Third Coast, Twentieth Year: Percussion Group Celebrates Anniversary with Rhythm Fest
From a household object to a marimba, a percussion instrument can take many forms. And so can a percussion ensemble. Third Coast Percussion is one of the most enterprising and creative ensembles working today. The first percussion group to win a Grammy in chamber music for 2017’s Third Coast Percussion | Steve Reich, the ensemble has made recordings with over 100 ...
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Unrecognizable: A Stage Makeup Transformation for Lyric’s Elektra
Richard Strauss's Elektra is challenging, dramatic, and very, very bloody. This thrilling, one-act opera is based on an ancient Greek myth: Elektra seeks her sweet revenge on her mother for murdering her father. Lyric Opera of Chicago's intense production features WFMT host Maggie Clennon Reberg. Go behind the scenes at Lyric, and be astonished as Maggie transforms in hair and makeup!
Settling the Score: Oscar Noms Highlight Gender Disparity in Film Composition
Despite shifting tides, especially since the rise of the #MeToo and Time’s Up movements in 2017, women are often left out of the spotlight when it comes to leadership roles in film and music production.
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Dominick Argento dead at 91
Known for composing in styles ranging from melody to dissonance, he earned the Pulitzer in 1975 for From the Diary of Virginia Woolf, a composition for voice and piano.
Met Opera to hire all-black chorus for ‘Porgy and Bess’
The Metropolitan Opera will hire an all-black outside chorus next season for its first presentation in nearly three decades of the Gershwins' Porgy and Bess.
A First-Time Nominee Takes Us Behind the Scenes at Grammy Week
Music’s Biggest Night not only as a member, but also as a nominee!
Joffrey’s ‘Anna Karenina’ Features Its First-Ever Commissioned Full-Length Orchestral Score. Here’s What It Sounds Like.
“I believe that Karenina is a magical moment of looking at our beautiful art form and taking it a step forward,” says Ashley Wheater, Joffrey Ballet’s artistic director. One of the cornerstones of the production is 35-year-old composer Ilya Demutsky’s brand new, full-length orchestral score, the first such commission in Joffrey’s 62-year history.
Finding James Baldwin: Chicago’s Renée Baker Composes Opera Inspired By the Great Writer
Renée Baker’s interest in Baldwin began when she first heard recordings of his voice. “The person that I'd only accessed from books became quite real once I was able to actually hear and listen to him speak.” She notes.
Chicago Symphony Orchestra musicians authorize strike for March 10 over new contract
Today, the musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra voted to authorize a strike if they cannot reach an agreement on a new contract with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association by March 10. In September 2018, CSO musicians agreed to a half-year extension when the previous three-year contract term ended. This extension period, which ends on March 10, was meant to give more ...
A Hilarious Country Song About Atonal Music? We’re as Impressed as We Are Surprised!
We never thought we'd be writing this, but a new comedy sketch and song from Merle Hazard has atonal music at its center. The song, called "(Gimme Some of That) Ol' Atonal Music," riffs on staples of the country and bluegrass traditions, but with lyrics like "his music always made you think; it never made you smile," some very discordant banjo soloing, and an interlude inspired by John Cage.
Grandmaster Flash, Mutter win 2019 Polar Music Prize
The award panel cited Grammy Award-winning Mutter for being “a musical phenomenon,” playing with “virtuosity and astonishing clarity.”
