Monday, December 29, 2008

Forgot something?

You might lose your car keys, leave your cellphone somewhere or even forget where you parked...but classical musicians seem to leave some pretty important things just lying around!

A London based musician lost two violins and three bows, worth around Rs 50 lakh [about US $1,031,000], while travelling on the Mass Rapid Transit System (MRTS). The musician is on a visit to the city for the 'Margazhi' music festival.

Michael Kellet (42), who has worked on the scores for Hollywood hits 'Philadelphia' and 'Lord of the rings', fell asleep on a train and forgot to take his case when he alighted at the Mylapore railway station on Friday. The 'Bam' double violin case contained a GB Grancino violin made in 1699 and a 1880 Czech violin, both bought from Scotland. One of the bows was also gold plated.

Speaking to The Times Of India, Michael said, "As soon as I boarded the train, I placed my violin case on the overhead rack and placed my laptop bag near my feet. I was completely exhausted due to the hot sun and soon fell asleep. When the train pulled into the Mylapore station, I got off in a hurry, forgetting to take my case from the rack."

By the time Kellett remembered about his violin case, it was too late. The train had already pulled out of the station.

Friday, December 26, 2008

For whom the Piano tolls?


The search for the universal instrument has been a long one. Today it would be the synthesizer with its humming computers mapping and perfectly imitating waveforms of all types. One hundred and fifty years ago it was the piano. Its ability to play loud or soft; the overtones that a performer can induce can make the standard piano sound smooth and deep as an organ would or spiky like a harpsichord.

On the next Piano program we will hear music by composers that have the piano tolling like bells, clicking like a clock or sounding like a revolution.

The Piano, this Sunday afternoon at 5 here on KPAC and KTXI.


host Randy Anderson

Tuesday, December 23, 2008

DC Performance

The Incarnate Word High School Madrigal choir is back from caroling at the White House for the third time and report that it was the experience of a lifetime. This year the girls performed in the Grand Foyer of the White House for visitors and White House staff.
Each year hundreds of children’s choirs, high school and college choirs, professional singers and professional instrumentalists are invited to submit their CD’s for consideration. It is an honor for the Madrigals to be among the choirs that are given yearly invitations to perform as well as those that are chosen each year. The Madrigals first visit to the White House was in 2002. They were invited to return in 2003.
It was an exciting time for all of us. It was a privilege and a pleasure to be invited back for the third time. It is an experience the girls will cherish the rest of their lives,” said IWHS choir director Mary Ann de la Garza.

SA Symphony Outreach

Musicians from the San Antonio Symphony have been giving back to the community over the last 20 years. During the holidays, ensembles from the Symphony perform at local hospitals, nursing homes, and prisons.

Recently host John Clare joined the string players at a morning concert at Cindy Taylor Krier Juvenile Correctional Treatment Center in Southeast San Antonio.

Please note, the audio is live from the facility, not normal broadcast quality sound.
Musical performance: Rudolf the Red Nosed Reindeer (mp3 file)
Musical selection: Little Drummer Boy (mp3 file)

Thursday, December 18, 2008

Composer News: Harold Gramatges

Cuban Musician Harold Gramatges Passes Away
The outstanding composer and pianist Cuban Harold Gramatges died on Tuesday at the age of 90 in Havana city, as confirmed by Union of Writers and Artists UNEAC to Prensa Latina.
Gramatges, an important pillar of contemporary music in Latin America, remained active until the last of his days. In 2007, an anthological disc with music addressed for Cuban and foreign guitarists was launched.
In recent days, the Cuban TV program "Otros tiempos", with its host Zenaida Romeu, director of the Camerata Romeu, paid tribute to him.
Harold was born on September 26, 1918 in the eastern city of Santiago of Cuba, there he began his studies and completed them in the decades of the 40´s at Berkshire Music Center in US, with masters Aaron Copland and Serguei Koussevitzky.
He created and directed the orchestra of the Municipal Conservatory of Havana, where he formed several generations of instrumentalists, and the department of music of Casa de las Americas.

