I have always said that without church music there would be no secular music (baroque, classical, etc.), and without classical music, there would be no rock or pop music. There are so many great rock and pop artists who write great melodies. Some pop artists are excellent composers in their own right. Paul McCartney wrote…
For those of us who make our living performing classical music, loving it is a no-brainer. Explaining it to the uninitiated is another matter completely. It has become increasingly more difficult for the general population to take the plunge and listen to classical music. Personally, I think it’s because of one or more of the…
Next month I am performing a terrific but horrifically difficult symphony, Shostakovitch’s 10th. This symphony has arguably the most terrifying four minutes in all of the standard repertoire. Often, these scary passages appear on audition lists, but sometimes they take you by surprise. You won’t know them until you come across them in your music. …
During a performance, all manner of different things can happen that might derail your show. Dealing with them professionally and casually with an absolute minimum of disruption to the concert is critically important. Strings break. Mics fail. Bows lose hair. Lights go out. Bugs bite. Sweat on the glasses. Phones ring (that’s a new one…
Tonight, I’ll be performing with the Christian Community Orchestra in Douglasville, GA. This is a really great group of people led by Jan Booth. Ms. Booth founded this orchestra over 20 years ago and it continues to grow today. The orchestra attracts beginners and pros alike and in addition to performing twice a year, the…
