The striking musicians of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra settled their contract just in time for last night’s Symphony Center Presents concert featuring the legendary violinist Itzhak Perlman, who shared the stage with piano virtuoso Evgeny Kissin. We’ve had tickets for a long time, but as the strike continued and our ticketed but canceled shows piled […]
I ended up free yesterday afternoon since Midori’s matinee at Symphony Center was cancelled due to the striking Chicago Symphony Orchestra. Happily, I was able instead to take in a new production of The New Colony, a local theatre company that focuses on new works. Small World is currently playing at The Den, a storefront […]
Well the Chicago Symphony Orchestra is still on strike and another casualty, among many, is the concert with superstar violinist Midori Goto and pianist Jean-Yves Thibaudet that was set for this coming Sunday. Michael and I have had tickets for a long time and have looked forward to the program. This is the second event […]
In our lesson yesterday we worked on left hand positioning – it’s a common point of focus, but I worked specifically on keeping my fingers better facing the violin, which allows me to keep them tall. An ever-so-slight rotation of the forearm/wrist from my habitual position seems to be in order. Once my hand is […]
Jenny Yun is a violinist and Youtube video maker who creates nicely (not overly) produced recordings of the Suzuki repertoire. She dresses well, stages her videos in well-appointed rooms, employs a professional accompanist, and even does some of them in a recording studio. She can also really play the violin. On top of that, I […]
Today was supposed to be a great one – we’ve long had tickets for a matinee at Symphony Center to see my favorite violinist, Anne Sophie Mutter, in recital with her longtime collaborative pianist Lambert Orkis and cellist Daniel Muller-Schott. Beethoven’s Ghost Trio was on the program. The Ravel Sonata. Some Mozart. I have been […]
Sound helps sets the stage – rain, thunder, dissonant trumpets, a wayward cello – all introduce the play and, throughout, signal shifts in a familial and social dynamic, helping to underscore the more dramatic moments in Chicago Shakespeare Theatre’s current production of An Inspector Calls. The show, on tour from The National Theatre of Great […]
On Tuesday, Teacher brought a new violin to my lesson – a loaner she is trying out as she decides on a new one to buy. She wants a violin she feels comfortable trotting around with to bars, where she plays with others sometimes – she’s into Irish fiddling. She told me she’s trying out […]
Outside of elementary school music rooms, the heyday of the recorder was in the baroque era, prior to the ascension of the modern flute. Laura Osterlund, one of the Musician’s Club of Women scholarship award winners, is a rare modern musician who has specialized in the instrument. Her talents, which were showcased alongside collaborative harpist […]
When I was in my early 20s a subcultural phenomenon emerged, a rarified entry into the ranks of cult classics like the Rocky Horror Picture Show. Hedwig and the Angry Inch was the brainchild of John Cameron Mitchell and songwriter Stephen Trask, conceived, as I learned on Friday night, after a transcontinental flight during which […]
Ryan Libel 