Stories

In a newly uncovered Saint-Saëns sonata, a world of artistic possibilities

It’s not every day an artist can re-discover a piece of music by a master from the Romantic era. Yet this was the enviable privilege of cellist Juliette Herlin, who in 2017 gave one of the first performances since 1919 of a lost cello sonata by Camille Saint-Saëns.

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Barcelona dedicates a garden to the late soprano Montserrat Figueras

Soprano Montserrat Figueras, who specialized in early music, is being remembered by her native city of Barcelona with a garden dedicated in her name, located in Barcelona’s Eixample district, specifically in the Antiga Esquerra de l’Eixample. The City of Barcelona decided in June 2016 to name the interior garden as the Montserrat Figueras Gardens (Jardins de Montserrat Figueras). A plaque …

76 Trombone Pieces?! Hear a Big Parade of Trombone Music in our Music Man-Inspired Playlist

When you think of the trombone, what comes to mind? A particular classical work, or more likely, “Seventy-Six Trombones” leading a big parade? Although The Music Man brings the instrument into the spotlight in Meredith Willson’s hallmark song, the musical leaves a lot of room to explore the wide world of trombone repertoire.

A sneak peek at Guarneri Hall, a new classical music space with a radical mission

A brand new space for recording and performing classical music is always something to celebrate, especially when it aims to support and enrich classical music in Chicago and beyond. After 12 years of development, Guarneri Hall, a not-for-profit music incubator located at 11 East Adams Street in the Chicago Loop, opens on Tuesday, October 23. They celebrate their grand opening …

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“¡En la guitarra está todo!” — Eliades Ochoa, Grammy Award-winning guitarist on the power of Cuban music

“For me, the guitar doesn’t have a secret. In the guitar, you will find everything.” These are the words of Eliades Ochoa, the Grammy Award-winning guitarist of the internationally acclaimed ensemble Buena Vista Social Club. Before his performance at Festival Cubano in Chicago, we talked with Ochoa about his musical upbringing, experience playing in the renowned group, and his advice for the next generation of musicians.

Meet the pianist who is setting some of the internet’s most hilarious viral videos to music

We know that music makes our lives better, but sometimes, it can make funny things even funnier! Take Charles Cornell, for instance, who is turning viral tweets and videos into songs.

Going Medieval on Twitter

Welcome to the wonderful world of medieval manuscripts! You'll find that medieval manuscripts are not nearly as inaccessible as you might think. They are true multimedia events: for the sports lover, there are depictions of cats playing tennis. Music aficionados will find illustrations of rabbits and foxes playing viols and flutes. From the sacred to the profane, they prove without a doubt that the Dark Ages were anything but.

Rhiannon Giddens, Francis Johnson to get Americana award

NASHVILLE, Tenn. (AP) — Grammy-winning folk singer and musician Rhiannon Giddens and pioneering composer Francis “Frank” Johnson will be the first recipients of the inaugural Legacy of Americana Award. The Americana Music Association announced the new award Wednesday in partnership with the National Museum of African American Music. It will be presented to Giddens during the Americana Honors & Awards ...

Add these 23 holidays to your calendar and celebrate classical music year-round!

We’d like to share some information worth celebrating — literally! Here are 23 holidays and celebrations to make sure you have classical music on your calendar!

From Cigar Box to Strad — Vadim Gluzman’s Lifetime of Being Chosen by The Violin

In between back-to-back lessons for around 30 students at his alma mater, Keshet Eilon International Music Center in Israel, Vadim Gluzman has been preparing for his upcoming Grant Park Music Festival performances of Bernstein’s Serenade on August 2nd and 3rd. These concerts mark Gluzman’s return to Chicago after weeks of travel, and before yet another period of touring around ...

Grant Park Music Festival’s “Pastoral Picnic in White” in Pictures

A flurry of white dresses and shirts, white tablecloths and candelabras sprinkled the Great Lawn in Millennium Park as patrons celebrated the Grant Park Music Festival’s annual “Pastoral Picnic in White” on Saturday, July 27. Originally inspired by a 1988 gathering at the Bois de Boulogne in Paris, the Grant Park Music Festival joins thousands of similar “Dinners in White” ...

The McGill Brothers return home for Grant Park Music Festival debut [Video]

Hailing from Chicago's South Side, flutist Demarre McGill and clarinetist Anthony McGill return home this weekend to make their Grant Park Music Festival debuts performing the works of Saint-Saëns and Joel Puckett. That's not to say that Demarre, the principal flutist for the Seattle Symphony, and Anthony, the principal clarinetist for the New York Philharmonic, don't get back to their ...

Tour the Glyndebourne gardens, where music meets nature

Glyndebourne, located in the England countryside, declares that it produces “no ordinary opera,” and one could certainly use a similar mantra for its stately, stunning gardens. Musicians and patrons alike gain inspiration from the visual splendor of Glyndebourne. And according to Glyndebourne’s head gardener Kevin Martin, the inspiration is mutual. “I get inspiration from the music but also from the ...

Off the Beaten Path: 9 Underrated Venues for Classical Music in Chicago

The Windy City is home to some of the greatest venues in the world to see classical music. From Symphony Center and Lyric Opera House to Millennium Park and Auditorium Theater, Chicago boasts large houses that are just as beautiful and grand as they are sonically pleasing. Beyond these major houses, Chicago is filled with smaller venues that can bring ...