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Want to see what made the 2023 Classical California Ultimate Playlist? Just click here to find out.

The post Listen Now | Stream The Classical California Ultimate Playlist & See What Made The List appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Our new weekly segment, Classical Californians begins with composer/pianist Jake Heggie taking over the microphone to introduce a few recordings that are particularly meaningful to him, and that he wants to share with our Classical California audience… This is a busy fall for him – the Metropolitan Opera is opening its season with the work that established his career, Dead Man Walking (2000) starring Joyce DiDonato as Sister Helen Prejean, the nun who tries to reach a convicted murderer on death row. Then just weeks after that, Houston Grand Opera will open with his new work, Intelligence, based on the true story of two women who infiltrated the Confederate White House during the American Civil War.

Tune in to hear the feature each Wednesday evening… And come back here for highlights of the broadcast!

The post Classical Californians – Launching Wednesday, Sept. 20 at 7pm appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Watch | Open Ears: a series of stories about composers, musicians, and conductors who deserve more recognition.

Pauline Oliveros was a maverick in the field of contemporary classical music, particularly experimental and electronic music. She explored unconventional techniques and approaches to classical instruments, expanding their sonic possibilities. She’s widely known for developing the concept of “Deep Listening.”

Para ver una versión en español de este video, haz clic aquí.

José Pablo Moncayo García, the Mexican composer of Huapango, and a leading figure in his country’s post- revolutionary musical nationalism movement. He wrote 40 works in various genres: ballet, choral, opera, film, chamber music, as well as symphonic pieces. As he said: “Our music must first be deeply Mexican in order to become universal.”

Para ver una versión en español de este video, haz clic aquí.

Teresa Carreño was a Venezuelan pianist, soprano, composer, and conductor. Learn about her musical career, creative life, and how she has inspired generations of pianists, composers, and conductors worldwide.

Para ver una versión en español de este video, haz clic aquí.

Read | New Blogs All Month Long

Virtuosity and Nostalgia: The Teresa Carreño and Chopin Connection

Frédéric Chopin had a significant influence on the generations of pianists and composers who came after him, and Venezuelan composer Teresa Carreño was no exception. Read about the many personal and professional connections these two virtuosic pianists shared. Read more.

Discover Argentine Prodigy María Luisa Anido

Born in the Morón province of Buenos Aires in 1907, Anido started playing guitar at age 10. She took to the instrument extremely quickly and within a few months, she was well on her path to becoming a virtousic guitarist and composer. Read more.

Listen | Tune in for a Hispanic Heritage Month Special on September 23, 4-6PM

Brisa Siegel, host of our Nuestra Música stream, takes you to Mexico with the country’s most famous piece of classical music and a piece that welcomes indigenous instruments into the orchestra. Get swept up with Gustavo Dudamel and the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra of Venezuela. Hear flowers growing in Argentina. Dance through Cuba, and spend the summer in Buenos Aires.

Stream | Nuestra Música [Hosted in English]

Brisa Siegel celebrates classical music composed, performed, or conducted by musicians from Latin America and the Spanish-speaking world. Classical music con sabor y sazón from our home to yours! 

Nuestra Música [Presentado en Español]

Brisa Siegel celebra la música clásica compuesta, interpretada, y dirigida por músicos de América Latina. ¡Música clásica con sabor y sazón, de nuestra casa a la tuya!

The post Celebrate Hispanic Heritage Month with Classical California KUSC | September 15 – October 15 appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Pauline Oliveros was a maverick in the field of contemporary classical music, particularly experimental and electronic music. She explored unconventional techniques and approaches to classical instruments, expanding their sonic possibilities. She’s widely known for developing the concept of “Deep Listening.”

Para ver una versión en español de este video, haz clic aquí.

The post Open Ears: Pauline Oliveros appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Pauline Oliveros era una aventurera en la música clásica contemporánea, especialmente en la música experimental y electrónica. Exploró técnicas y usos de los instrumentos, ampliando sus posibilidades sonoras.Sobre todo, ella es conocida por desarrollar el concepto de escuchar profundamente, o Deep Listening.

To watch a version of this video in English, click here.

The post Open Ears: Pauline Oliveros (en español) appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Lara Downes and Canadian singer-songwriter Allison Russell talk about the Sisterhood – the connections that women performers (and especially Black women) make, as mentors, friends, and creative matchmakers, to help Amplify each other’s voices.  They say the momentum has been building as new audiences are discovering and re-discovering music and artists that don’t conform to traditional expectations.  Russell was part of the sold-out Joni Mitchell concert this past summer, playing and singing with Brandi Carlile, Annie Lennox, Sara McLachlin and others. Her new record is The Returner.

