Musings

I've done some pretty crazy stuff for NCMF but this might be the wackiest.

We were one of the last commands to go when President de Gaulle requested the evacuation of American troops.

An ancient cathedral emerging from the waves accompanied by the ghostly sound of church bells, chant, even an organ.

At the heart of the preludes is one of Debussy’s most popular and enduring works, “The Girl with the Flaxen Hair.”

To enter the world of Carnaval is to enter the complex world of Robert Schumann’s psyche.

We were discussing Evren’s upcoming recital and he wound up pairing each piece with an appropriate libation.

Listening to this program is to be an intrepid explorer of feelings in music.

I asked Michael if he knew someone local I could talk to about starting my one in town. That’s how I wound up on the phone with Jane. 

The winter holidays – Christmas decorations, holiday parties, takeout Chinese food, and a baroque world premiere in Newburyport.

The best ones are from oil country Pennsylvania where they still fry them in beef tallow.

No, this does not mean the musicians will be dressed in 18th century costumes.

Have you ever done something that screwed over your boss but was to your benefit?

I once heard that the reason god destroyed the Tower of Babel was because he understood that working towards a goal is what makes us human.

Nowadays, I fantasize about going into marine biology, for the sole reason that I want to play with the otters at the Monterey Bay Aquarium.

It isn’t every day you can watch someone you know in the last rounds of a major international competition.

Like a food you found gross as a kid but now eat with gusto, sometimes one can still “get” why some music seemed radical in its day, even as it has now become mainstream

Before we look ahead, let's take a look back at last summer with clarinet quintets and new works with jazz soprano

Playlist from lecture "Dreams and Prayers: Golijov's Millenia-Spanning Quintet"

I have fresh parts in front of me of the commissioned work "Beat Chick: Tunes for Hettie Jones" for string quartet, jazz vocalist, and digital beats.

The last time we did clarinet quintets there wasn’t time to also prepare the Golijov; this summer we get to do it twice.

Musicians spend a lot of time on the road burning calories while sawing away on our instruments. After rehearsal we always want to eat…but what?

Jane's paintings and drawings show a hand that is uniquely her own

A classically-trained soprano who can also mix it up with the best in jazz and R&B? A potent combination, indeed.

As a kid, I resisted practicing and struggled with proper technique.

"So I wrote it in one morning, I think, really in a rush, as a little encore so the two musicians could play something together. "