Presidential music

The music for inauguration has been announced!
The US Marine band will open the January 20 ceremony, followed by performances by children's choirs from San Francisco, said Dianne Feinstein, the California Senator who is heading the inaugural ceremony committee.

After welcoming remarks by Ms Feinstein, and a religious invocation by evangelical Pastor Rick Warren, Aretha Franklin will perform. The "Queen of Soul" has received a record 21 Grammy awards throughout her career and tops Rolling Stone magazine's list of the 100 greatest singers ever.

Vice-President-Elect Joe Biden will then take the oath of office, followed by performances from violinist Itzhak Perlman, cellist Yo-Yo Ma, pianist Gabriela Montero and clarinetist Anthony McGill.

Then John Roberts, the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court, will administer the oath of office to Mr Obama, after which the new president will deliver his inaugural address.

After Mr Obama speaks, there will be a reading by poet Elizabeth Alexander, a blessing by Joseph Lowery – a pastor and civil rights-era leader – and a US naval band will play the national anthem.

Mr Obama, Mr Biden and Ms Feinstein chose the programme's participants.

* * * AND
if you need somewhere to stay for the ceremony:
New York Philharmonic music director Lorin Maazel and his wife are offering their country estate in Virginia for $50,000 a night during the presidential inauguration.
The Rappahannock County estate can accommodate up to 50 guests. The complex includes a spa facility with a large heated swimming pool, a Turkish steam room and a Finnish sauna. Guests also can use a theater room with a commercial-size movie screen, along with a bowling alley and a petting zoo.
The package also includes chauffeured transportation for the 90-minute ride to and from Washington.
The money will be donated to the Maazels' Chateauville Foundation, which helps train young performance artists.

Tuesday, December 16, 2008

One for the kids

Are you out of school for the Holidays and need something to do? Just by reading this blog you could win a free music load from NAXOS records! Just tell us your name, school and your favorite piece of Classical Music and you might win!
Send us your name, school and your favorite piece of classical music to Letters@tpr.org or send a 3x5 notecard to:
Young Person Blog
Texas Public Radio
8401 Datapoint Suite 800
San Antonio, TX 78229

Entries must be received by December 31st, 2008

Here are some classics for kids of all ages with the Muppets!




Rules: Winners will be determined by a random drawing; one entry per person; no monetary value to download(s); young person is defined as an individual under the age of 19 currently enrolled in a public or home school as of January 1, 2009. Winners will be notified by email.

Monday, December 15, 2008

Artist Interview: DBR & Nicole Narboni

Composer, violinist and recording artist DBR (Daniel Bernard Roumain) and pianist Nicole Narboni were recently in San Antonio performing for Texas Public Radio’s 180 Group. John Clare had a chance to speak with them and hear some of their collaboration.

Listen to mp3 files:
Music "Home on the Range"
Interview with Nicole and Daniel
More Music "JDML from One Loss Plus"




Thursday, December 11, 2008

Maestro Interview: Jean Marie

Texas Public Radio will speak with all the candidates for the San Antonio Symphony Music Director Search and have them on Classical Spotlight. You'll get a chance to learn more about the maestros - don't forget to attend the symphony and fill out the questionaire as well!


(See a larger version here)
This week we talk with Jean-Marie Zeitouni. John Clare asked about the program, music and performing an evening length work.

Friday, December 5, 2008

Holiday fun

Can you name these Christmas Carols?