The post Amplify: Lara Downes and Allison Russell appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Les presentamos el video de Open Ears sobre la vida y carrera de José Pablo Moncayo García, el compositor mexicano de “Huapango” y una figura destacada en el movimiento nacionalista musical de su país después de la revolución. Estudió en el Conservatorio Nacional de México y fue invitado por el director Carlos Chávez a ser percusionista en la Orquesta Sinfónica de México (más tarde conocida como la Orquesta Sinfónica Nacional). En su propia música, utilizó los modos y ritmos de la música folclórica tradicional. Tras el éxito de “Huapango” en 1941, estudió composición con Aaron Copland en Tanglewood y conoció a Leonard Bernstein y Lukas Foss. Moncayo fue nombrado Director Asistente de la Orquesta Sinfónica de México en 1945 y, al año siguiente, se convirtió en su Director Artístico. Falleció justo antes de su 46 cumpleaños en 1958, habiendo compuesto 40 obras en diversos géneros: ballet, coro, ópera, música de cámara y piezas sinfónicas. Como él decía: “Nuestra música debe ser profundamente mexicana para llegar a ser universal”.

To watch an English language version of this video, click here!

The post Open Ears: José Moncayo (en español) appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Here’s an Open Ears video about the life and career of José Pablo Moncayo García, the Mexican composer of Huapango, and a leading figure in his country’s post- revolutionary musical nationalism movement. He studied at the National Conservatory of Mexico, and was asked by conductor Carlos Chávez to be a percussionist in the Mexico Symphony Orchestra (later known as the National Symphony Orchestra). In his own music, he used the idioms and rhythms of traditional folk music. After the success of Huapango in 1941, he studied composition with Aaron Copland at Tanglewood, and met Leonard Bernstein and Lukas Foss. Moncayo was named Assistant Conductor of the Mexico Symphony Orchestra in 1945, and the next year, its Artistic Director. He died just before his 46th  birthday, in 1958, having written 40 works in various genres: ballet, choral, opera, film, chamber music, as well as symphonic pieces. As he said: “Our music must first be deeply Mexican in order to become universal.”

Para ver una versión en español de este video, haz clic aquí.

The post Open Ears: Jose Moncayo appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Charcoal drawing of Elizabeth Sprague Coolidge by John Singer Sargent, 1923.

By the early 1940s, Copland had established a reputation as a leading composer of both serious concert works and film music, having been commissioned to score the Hollywood adaptations of John Steinbeck’s Of Mice and Men (1939) and Thornton Wilder’s Our Town (1940). He had also previously composed successfully for dance, painting the American West in sound in the ballets Billy the Kid (1938, for Lincoln Kirstein’s Ballet Caravan) and Rodeo (1942, for Agnes de Mille). His blend of open harmonies, straightforward melodies, and themes that evoked rural life inspired nostalgia for the wide-open spaces of American landscapes at the height of World War II.

Copland in a 1970 publicity photo for the Young People’s Concerts series, a collaboration between CBS and the New York Philharmonic. The series ran for thirteen seasons from 1958 to 1972 and was syndicated in over 40 countries.

Set in an antebellum Shaker town in western Pennsylvania, Appalachian Spring tells the story of a man and his bride. Danced by Martha Graham and her real-life partner Erick Hawkins, the couple prepares to begin a new life together on the frontier. The widespread opening notes of the music allude to wide-open spaces, the new land on the horizon. The choreography for the couple echoes this imagery; they often move with sweeping, wide turns and outstretched arms, gazing into the distance at their future. Their optimism is countered by the severe Pioneer Woman and the fire-and-brimstone Preacher. Throughout, the Preacher is surrounded by four female devotees, The Worshippers. In contrast to the couple, the Preacher, the Pioneer Woman, and the Worshippers often make sharp, clipped movements, dramatically clasping their hands in prayer or penance.

Martha Graham and Erick Hawkins in the first production of Appalachian Spring, 1944. Library of Congress, Music Division.

Renowned sculptor Isamu Noguchi’s minimalist set design highlights the movement of the dancers by removing all but the barest elements of structures—an exterior wall, a roofline, a fence, and the interior “woman’s space,” which is furnished with a single rocking chair. The ballet narrates the hardships and joys of the couple’s life on the frontier: whether to follow the Preacher in blind faith or trust their conscience; the bride’s misgivings as she considers what it may mean to become a mother; and the beauty of the ordinary days the bride and groom spend together.

Martha Graham and her company perform Appalachian Spring in a 1959 production presented by WQED Pittsburgh. Amazingly, Graham was in her 60s during the filming, and continued to dance until her 70s.

Although the scenario of Appalachian Spring may seem self-evident to us now, with the Shaker melody “Simple Gifts” as the thematic centerpiece of the work, it began as an amorphous project to capture an aspect of American life. In the early 1940s, Graham had been had been working on a series of ballets with American themes: Frontier, American Document, American Provincial. When the commission from Coolidge arrived in 1942, Graham was teaching in Bennington, Vermont, and Copland was in Hollywood, spurring a furious exchange of letters to determine how the music should fit with the dance. Graham first proposed setting the ballet during the Civil War, but later changed tacks, writing to Copland: “This is a legend of American living. This has to do with living in a new town, someplace where the first fence has just gone up.”

