New Releases Apr. 8: Instrument Spotlights
Deep dives into contemporary violin repertoire, recent trombone works, and not-so-recent concertos for lute, as well as an album-length survey of preludes and chamber arrangements of beloved Stephen Sondheim touchstones.
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Playlist: The Best Classical Music to Serve at Your Next Cookout
As you fire up the grill, we have the perfect soundtrack for you: some of our favorite American works, from classics like Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue to modern masterpieces like John Adams’ City Noir.
Video: This Dog Wanted to Hear Mendelssohn Better, So It Took a Seat Next to the First Violinist
Dog image: SixtyWeb, CC BY-SA 3.0, via Wikimedia Commons This cute Labrador may be the biggest Mendelssohn fan you’ve seen. A dog joined the Vienna Chamber Orchestra during a recent performance of Felix Mendelssohn’s Symphony No. 4 at the 31st International İzmir Festival in İzmir, Turkey. This outdoor annual festival brings live concerts to the historic stage of the Grand Theater of Ephesus, ...
Listen to the One Cuban Singer That Omara Portuondo of Buena Vista Social Club Wants Everyone to Hear
Omara Portuondo is proud to be compared to Édith Piaf, but she also wants the world to know more about Cuban artists.
Quiz: Latin American Food or Instrument?
Can you tell the difference between Latin American foods and instruments? Take this quiz and find out.
6 Songs to Send You “Somewhere Over the Rainbow”
Judy Garland introduced “Somewhere Over the Rainbow” in The Wizard of Oz, and she sang it for the rest of her life. Operatic soprano Renata Scotto used it as her signature encore at solo recitals. And more recently, and very memorably, Ariana Grande sang it to end One Love Manchester, her benefit for the victims of terrorism in the British ...
VIDEO: Learn How to Make Pasta alla Norma With ‘Norma’ Conductor Riccardo Frizza
Vincenzo Bellini’s opera Norma is so beautiful, it has inspired a dish: pasta alla Norma. When conductor and cook Riccardo Frizza led performances of "Norma" in Chicago, he shared his recipe.
Why the Beats of Bomba and Plena are as Essential to Puerto Rican Culture as Beans and Rice
Arroz con gandules – a version of beans and rice using pigeon peas – is a staple of Puerto Rican cuisine. Because the dish is so affordable to prepare, it nourishes people from all walks of life and economic backgrounds. Bomba and plena, two forms of Puerto Rican folk music, have similarly nourished the commonwealth by uplifting working-class narratives and ...
This Chicagoan Never Expected To Sing Opera. Now She’s Singing on One of the World’s Largest Stages.
Soprano Whitney Morrison began singing before she could even speak. Through her early years of singing in church, she never thought she would pursue a career in opera. Now, Morrison is one of 12 young artists selected for the 2017/2018 ensemble at Lyric Opera of Chicago’s Patrick G. and Shirley W. Ryan Opera Center. The Ryan Opera Center is one ...
Video: This Is What It Sounds like When 100 Percussionists Play Together
The thought of 100 percussionists may evoke up cacophonous clanging, but the soundscape is more peaceful than you might expect.
Yo-Yo Ma, CSO’s ‘Concert for Peace’ Takes a Stand against Violence at South Side’s St. Sabina Church
"Yo-Yo Ma wanted to meet with me, and I thought it was a joke," Reverend Michael L. Pfleger said to an audience of over 1,000 people at St. Sabina Church.
