Musings

This summer, we’ll be performing piano quintets by Schumann (happy!) and Schnittke (maybe not so happy…).

Brahms, Schumann, Kurtag, Schnittke, Ligeti, Liszt, a world premiere by Castillo with theremin, puppet shows, oh my!

Haydn's music reflects a time of great political and social upheaval.

This summer we’ll feature two piano quintets that are a study in contrast.

Our roster of artists for this summer along with some of their favorite meals. Is there a better way to get to know someone?

Some of you may know that I took a gap year after graduating from high school in 2022.

I’ve said about all I can about the Mozart and Schoenberg trios and how great they are.

A thoughtful reader challenged my observation that the Mozart is more difficult than the Schoenberg.

Most of us have had kind and generous teachers that left a lasting impression.

On Tuesday, I had the privilege to discuss the composer Arnold Schoenberg with his son, Larry.

Buckle your seat belts! The program consists of the Schoenberg String Trio and Mozart’s Divertimento in Eb.

Sometimes the process of figuring out the right question is as important as the answer. 

How does one come up with a name for a new ensemble? There are composers, artists, Institutions, violin makers, myth-related names,, or sometimes a group is named after a member of the ensemble, but oddly, architects haven’t yet made the cut.

For composers, it is often easier to get a first performance of a new piece than a second.

It is a weird thing, writing down music, if you think about it.

A peek into the mind of a musician embarking upon her career.

Cynthia and I overlapped in New York in the 90s and she came to NCMF in the early years

Recently I’ve been chewing over the joy I take in this profession due to my love of music vs. the satisfaction I take in the process

Thank you so much for all your emails flagellating my beloved instrument.

Art expresses our deepest emotions. Ecstasy and grief, tranquility, bustle, anger, even frustration

When you were thirteen, what did you dream about doing when you grew up?

Life is like that sometimes – everything can be fine one minute and then suddenly go all topsy-turvy.

I enjoy when instruments employ artifice to imitate non-instruments:

Musicians strive to play expressively, whereas actors can communicate directly with expression.

I’m still coming down from the summer– Schoenberg, Shostakovich, “The Jury,” everything and everyone who turned up