Copland, meanwhile, wanted to nail down the specifics of pacing, establishing timings for lyrical and fast sections. Copland didn’t compose with the title in mind whatsoever, giving the piece the working title Ballet for Martha. He said of his process: “I was really putting Martha Graham to music. I had seen her dancing so many times, and I had a sense of her personality as a creative office. I had—really in front of my mind I wasn’t thinking about the Appalachians or even spring. So that I had no title for it. It was a ballet for Martha, was actually the subtitle that I had.”

Graham preferred to rehearse without Copland present, so he didn’t see the ballet until the day before its premiere. Copland admired Graham’s choreography and asked what she had decided to call it. “Appalachian Spring” was her reply. Copland described their conversation: “‘Oh,’ I said, ‘What a nice name. Where’d you get it?’ She said, ‘Well, it’s the title of a poem by Hart Crane.’ ‘Oh,’ I said. ‘Does the poem have anything to do with the ballet?’ She said, ‘No, I just liked the title and I took it.’ And over and over again nowadays, people come up to me after seeing the ballet on stage and say, ‘Mr. Copland, when I see that ballet and when I hear your music, I can just see the Appalachians.’ I’ve begun to see the Appalachians myself a little bit.”

So many years later, it still seems surprising that this music, with its evocative melodies, apparently should have nothing to do with Appalachia or spring at all. We can choose to see these images in it or nothing at all, simply a ballet for Martha.

We can also choose to see other American stories that emerge from others who worked on the project. Matt Turney was one of the first Black members of the company, joining the company in the 1950s. Elegant and tall, she became known for her statuesque portrayal of the Pioneer Woman and appears in the 1959 production for TV.

The set designer, Isamu Noguchi, and Yuriko Kikuchi, who played one of the Worshippers in the TV production, were both Japanese Americans who were interned during the Second World War. Kikuchi had been born in San Jose and was interned at the Gila River camp in Arizona. Upon her release, she went to New York in 1943 and joined the Martha Graham Dance Company in 1944, remaining with the company for 50 years.

Isamu Noguchi with his lighting designs, 1955. Photograph by Louise Dahl-Wolfe. National Portrait Gallery, Smithsonian Institution. © Center for Creative Photography, Arizona Board of Regents.

As a legal resident of New York, Noguchi was not in an area where internment was mandatory. Instead, at the suggestion of John Collier, head of the Office of Indian Affairs, he went voluntarily to the Poston camp in Arizona to promote Japanese arts and crafts. He drafted plans for parks and recreational areas within the camp, but the War Relocation Authority did not implement them. The other internees were reluctant to trust him as an outsider. He applied for release and was given a month’s leave, but he never returned. He was later under FBI investigation for his allegedly traitorous activities. The charges were finally dropped when the ACLU intervened. If we look at the set with this history in mind, are the stark lines of the set echoes of the barbed wire and spare barracks of the internment camps?

Honouliuli Internment and POW Camp, early 1940s. Located in Waipahu, Hawaii, on Oahu, the camp is now a national historic monument maintained by the National Park Service.

In 1945, a year after the premiere, Copland won the Pulitzer Prize for Music for Appalachian Spring. He went on to arrange an orchestral suite and a full symphonic version of the work. Appalachian Spring continues to be popular as a stand-alone piece, and the Martha Graham Dance Company performs it regularly. Noguchi continued his work in multiple media, sculpting, making furniture and lighting, and designing for theater and public spaces. He was awarded the National Medal of Arts in 1987.

The Martha Graham Dance Company dances Appalachian Spring in a 2018 Opéra national de Paris production.

The post The Story Behind “Appalachian Spring,” the Ballet appeared first on Classical KUSC.

If you’re hungry for more, we’re taking you behind-the-music with a series of fun and informative blogs about the music you picked — and follow us on Facebook, Instagram, TikTok,and Twitter!