1. Move Hither The Entire Assembly Of Those Who Are Loyal In Their Belief
The answer: "O Come All Ye Faithful!"

2. Embellish Interior Passageways

3. Vertically Challenged Adolescent Percussionist

4. First Person Singular Experiencing An Hallucinatory Phenomenon Of A Natal Celebration Devoid Of Color

5. Soundless Nocturnal Period

6. Majestic Triplet Referred To In The First Person Plural

7. The Yuletide Occurence Preceding All Others

8. Precious Metal Musical Devices

9. Omnipotent Supreme Being Elicit Respite To Ecstatic Distinguished Males

10. Caribou With Vermillion Olfactory Appendage

11. Allow Crystalline Formations To Descend

12. Jovial Yuletide Desired For The Second Person Singular Or Plural By The First Person Plural

13. Commence Auditory Reception The Announcing Cherubs Vocalize

14. Kris Kringle Will Be Arriving In The City In The Not Too Distant Future

15. Bipedal Traveling Through An Amazing Acreage During The Period Between December 21st And March 21st In The Northern Hemisphere

16. Its Arrival Occurred At Twelve O'Clock During A Clement Nocturnal Period

17. Exclamatory Remark Concerning A Diminutive Municipality In Judea Southwest Of Jerusalem

18. Song of Mirth About the Seat of the Intellect of an Uncastrated Porcine Male

19. Primary Color Between Green and Violet In The Visible Spectrum Annual Festival of the Christian Church Commemorating the Birth of Jesus

20. Female Ancestor Came Against With An Impact And Knocked Down By Large Deer of the Genus Rangifer, of Northern and Arctic Regions of Europe, Asia, and North America

For the answers (the REAL CAROLS!), click here.

Green gift idea?

Been looking for that just right something for that someone special who seems to have everything classical? Can't decide which Opus 18 or BWV 1005 is missing from your collection?
The Boston Symphony has gotten on the digital download band wagon, and have opened their archives too!

Check out the story here and shop away here.

The BSO is continuing their Elliott Carter 100th birthday celebration this weekend with a world premiere with pianist Daniel Barenboim and music director James Levine.

They were in hot water with a guest conductor recently also!

Fancy this!

Music has plenty of rules. First when playing music you have to hit the right notes and hold them for the correct time. Then there are the conventions about harmonies, structure and the expectations of the era you are working in. Bach loved the complexity of fugues and the mathematical precision of his music, but he also yearned to cut loose as well. That explains the Ying and Yang quality of his Well Tempered Klavier. There is no getting around the rules and structure of a fugue, but the preceding prelude only had to be in the same key, otherwise anything goes!

Another work that encourages imagination and wildness without too many of music's rules getting in the way is the Fantasia. Here everything should sound spontaneous and free of convention. On the Piano this Sunday a program that seeks out the wild and free in the piano repertoire. Hear Fantasies, this Sunday afternoon at 5 here on KPAC and KXTI.

host Randy Anderson

Thursday, December 4, 2008

Classical Grammys 2008

The Grammy awards have been announced, and we're quite excited about the classical nominees!
Best Classical Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) if other than the Artist.)
Maria
Cecilia Bartoli; Christopher Raeburn, producer; Wolf-Dieter Karwatky & Philip Siney, engineers/mixers (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla) [Decca Records]
O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Mark Donahue, mastering engineer (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)[Harmonia Mundi]
Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn; Sid McLauchlan & Arend Prohmann, producers; Stephan Flock, engineer/mixer (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra) [Deutsche Grammophon]
Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary
Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale; Blanton Alspaugh, producer; John Newton, engineer/mixer; Jonathan Cooper, mastering engineer [Chandos]
Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny
James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Chorus; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra) [EuroArts]

Best Orchestral Performance
(Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.)
D'Indy: Orchestral Works, Vol. 1
Rumon Gamba, conductor (Iceland Symphony Orchestra) [Chandos]
Glazunov: Symphony No. 6, La Mer, Introduction And Dance From Salome
José Serebrier, conductor (Royal Scottish National Orchestra) [Warner Classics & Jazz]
Prokofiev: Scythian Suite, Op. 20
Alan Gilbert, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Track from: Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago [CSO Resound]
Shostakovich: Symphony No. 4
Bernard Haitink, conductor (Chicago Symphony Orchestra) [CSO Resound]
Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements
Chris Walden, conductor (Hollywood Studio Symphony Orchestra) [Origin Classical]

