News and music to start your week!
We are excited about the new podcast from composer Julia Adolphe, pictured above, discussing creativity and mental health. Read more about her personal connection between the two, and where you can listen in to Looseleaf Notebook at New Music Box.
The New York Times’ Anthony Tommasini has a call for orchestras to reinvent their programming – calling for flexible schedules, broader racial representation, and physical spaces that are more welcoming, especially as ensembles look to return after the pandemic.
This past week San Francisco Classical Voice spoke with composer Anthony Davis. His opera based on the story of the Central Park Five won the Pultizer Prize for music, less than a month before the onset of the protests over the murders of Breonna Taylor and George Floyd. In this conversation with Michael Zwiebach he discusses his relationship between creativity and social justice.
Smithsonian Magazine has a conversation with pianist Lara Downes about her work to bring the music and stories of Black composers, including Florence B. Price, to light. The article includes examples from Downes’ recordings.
Deceptive Cadence has a story first heard on NPR’s Morning Edition about the work being done by baritone Will Liverman to record songs by Black composers. Listen in to the seven minute conversation:
This week NPR also talked about Sisters With Transistors – the documentary about women pioneers of electronic music that we mentioned several weeks ago on the blog. The five-minute piece was featured on All Things Considered:
Feb. 18-25, the Philadelphia Orchestra features Michelle Cann in Florence Price’s Piano Concerto in One Movement. “This performance marks the first time the piece has been played in its original orchestration since the composer’s death in 1953, and possibly since the mid-1930s.”
Feb. 20, Symphoria (based in Syracuse, NY) features Louise Farrenc’s Nonet, perhaps her best-known composition. Streaming at 7:30 pm (Eastern time) Music Director Lawrence Loh presents a Pre-concert Talk one hour prior.
Let us know what you are listening to! [email protected]