See what made the list below.
1. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #9
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #41 “Jupiter”
3. George Gershwin: Rhapsody in Blue
4. Antonín Dvořák: Symphony #9 “From the New World”
5. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #6 “Pastoral”
6. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #7
7. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #5
8. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto #5 “Emperor”
9. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #2
10. Peter Tchaikovsky: Swan Lake
11. Ralph Vaughan Williams: The Lark Ascending
12. Claude Debussy: Clair de lune
13. Aaron Copland: Appalachian Spring
14. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata #14 “Moonlight”
15. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #3 “Eroica”
16. Maurice Ravel: Boléro
17. Johannes Brahms: Symphony #3
18. William Grant Still: Summerland
19. Bedřich Smetana: Ma Vlast: The Moldau
20. Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Summer
21. Camille Saint-Saëns: Symphony #3 “Organ”
22. George Frideric Handel: Water Music
23. Scott Joplin: Maple Leaf Rag
24. John Williams: Raiders of the Lost Ark
25. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Piano Concerto #3
26. Arturo Márquez: Danzón #2
27. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Requiem
28. Igor Stravinsky: Firebird
29. Clara Schumann: Piano Concerto
30. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Fantasia on a Theme by Thomas Tallis
31. John Williams: Harry Potter
32. Scott Joplin: The Entertainer
33. Nikolai Rimsky-Korsakov: Scheherazade
34. Howard Shore: Lord of the Rings
35. George Frideric Handel: Messiah
36. John Williams: Star Wars
37. Johann Sebastian Bach: Toccata & Fugue in d minor
38. Hans Zimmer: Pirates of the Caribbean
39. Franz Liszt: Piano Concerto #1
40. Samuel Barber: Adagio for Strings
41. Joaquín Rodrigo: Concierto de Aranjuez
42. José Pablo Moncayo: Huapango
43. Johann Pachelbel: Canon in D
44. Ludwig van Beethoven: Violin Concerto
45. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Rhapsody on a theme of Paganini
46. Felix Mendelssohn: A Midsummer Night’s Dream
47. Aaron Copland: Fanfare for the Common Man
48. Edvard Grieg: Piano Concerto
49. George Frideric Handel: Music for Royal Fireworks
50. Edward Elgar: Enigma Variations
51. Michael Giacchino: Up
52. Fanny Mendelssohn: May: Spring Song
53. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Eine kleine nachtmusik
54. Ferde Grofé: Grand Canyon Suite
55. Edvard Grieg: Peer Gynt
56. John Williams: Jurassic Park
57. Gustav Holst: The Planets: Jupiter
58. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Clarinet Concerto
59. Peter Tchaikovsky: Piano Concerto #1
60. Léo Delibes: Lakme: Flower Duet
61. John Barry: Out of Africa
62. Claude Debussy: La Mer
63. Ludwig van Beethoven: Choral Fantasy
64. Peter Tchaikovsky: Violin Concerto
65. Florence Price: Symphony #1
66. Modest Mussorgsky: Pictures at an Exhbition
67. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Magic Flute
68. Reena Esmail: Saans
69. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto #21
70. Ludwig van Beethoven: Für Elise
71. Jean Sibelius: Finlandia
72. Juventino Rosas: Sobre las Olas
73. Erik Satie: Gymnopedies
74. Hector Berlioz: Symphonie fantastique
75. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto #4
76. Morten Lauridsen: Les Chansons des Roses: Dirait-on
77. Margaret Bonds: Troubled Water
78. Felix Mendelssohn: Violin Concerto
79. Cecile Chaminade: Scarf Dance
80. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #40
81. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #8
82. Ennio Morricone: The Mission: Gabriel’s Oboe
83. Leonard Bernstein: West Side Story
84. Ludwig van Beethoven: Triple Concerto
85. Alexander Borodin: In the Steppes of Cental Asia
86. Georges Bizet: Carmen
87. Koji Kondo: Legend of Zelda
88. Max Bruch: Violin Concerto
89. Teresa Carreño: Mi Teresita Waltz
90. Peter Tchaikovsky: 1812 Overture
91. John Williams: E.T.
92. Johann Sebastian Bach: Jesu, Joy of Man’s Desiring
93. Carlos Chávez: Symphony #2 “Sinfonía India”
94. John Williams: Schindler’s List
95. Gioachino Rossini: William Tell Overture
96. Joe Hisaishi: Spirited Away
97. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata #8 “Pathetique”
98. Astor Piazzolla: Libertango
99. Joseph Haydn: Trumpet Concerto
100. Michael Giacchino: Ratatouille
101. Franz Schubert: Piano Quintet “Trout”
102. Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Spring
103. Ludovico Einaudi: Two Sunsets
104. Johann Sebastian Bach: Sheep May Safely Graze
105. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto #3
106. Gabriel Fauré: Butterfly
107. Aaron Copland: Rodeo
108. Camille Saint-Saëns: Carnival of the Animals: The Swan
109. Peter Tchaikovsky: The Nutcracker
110. Luigi Boccherini: Guitar Quintet #4 “Fandango Quintet”
111. Ludovico Einaudi: Primavera
112. Giuseppe Verdi: Nabucco: Chorus of the Hebrew Slaves
113. Johann Sebastian Bach: Goldberg Variations
114. Joe Hisaishi: Howl’s Moving Castle: Merry-Go-Round of Life
115. Johann Sebastian Bach: Concerto for 2 Violins
116. Jeremy Soule: Elder Scrolls: Skyrim
117. Felix Mendelssohn: Hebrides Overture
118. Peter Tchaikovsky: Serenade for Strings
119. Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges: Sinfonie concertante for 2 Violins
120. Franz Liszt: Les Preludes
121. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Symphony #2
122. Sergei Prokofiev: Romeo and Juliet
123. Johann Strauss II: Blue Danube Waltz
124. Carl Orff: Carmina Burana