Best Opera Recording
(Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.)
Dun, Tan: The First Emperor
Tan Dun, conductor; Michelle DeYoung, Plácido Domingo, Elizabeth Futral, Paul Groves, Wu Hsing-Kuo & Hao Jiang Tian; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus) [EMI Classics]
Lully: Psyché
Paul O´Dette & Stephen Stubbs, conductors; Colin Balzer, Karina Gauvin, Carolyn Sampson & Aaron Sheehan; Renate Wolter-Seevers, producer (Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra; Boston Early Music Festival Chorus) [CPO]
Monteverdi: L'Orfeo
Rinaldo Alessandrini, conductor; Sara Mingardo, Monica Piccinini, Anna Simboli & Furio Zanasi; Jean-Pierre Loisil, producer (Concerto Italiano) [Naive Classique]
Tchaikovsky: Eugene Onegin
Valery Gergiev, conductor; Renée Fleming, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Ramón Vargas; Jay David Saks, producer (The Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; The Metropolitan Opera Chorus) [Decca]
Weill: Rise And Fall Of The City Of Mahagonny
James Conlon, conductor; Anthony Dean Griffey, Patti LuPone & Audra McDonald; Fred Vogler, producer (Donnie Ray Albert, John Easterlin, Steven Humes, Mel Ulrich & Robert Wörle; Los Angeles Opera Orchestra; Los Angeles Opera Chorus) [EuroArts]

Best Choral Performance
(Award to the Choral Conductor, and to the Orchestra Conductor if an Orchestra is on the recording, and to the Choral Director or Chorus Master if applicable.)
O'Regan, Tarik: Threshold Of Night
Craig Hella Johnson, conductor (Company Of Strings; Company Of Voices & Conspirare)
[Harmonia Mundi]
Rheinberger: Sacred Choral Works
Charles Bruffy, conductor (Kansas City Chorale & Phoenix Bach Choir) [Chandos]
Symphony Of Psalms
Sir Simon Rattle, conductor; Simon Halsey, chorus master (Berliner Philharmoniker; Rundfunkchor Berlin)
Track from: Stravinsky: Symphonies [EMI Classics]
Szymanowski, Karol: Stabat Mater
Antoni Wit, conductor; Henryk Wojnarowski, chorus master (Jaroslaw Brek, Iwona Hossa & Ewa Marciniec; Warsaw Philharmonic Orchestra; Warsaw Philharmonic Choir) [Naxos]
Tippett: A Child Of Our Time
Colin Davis, conductor; Joseph Cullen, chorus master (Steve Davislim, Mihoko Fujimura, Matthew Rose & Indra Thomas; London Symphony Orchestra; London Symphony Chorus)
[LSO Live]

Best Instrumental Soloist(s) Performance (with Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor.)
Bloch/Lees:Violin Concertos
John McLaughlin Williams, conductor; Elmar Oliveira (National Symphony Orchestra Of Ukraine) [Artek]
Harrison: Pipa Concerto
Miguel Harth-Bedoya, conductor; Wu Man (Chicago Symphony Orchestra)
Track from: Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago [CSO Resound]
Mozart: Piano Concertos 17 & 20
Leif Ove Andsnes (Norwegian Chamber Orchestra) [EMI Classics]
Saint-Saëns: Piano Concertos 2 & 5
Charles Dutoit, conductor; Jean-Yves Thibaudet (L'Orchestre De La Suisse Romande)
[Decca Records]
Schoenberg/Sibelius: Violin Concertos
Esa-Pekka Salonen, conductor; Hilary Hahn (Swedish Radio Symphony Orchestra) [Deutsche Grammophon]

Best Instrumental Soloist Performance (without Orchestra)
(Award to the Instrumental Soloist.)
In A State Of Jazz
Marc-André Hamelin [Hyperion]
Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky, And Lutoslawski
Gloria Cheng [Telarc]
Red Cliff Capriccio
Wei Li [First Impression Music]
Revolutionary
Cameron Carpenter [Telarc]
Strange Toys
Joan Jeanrenaud [Talking House Records]

