemtrup Resilience is a hot topic. We speak with admiration of the resilience of individuals who emerge with strength and dignity from traumatic experiences. We urge parents to instill resilience in their children so they can develop the…
By Stephanie Powell It’s 9am in downtown Los Angeles, and the Southern California sun is already living up to its reputation. I’m forked between 400 Youth Orchestra Los Angeles members, a podium elevating music director Gustavo Dudamel, and a lineup…
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By Laurel Thomsen As the saying goes, mistakes happen, but when you’ve worked hard to prepare a piece, it’s an important performance or audition, or it’s a spot in the music you usually nail without any issue, the effects of…
Violinist Giovanni Mazza has an impressive resume for a 13 year old. The Chicago-based musician entered the Chicago Bulls Youth Talent search at age nine, and though he didn’t win, the Bulls invited him back to perform a few months…
Player Violinist Anna Marie Williams is a founding member of the critically acclaimed Neave Trio, a Chandos recording artist, and faculty member at the Longy School of Music at Bard College. Title of Work Being Studied Piano Trio in E-flat…
By Cristina Schreil As if the ornate splendor of Madrid’s Royal Palace wasn’t romantic enough, four instruments—displayed in glass cases like prized artifacts—immediately evoke the tale of Snow White. The two violins, viola, and cello are enchanting, as if pulled…
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By Megan Westberg It would appear that violinist Hilary Hahn can’t quite get enough Bach. After the announcement that, on Friday, October 5, she’ll be releasing the rest of her set of Bach’s Sonatas and Partitas (the first half of the…
By Stephanie Powell The Colburn School is hard to miss—situated on Los Angeles’ Grand Avenue, its sleek architecture blends in effortlessly with its surrounding artistic allies—the Broad, the Museum of Contemporary Art, and, home to the Los Angeles Philharmonic, Walt…
By Megan Westberg Though we’re barreling toward the beginning of October, evenings are still mild enough in Los Angeles to hold pre-concert cocktails outside, across from the LA Philharmonic‘s Frank Gehry–designed home. Excited concertgoers filter in, post-red-carpet, and are offered…
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