125. Gabriel Fauré: Pavane
126. Richard Strauss: Also Sprach Zarathustra
127. Helen Jane Long: Echo
128. Richard Wagner: Tannhäuser: Overture
129. Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Winter
130. Antonín Dvořák: Rusalka: Song to the Moon
131. Antonín Dvořák: Cello Concerto
132. Claude Debussy: Prelude to the Afternoon of a Faun
133. Jean Sibelius: Symphony #2
134. Yoko Shimomura: Kingdom Hearts: Dearly Beloved
135. Peter Tchaikovsky: Sleeping Beauty
136. George Gershwin: Concerto in F
137. Gustav Holst: The Planets: Mars
138. Jerry Goldsmith: Star Trek
139. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Concerto for Flute and Harp
140. Edward Elgar: Cello Concerto
141. George Gershwin: An American in Paris
142. Yann Tiersen: Amelie
143. Ottorino Respighi: Pines of Rome
144. Ludwig van Beethoven: Egmont Overture
145. Gabriel Fauré: Requiem
146. Elmer Bernstein: The Magnificent Seven
147. Johann Sebastian Bach: Air on the G String
148. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #4
149. Igor Stravinsky: Rite of Spring
150. Gustav Mahler: Symphony #5: Adagietto
151. Joseph Haydn: Piano Trio #39 in G HOB 15:25
152. Tomaso Albinoni: Adagio in g minor
153. Johannes Brahms: Symphony #1
154. Maria Theresia von Paradis: Sicilienne
155. Franz Schubert: Symphony #8 “Unfinished”
156. Jules Massanet: Thais: Meditation
157. Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony #5
158. Morten Lauridsen: O Magnum Mysterium
159. Luigi Boccherini: Night Music of the Streets of Madrid
160. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #1
161. Johann Sebastian Bach: Mass in b minor
162. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto #2
163. Franz Schubert: Symphony #9 “Great”
164. Giacomo Puccini: Turandot: Nessun dorma
165. Johannes Brahms: Hungarian Dances
166. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #3
167. Peter Tchaikovsky: Symphony #6
168. Aram Khachaturian: Spartacus: Adagio
169. Max Bruch: Scottish Fantasy
170. Frederick Delius: Florida Suite
171. Ludwig van Beethoven: Symphony #2
172. Sergei Rachmaninoff: Vocalise
173. Ennio Morricone: Cinema Paradiso
174. Edward Elgar: Salut d’Amour
175. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: The Marriage of Figaro
176. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Sonata #21
177. Maurice Ravel: Pavane for a Dead Princess
178. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Symphony #39
179. Johann Sebastian Bach: St. Matthew Passion
180. Ludwig van Beethoven: Piano Concerto #1
181. Johannes Brahms: Violin Concerto
182. Gustav Mahler: Symphony #1
183. Ludwig van Beethoven: Missa Solemnis
184. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #5
185. Antonín Dvořák: String Quartet #12 “American”
186. William Grant Still: Afro-American Symphony
187. Antonio Vivaldi: Four Seasons: Autumn
188. Heitor Villa-Lobos: Bachianas Brasilieras #5: Aria
189. Johannes Brahms: Symphony #4
190. Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto #1
191. Gioachino Rossini: Barber of Seville Overture
192. Johannes Brahms: Piano Concerto #2
193. Franz Liszt: Hungarian Rhapsody #2
194. Robert Schumann: Piano Concerto
195. Lawrence Mumford: Of Times and Seasons
196. Maurice Ravel: Piano Concerto in G
197. George Frideric Handel: Arrival of the Queen of Sheba
198. Clara Schumann: Piano Trio
199. Peter Tchaikovsky: Romeo and Juliet
200. Johann Sebastian Bach: Cello Suite #1
201. Alexander Borodin: Polovtsian Dances
202. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Piano Concerto #20
203. Ludwig van Beethoven: Romance for the Violin No. 2
204. Erich Korngold: Adventures of Robin Hood
205. Alexandra Streliski: The Breach
206. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #2
207. Frédéric Chopin: Fantaisie Impromptu in c # minor
208. Howard Shore: The Hobbit
209. Gustav Mahler: Symphony #2
210. Ennio Morricone: The Good, the Bad, the Ugly
211. Lawrence Mumford: Hope and a Future
212. Francisco Tárrega: Recuerdos de Alhambra
213. Tan Dun: Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon
214. Maurice Ravel: Le Tombeau de Couperin
215. Frédéric Chopin: Piano Concerto #2
216. Edvard Grieg: Holberg Suite
217. George Frideric Handel: Xerxes: Largo
218. Florence Price: Symphony #3
219. Manuel Ponce: Estrellita
220. Ludwig Göransson: Oppenheimer: Can You Hear the Music
221. Joseph Haydn: Cello Concerto #2
222. Alberto Ginastera: Dance of the Graceful Maiden
223. Ralph Vaughan Williams: Serenade to Music
224. Isaac Albéniz: Mallorca
225. R. Nathaniel Dett: Juba Dance
226. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #6
227. Karl Jenkins: Paladio
228. Leonard Bernstein: Candide
229. Joaquín Rodrigo: Fantasia para un gentihombre
230. Johannes Brahms: German Requiem
231. Peter Tchaikovsky: Capriccio Italien
232. Isaac Albéniz: Asturias
233. Felix Mendelssohn: Symphony #4 “Italian”
234. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Ave Verum Corpus
235. Antonín Dvořák: Symphony #8
236. Cécile Chaminade: Concertino for Flute in D
237. Samuel Coleridge-Taylor: Deep River
238. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart: Don Giovanni
239. Jean Sibelius: Violin Concerto
240. Pietro Mascagni: Cavalleria Rusticana
241. Morten Lauridsen: Lux Aeterna
242. John Williams: Superman
243. Richard Wagner: Die Walkure: Ride of the Valkyries
244. Bear McCreary: The Lord of the Rings: The Rings of Power
245. Jacques Offenbach: Tales of Hoffmann
246. Florence Price: Fantasie Negre #2
247. Dmitri Shostakovich: Jazz Suite
248. Johannes Brahms: Symphony #2
249. Mahito Yokota: Gusty Garden Galaxy
250. Johann Sebastian Bach: Brandenburg Concerto #4