Best Chamber Music Performance
(Award to the Artists.)
Brahms: String Quartet Op. 51, No. 2, Piano Quintet Op. 34
Stephen Hough; Takács Quartet [Hyperion]
Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5
Pacifica Quartet [Naxos]
Folk Songs
Trio Mediaeval [ECM New Series]
Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music
ARC Ensemble [RCA Red Seal]
String Poetic
Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida [Cedille Records]

Best Small Ensemble Performance
(Award to the Ensemble (and to the Conductor.))
Divertimenti
Øyvind Gimse, conductor; TrondheimSolistene [2L (Lindberg Lyd)]
Dun: Pipa Concerto; Hayashi: Viola Concerto; Takemitsu: Nostalgia
Roman Balashov, conductor; Yuri Bashmet; Moscow Soloists (Wu Man) [Onyx Classics]
Im Wunderschoenen Monat Mai
Reinbert De Leeuw, conductor; Barbara Sukowa; Schoenberg Ensemble [Winter & Winter]
Monk: Impermanence
Meredith Monk & Vocal Ensemble [ECM New Series]
Spotless Rose: Hymns To The Virgin Mary
Charles Bruffy, conductor; Phoenix Chorale [Chandos]

Best Classical Vocal Performance
(Award to the Vocal Soloist(s).)
Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
Hila Plitmann (JoAnn Falletta; Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) [Naxos]
Fussell, Charles: Wilde
Sanford Sylvan (Gil Rose; Boston Modern Orchestra Project) [BMOP/sound]
Gomidas Songs
Isabel Bayrakdarian (Eduard Topchjan; Serouj Kradjian; Chamber Players Of The Armenian Philharmonic Orchestra) [Nonesuch Records]
Maria
Cecilia Bartoli (Adam Fischer; Orchestra La Scintilla) [Decca Records]
Terezín: Theresienstadt
Anne Sofie Von Otter (Christian Gerhaher & Daniel Hope; Bengt Forsberg & Gerold Huber) [Deutsche Grammophon]

Best Classical Contemporary Composition
(A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.)
Dalbavie: Concerto Pour Flûte
Marc-André Dalbavie (Peter Eötvös)
Track from: Dalbavie/Jarrell/Pintscher: Flute Concertos [EMI Classics]
Gandolfi: The Garden Of Cosmic Speculation
Michael Gandolfi (Robert Spano) [Telarc]
Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan
John Corigliano (JoAnn Falletta)
Track from: Corigliano: Mr. Tambourine Man: Seven Poems Of Bob Dylan [Naxos]
Violin Concerto No. 2
George Tsontakis (Douglas Boyd)
Track from: Tsontakis: Violin Concerto No. 2, Clair De Lune [Koch Int'l Clasiscs]
Walden, Chris: Symphony No. 1, The Four Elements
Chris Walden (Chris Walden) [Origin Classical]

Best Classical Crossover Album
(Award to the Artist(s) and/or to the Conductor.)
Baroque
Gabriela Montero [EMI Classics]
Indigo Road
Ronn McFarlane [Dorian Sono Luminus]
Olde School
East Village Opera Company [Decca Records]
The Othello Syndrome
Uri Caine Ensemble [Winter & Winter]
Simple Gifts
The King's Singers [Signum Records]

Best Engineered Album, Classical
(An Engineer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique
Fred Vogler, engineer (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic) [Deutsche Grammophon] Divertimenti
Morten Lindberg & Hans Peter L'Orange, engineers (Øyvind Gimse & TrondheimSolistene) [2L (Lindberg Lyd)]
Puccini: La Bohème
Michael Bishop, engineer (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus) [Telarc]
Respighi: Church Windows, Brazilian Impressions, Rossiniana
John Newton, engineer (JoAnn Falletta & Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra) [Naxos]
Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago
David Frost, Tom Lazarus & Christopher Willis, engineers (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man, Yo-Yo Ma & Chicago Symphony Orchestra) [CSO Resound]

