When you attend a concert by an orchestra, the musicians on stage are usually the focal point. The Greensboro Symphony’s first concert of this season gives us that and more as members of the Greensboro Ballet join to create a … Continue reading →

When we attend a concert these days, it is likely that we will hear the music of composers who died anywhere between 50 and 250 years ago. Composers who are still alive—people like John Adams, Steve Reich, or Arvo Pärt—are … Continue reading →

Sometimes a great composer writes their last few pieces knowing that their days are growing short. Beethoven’s late quartets pushed his music far beyond what he had written before. Mahler’s Ninth Symphony is tinged with premonitions of death. Bach’s Art … Continue reading →

In a time where there seem to be dozens of up-and-coming virtuoso violinists, Mayuka Kamio stands out. The Japanese musician follows in the long list of great musicians from her country, including Seiji Ozawa, Midori, and Shinichi Suzuki. Mayuko was … Continue reading →

Pianist Emanuel (Manny) Ax is a wonderful piano player who has toured the world, recorded a huge amount of repertoire, and has collaborated with the finest musicians and orchestras. Manny, it turns out, is far from your run of the … Continue reading →

Although Dvořák was greatly influenced by Czech folk music, he is often considered more of a “universal” composer than a primarily “nationalistic” one such as Smetana. He wrote significant works for all genres, and some consider him the most important … Continue reading →

Samuel Barber’s Violin Concerto had a very problematic beginning. In 1939, a Philadelphia businessman named Samuel Fels asked Barber to write a concerto for the violinist Iso Briselli. Barber started working on the first two movements in Switzerland, but had … Continue reading →

When is Tchaikovsky not Tchaikovsky? Pyotr Tchaikovsky is certainly one of the best known composers we hear these days. His “1812 Overture”, “Swan Lake”, late symphonies, and, of course, “The Nutcracker” are staples of the orchestral repertoire. But one of … Continue reading →