The post Listen to the Classical California Ultimate Playlist | See What Made The List appeared first on Classical KUSC.

María Teresa Carreño García de Sena was born into a musical family in Caracas, Venezuela in 1853. Her grandfather, Cayetano José Carreño, had been the organist and choirmaster of a prominent church in Caracas. Her father, Manuel Antonio Carreño, was an accomplished musician who served as the Minister of Finance in the Venezuelan government. At the age of six, Carreño began studying piano under her father, who insisted that she practice drills in every key.

Teresa Carreño poses with her instrument at age 8

Amidst the turmoil of the Federal War, her father lost his government position and decided to move the family to New York in 1862. In their new city, Carreño began studying under eminent composer and pianist Louis Moreau Gottschalk, giving her public debut as a concert pianist at Irving Hall at age eight. A clear prodigy, she went on to perform across the United States and Cuba, including performing for President Abraham Lincoln in 1863. The family moved to Paris in 1866, where Carreño studied with George Mathias, a former pupil of Chopin, and also met Charles Gounod and Franz Liszt. Liszt apparently offered her lessons, which she turned down. She also studied voice with prominent musicians including Rossini. Between 1866 and 1872, she embarked on tours in England, Spain, and the Netherlands.

Portrait of Teresa Carreño in 1916

In 1872, she returned to the United States and toured extensively, occasionally also performing as an opera singer. In October 1885, Carreño returned to Caracas with her second husband, Giovanni Tagliapietra, to establish an opera company and music conservatory there at the behest of the Venezuelan president. Unfortunately, due to the ongoing political unrest, they had to abandon the project, returning to the United States in 1887. Two years later, Carreño decided to attempt to establish her reputation in Europe. She debuted in Berlin in 1889, leading to successful engagements in Europe, Australia, Africa, and the Americas. She had four husbands over the course of her life and had six children.

Carreño frequently performed Chopin’s works alongside the likes of Liszt, Schubert, Grieg, and Schumann. W.S.B. Matthews, an American music educator and critic, praised Carreño’s superior abilities as a technician, remarking that she could execute Bach, Chopin, Schumann, and Liszt with equal ease. “The solidity of her technique is such that all of these things are easy for her…It is no longer a reading, a recitation, a repetition of such and such compositions […]: it is music’s self.”

She recorded four works by Chopin on piano rolls, a type of recording technology that recorded each keystroke by punching a hole in a sheet of paper. The most sophisticated piano rolls, produced by the German company Welte, could also record the performer’s pedaling as well as the volume at which they played. Carreño’s recordings remain a testament to her impressive technique. Carreño’s piano roll of Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23 is a breathtaking example of this.

Teresa Carreño plays Chopin’s Ballade No. 1 in G minor, Op. 23, recorded on a Welte-Mignon piano roll in 1905, when she was in her early 50s.

Carreño not only performed the most complex Romantic piano music but also wrote in a similarly virtuosic style herself. The influence of Chopin is evident in her frequent use of her native country’s dance rhythms, such as the danza and valse criollo, just as Chopin had invoked the waltz and the mazurka, a Polish folk dance. Her Le Printemps (Spring), Op. 25 is a prime example of the valse criollo, a waltz style known for its “limping” rhythm and ample use of syncopation.

Like Chopin, she also favored genres that recalled the lyricism and sparkling virtuosity of Italian opera, such as the ballade—a genre that Chopin himself invented. Carreño’s Ballade, Op. 15 shares many features in common with Chopin’s style: singing melodies, a defined rhythm sustained by the left hand, and florid ornamentation.

Carreño’s otherworldly Ballade, Op. 15, performed by Clara Rodriguez

Carreño and Chopin also adapted other forms such as the barcarolle, a folk song sung by Venetian gondoliers. The barcarolle typically uses a lilting rhythm reminiscent of a boat rocking on the water.

One of the most virtuosic examples of the genre, Chopin’s Barcarolle in F-sharp Major is shot through with both exuberance and melancholy. Featuring the bane of all pianists—double trills—Chopin’s barcarolle is a tour de force in both technique and expression for any player.