Producer Of The Year, Classical
(A Producer's Award. (Artist names appear in parentheses.))
David Frost
Berlioz: Symphonie Fantastique (Gustavo Dudamel & Los Angeles Philharmonic)
Right Through The Bone — Julius Röntgen Chamber Music (ARC Ensemble)
Schubert: Sonata In D Maj.; Liszt: Don Juan Fantasy (Min Kwon)
Traditions And Transformations: Sounds Of Silk Road Chicago (Miguel Harth-Bedoya, Alan Gilbert, Yo-Yo Ma, Silk Road Ensemble, Wu Man & Chicago Symphony Orchestra)

David Groves
Baroque (Gabriela Montero)
Beethoven: Piano Sonatas (Jonathan Biss)
Polish Spirit (Nigel Kennedy & Jacek Kaspszyk)
Respighi: Roman Trilogy, Il Tramonto (Antonio Pappano)
Shostakovich: Piano Concerto No. 1 (Martha Argerich)

Judith Sherman
Carter, Elliott: String Quartets Nos. 1 And 5 (Pacifica Quartet)
Piano Music Of Salonen, Stucky And Lutoslawski (Gloria Cheng)
Reich: Daniel Variations (Grant Gershon, Alan Pierson, Los Angeles Master Chorale & London Sinfonietta)
Riley, Terry: The Cusp Of Magic (Kronos Quartet & Wu Man)
String Poetic (Jennifer Koh & Reiko Uchida)

Robert Woods
Mussorgsky: Pictures At An Exhibition, Night On Bald Mountain, Prelude To Khovanshchina (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Prokofiev: Symphony No. 5, Lieutenant Kijé Suite (Paavo Järvi & Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra)
Puccini: La Bohème (Robert Spano & Atlanta Symphony Orchestra & Chorus)
Ravel: Boléro (Erich Kunzel & Cincinnati Pops Orchestra)
Revolutionary (Cameron Carpenter)

Robina G. Young
Beethoven: String Quartets Op. 18, Nos 1-6 (Tokyo String Quartet)
Beethoven: Symphony No. 3 'Eroica' (Andrew Manze & Helsingborg Symphony Orchestra)
Birds On Fire (Fretwork)
Heavenly Harmonies (Stile Antico)
Scattered Rhymes (Paul Hillier, Orlando Consort & The Estonian Philharmonic Chamber Choir)

Monday, December 1, 2008

YouTube™ has announced a collaboration with the London Symphony Orchestra, Carnegie Hall, Grammy Award-winning conductor Michael Tilson Thomas, Academy Award -winning and Olympics composer Tan Dun, world-renowned pianist Lang Lang, and many other classical music stars and leading institutions, to launch the "YouTube Symphony Orchestra", the world's first collaborative online orchestra and summit.

From December 1, 2008 through January 28, 2009, musicians from around the world are invited to submit videos showcasing their personal style as they perform two different videos – their interpretation of an original Tan Dun composition, written specifically for this program, and a talent video designed to demonstrate their musical and technical abilities. A panel of musical experts from the London Symphony Orchestra, Berlin Philharmonic, San Francisco Symphony, Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra, Sydney Symphony Orchestra, New York Philharmonic and other leading orchestras around the world will narrow the field of entries down to the semifinalists. The YouTube community will be invited to vote on the semifinalists from February 14, 2009 through February 22, 2009. Musicians who are selected will be announced on YouTube on March 2, 2009. For official rules of entry and FAQ, consult YouTube Symphony Orchestra Channel (www.youtube.com/symphony).

In April 2009, selected musicians will be flown to New York City to participate in a three-day classical music summit with Michael Tilson Thomas and leading performers in the field, culminating in a Carnegie Hall performance on April 15, 2009. In addition, selected video entries of the musical piece will be mashed together to create a living YouTube symphony -- a single video of memorable entrants combined into one ensemble piece -- and even more entries will be displayed on YouTube homepages around the world.

As the first YouTube-sponsored program to welcome submissions from every country around the world, YouTube Symphony Orchestra will transform individual performances into a global collaborative symphony, explore new possibilities for orchestral collaboration, and springboard talented classical musicians into the global YouTube spotlight.

