The Orchestra Without Borders returns to the stage on May 18th at the First Unitarian Society in Newton for a concert aimed at building bridges across continents and musical styles. The performance features soprano Hannah Shanefield in Odaline de la Martinez’s rarely performed Four Afro-Cuban Songs, a tribute to the humor and heart of Afro-Cuban culture, alongside a set of music from the Middle East, including a suite of Afghan songs by Boston-based Afghan composer Arson Fahim. These works will be presented in dialogue with jazz compositions by the acclaimed saxophone and piano duo of Jonathan ..read more

by George Tsontakis , composer For the past eight seasons I have had the privilege of curating a local piano series in the town of Olive in New York’s Catskill Mountains, on a volunteer basis. It is a less-than-two-hour drive from Manhattan ― traffic permitting, of course ― which allows us to attract performers from New York and surrounding areas. They have been virtuoso level pianists who come to the Catskills to try out a program destined for a larger future venue. Decidedly, not for the modest honorarium which is largely based on ticket receipts. Piano Plus! is the name I gave the series wi ..read more

Boston Philharmonic Youth Orchestra paired Schumann’s Cello Concerto with Mahler's Fifth at Symphony Hall on Friday. [] The post The BPYO Prepares for Europe appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

Friday’s Henry Lee Higginson Memorial Concert at Symphony Hall featured Andris Nelsons leading the BSO and the Tanglewood Festival Chorus in Berlioz’s Romeo and Juliet. [] The post BSO Berlioz Catharsis appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

The right time for spouting about Schubert’s last piano music would have been last Sunday, when Jonathan Biss played the last in his series of three concerts at the Gardner Museum, each featuring one of Schubert’s final sonatas. But I wasn’t there to hear it, because it had been “super-sold-out” by the time I would [] The post The One I Didn’t Hear appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

It all began innocently enough, but detoured into a rabbit hole. When COVID started pinching off live performances, clarinetist, writer, composer, and occasional TED Talker Graeme Steele Johnson sought to pick up work writing program notes for some of the few ensembles who had not lowered their shutters. One such assignment was for a group performing, among other things, the Deux Rapsodies for oboe, viola and piano, probably the most-performed piece by the elusive, enigmatic Boston composer and violinist Charles Martin Loeffler (1861-1935). In doing his homework, Johnson, a Texas-born member o ..read more

The Boston Philharmonic paired Mozart’s Piano Concerto No. 24 with Bruckner’s Ninth Symphony  at Symphony Hall last night. [] The post BPO: Transcendent Mozart, Searing Bruckner appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

Boston Baroque’s modern-dress production of Don Giovanni  featured some great singing. The show runs through Sunday at the Huntington. [] The post Boston Baroque Punishes the Rake appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

The Bamberg Symphony under Jakub Hrůša with pianist Lukás Vondráčék brought rewarding playing to familiar favorites for the Celebrity Series on Tuesday. [] The post Bamberg Symphony Rewards Celebrity Series Crowd appeared first on The Boston Musical Intelligencer ..read more

On Saturday Trinity Church will host a memorial service for its illustrious former music director at 10:00 AM (preludes at 9:30); this promises to be a beautiful and deeply moving celebration of the life of Brian Jones, featuring choral music pre-selected by him, sung by the present Trinity Choir, The Copley Singers, and other Trinity Choir “alumni” from his years as music director, and conducted by the current music director, Colin Lynch. A reception follows in the church’s undercroft. Last November the world of music lost an artist of extraordinary gifts in Brian Ernest Jones, and the larger ..read more