At just 19, Daniil Trifonov handled the challenge of Chopin’s Barcarolle with grace at the 2010 International Chopin Competition

In Carreño’s “Venise: Rêverie-Barcarolle,” the swaying barcarolle rhythm emerges following an ethereal introduction, perhaps the reverie of the piece’s title. This piece is the first in her set of Sketches of Italy (Esquisses italiennes). Carreño’s barcarolle is a daydream, a pleasant trip down a Venetian canal on a sunny day.

Carreño enjoyed a performing career that spanned over 50 years. She was also an important advocate for emerging composers such as Edvard Grieg, who appreciated her playing so much that he sought her out as a soloist, and Edward MacDowell, an American composer whom she had taught as a young man. MacDowell later dedicated his Piano Concerto No. 2 to her. Chilean-born pianist Claudio Arrau heard her perform in Berlin in 1916, saying succinctly: “Oh! She was a goddess!” We’ll leave you with her charming “wrong-note” scherzo, La fausse note.

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Did you know music can have a positive effect on your brain? It can shape the way we think, act and even how we connect with others. Classical California host Brisa Siegel takes you on a journey into classical music and neuroscience with the team at USC’s Brain and Creativity Institute. Their groundbreaking research has shown music’s transformative impact on young minds working with the Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. We hope you will embrace the magic of classical music and our mission for it to be accessible to all.

Want more info on how music affects the brain? Check out the panel discussion presented by Classical California KUSC and the USC Brain and Creativity Institute. This event is hosted by Gail Eichenthal and featuring some of the world’s leading researchers in this fast-changing field (including Professors Antonio Damasio, Beatriz Ilari, and Assal Habibi, as well as Vice Provost for the Arts Josh Kun), followed by a chamber music concert by students from the USC Thornton School of Music.

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We’ll post a trio of upcoming events here each Monday that we think you’ll enjoy, and one will be free! Welcome to Trio!

• Pacific Symphony – A Hero’s Life

The Pacific Symphony opens its season with a heroic tone poem by Richard Strauss, Ein Heldenleben, (A Hero’s Life) and are joined in the first half by the GRAMMY® Award-winning ensemble Eighth Blackbird, to play a work called Vital Sines by composer Viet Cuong in a world premiere scoring for wind ensemble and orchestra. The first work on the program is Mozart’s brief Symphony No. 32, which serves as an “amuse bouche”. Music Director Carl St. Clair will be leading the concert, at the Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Costa Mesa at 8pm Thursday, Friday and Saturday (21-23), with Alan Chapman giving a preview talk at 7.

Carl St. Clair leading the Pacific Symphony

• Jacaranda: Hanging Gardens

Opening its “Planet Schoenberg” Season, which celebrates the 150th anniversary of the birth of composer Arnold Schoenberg, the Jacaranda Chamber Ensemble presents a concert that pairs his Book of the Hanging Gardens with a chamber arrangement of Mahler’s Symphony No. 4. Mark Alan Hilt conducts, with mezzo-soprano Katarzyna Sądej, pianist Steven Vanhauwaert, and soprano Julia Metzler. The concert is Saturday (23) at 8pm, at the First Presbyterian Church in Santa Monica.

• FREE: LA Opera Live Simulcast of Don Giovanni

LA Opera presents Opera Under the Stars, with Mozart’s Don Giovanni appearing on outdoor LED screens at La Mirada Community Regional Park and the Santa Monica Pier on Saturday the 23rd. Bring your lawn chairs and picnics and settle in for the tale of the roguish Don, sung by Lucas Meachem, with Isabel Leonard singing Donna Elvira in her mainstage company debut. James Conlon conducts the production, directed by Kasper Holten. Gates open at 4:30 in both locations, with a 6pm broadcast simulcast from nine cameras at Dorothy Chandler Pavilion. The “Opera at the Beach” and “Opera at the Park” events are free, and those who RSVP will receive updates and a free gift when they arrive. This is the tenth time Santa Monica Pier has had a simulcast, and the first time for the La Miranda location.

The post Introducing “Trio”: Three Upcoming Events We Think You’ll Enjoy Each Week appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Listen to the latest episode on demand below.

September 9th: The Clarinet

Whether it’s taking a starring role in the slurpy introduction to Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue, flowing gracefully in a concerto by Mozart, or imitating a cat or donkey, the clarinet is one of the most versatile of instruments. Solomon shows some of the many different sounds and personalities clarinets can have in their musical toolbox.

Listen to the feature!  

September 16th: The Cello

Cello? It’s a bass! It can go low and it can go high, as shown by Bach, Saint-Saëns, Elgar, and AC/DC. Tune in this Saturday to hear the latest episode of Car Tunes.

Listen to the feature!  