"The internet is an invisible Silk Road, joining people from across the world. East or West, North or South, anyone can download a score of my "Internet Symphony No. 1 'Eroica', pick any part and play it with any instrument or object, in any style," said Grammy and Academy Award -winning composer Tan Dun. "YouTube is the biggest stage on earth, and I want to see what the world's undiscovered musical geniuses will create on it."

"Classical music is a thousand-year old tradition that witnesses the human spirit. It has preserved the songs and dances of our ancestors and made them into a language that is equal parts thought and feeling. This language has been passed on from teacher to student and parent to child from generation to generation. Now through the YouTube Symphony Orchestra project, we will explore new ways for music lovers of all levels to use technology to discover how vast our tradition is, to create new work and learn from one another," said Michael Tilson Thomas, Music Director of the San Francisco Symphony; Artistic Director of the New World Symphony; and Artistic Advisor for the YouTube Symphony Orchestra program. "Music brings people together as no other art. Deepening that process by making the creative/communicative possibilities of video and the internet more available to musicians everywhere is one of our highest goals."

"The LSO is delighted to be a part of this groundbreaking initiative with YouTube -- to unite people from all over the globe and delight in the joys and experiences of playing in an orchestra. It is very much in keeping with our ethos of using technology to link people, share ideas, and be inspired and creative," said Kathryn McDowell, Managing Director, London Symphony Orchestra.

"YouTube is a unique platform for musical artists to broadcast their work. Through the YouTube Symphony Orchestra, aspiring musicians can share their passion with institutions like Carnegie Hall and the London Symphony Orchestra, visionaries like Lang Lang, and the world" said Ed Sanders, Product Marketing Manager, YouTube. "We are honored to partner with these venerable organizations and individuals to reach the next milestone for ensemble music and global collaboration."

"For musicians of all ages, nationalities, and instruments, the YouTube Symphony Orchestra provides a unique opportunity not only to perform on the world's most famous stage – Carnegie Hall – but also on its largest stage -- YouTube," said Clive Gillinson, Executive and Artistic Director of Carnegie Hall. "As an institution that is passionately committed to making great music available to as many people as possible and whose remarkable history chronicles the defining moments of so many of the world's most admired and beloved artists, Carnegie Hall believes the creation of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra will be a one-of-a-kind moment in classical music, bringing musicians together in a totally new, modern and compelling way."

But wait wait there's more!




Listen to the San Antonio taping of From the Top this Saturday at a special time -- 9am -- to hear local kids from Laurie Auditorium! (The Met Opera's live broadcast begins at 10:00, FTT's normal broadcast time).





See an interview with FTT Host Christopher O'Riley here.
Listen and watch Thomas Steigerwald play Islamey by Mili Balakirev in the TPR Studios here.

Relive the moment

Or hear it for the first time! We're pleased to announce the Emersons in San Antonio will air nationally this Wednesday:
Wednesday, December 3rd, Performance Today will broadcast the Emerson String Quartet’s performance of Bach’s Fugue, from the Well-Tempered Clavier arranged by Mozart. The concert took place at Alamo Heights United Methodist Church on September 28th, 2008, and was recorded by KPAC. Also this week, on Thursday 12/4 we’ll be airing another Emerson performance from the same concert – Haydn’s String Quartet in F Major, Op. 74, No. 2.
American Public Media's Performance Today is broadcast on 245 public radio stations across the country and is heard by about 1.1 million people each week. Each station individually decides what time to air the program. To find out where and when Performance Today is broadcast in your area, please visit performancetoday.org.

You may also visit publicradiofan.com, an independent website that can point the way to on-line listening. Many radio stations stream their signal on the internet, so it may be possible for you to tune in to a radio station across the country and hear Performance Today by visiting that station's website at the time they air it. This Wednesday’s show will be available on our website for seven days. We also archive many interviews, Studio MMW performances, Piano Puzzlers, and other features on our website.