More about Solomon:

A native of Houston, TX, Samoan American tenor Solomon Reynolds has equal passions for classical music and indie pop. Solomon is a three-time Encouragement Award recipient of the Metropolitan Opera Eric and Dominique Laffont Competition in the Houston, Utah, and Los Angeles Districts. He recently performed as Perchik in the First Nat’l Tour of Fiddler on the Roof, directed by Tony-Award winning director Bartlett Sher. In addition to stage roles, Solomon is also an active singer-songwriter under his artist name, Solly.

Read more about all the new shows and features coming this fall here.

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KUSC Classical Kids’ Discovery Day:

Date: October 1st 2023 
Time:  10-4pm
Venue: Plaza de la Raza, Los Angeles
Admission: FREE

Calling all young music enthusiasts and curious minds! 

Are your kids ready for a free, unforgettable adventure into the world of classical music and vibrant folkloric dance? Join us at KUSC Classical Kids’ Discovery Day, hosted at the historic Plaza de la Raza in Los Angeless on October 1st from 10-4 pm. 
 
What to Expect: 
•  Experience the thrill of live classical music performances from the LA Opera, YOLA, Neighborhood Music School of East Los Angeles, and USC Thornton School of Music.  
•  Immerse your children in the captivating world of folklorico dance. 
•  Explore activity tables that will introduce them to the orchestra’s instruments. 
•  Let your kids shine at the Be a DJ booth with their own microphone skills. 
•  Unleash creativity as they craft their very own musical instruments.
 
Admission is FREE! Don’t miss out on this incredible opportunity to ignite your child’s passion for music and culture.
 
And if you let us know you’re coming by registering with the form below, you will be automatically entered for a chance to WIN 6 tickets to the USC home game on October 7th, 2023! 

Unlock the world of music and culture for your kids with KUSC Classical Kids’ Discovery Day. Join us for a day of melodies, rhythms, and joyful exploration. See you there! 

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Composing music has often been associated with altered states of consciousness, including drug use and mysticism. Berlioz heard the demonic sounds of a witches’ sabbath while under the influence of opium, while medieval composer Hildegard of Bingen and Romantic composer Robert Schumann both described receiving their music from divine sources.

Symphonie fantastique: Berlioz’s Opium-Fueled Fever-Dream

While in the midst of a manic obsession with Irish actress Harriet Smithson, Berlioz composed one of his most famous works, the Symphonie fantastique (1830). Berlioz rented an apartment near hers so he could be close to her and regularly sent her flowers, but she had no inkling of his existence. Around this time, Berlioz had been taking opium to relieve the pain of his severe cavities but was evidently also familiar with its propensity to induce bizarre dreams.

Just before he began writing the Symphonie fantastique, he wrote to his father: “I see myself in a mirror. Often, I experience the most extraordinary impressions…the effect is like that of opium.” Indeed, Berlioz’s program for the Symphonie fantastique would become a mirror of sorts, strangely resembling his own life. A young musician falls hopelessly in love with a woman who seems to represent the embodiment of all his ideals. In the music, the beloved appears as the idée fixe, a recurring melody that both inspires and haunts the protagonist. The symphony moves through vignettes of the protagonist’s life: (1) “Reveries—Passions” (2) “A Ball,” and (3) “Scene in the Fields,” in which he travels to the countryside. By the fourth movement, “March to the Scaffold,” the musician realizes that his love is unrequited. Out of despair, the young man takes a large dose of opium in an attempt to poison himself. The dose isn’t enough to kill him but instead gives him horrific visions.

“March to the Scaffold” is a marvel of orchestration that seems to emerge directly from Berlioz’s own experience with opium. Plunged into a fever-dream, the protagonist imagines he has killed his beloved and is watching the scene of his own gruesome execution unfold before him. He marches toward his death at a pace that becomes ever more frenetic as the movement progresses, accompanied by hand-muted horns, four bassoons, and two sets of timpani played with new “sponge-headed sticks” that produced a smoother, more subtle sound. One last gasp of the idée fixe appears in the clarinet before the protagonist is audibly guillotined with a brash tutti orchestra hit.

Berlioz saves the tour de force of orchestral special effects for the final movement, “Dream of a Witches’ Sabbath,” in which the musician imagines the beloved as a witch who presides over his own funeral. The sounds of Berlioz’s sonic hellscape seem possible only in an opium-fueled delirium. Here, the idée fixe transforms into the sound of the beloved’s cackling laughter in the clarinet, soon joined by a shrieking piccolo. Funeral bells toll, the brass section sounds the menacing Dies irae, and the strings play col legno with the back of the bow (literally, “with the wood”)—an eerie sound reminiscent of the rapping of fingernails.

Hildegard of Bingen’s Musical Revelations

Born in 1098, Hildegard of Bingen was a Benedictine abbess, composer, and mystic. She began experiencing visions when she was a child and entered into religious life at 15. Over the course of her lifetime, she completed a significant body of written work, including theological texts, pharmacological and medical works, and collections of music.

In all, Hildegard wrote 77 chants and the earliest known morality play, Ordo virtutum (“Order of the Virtues”). Unlike conventional plainchant of her time, Hildegard’s music features wide leaps and extremes of melodic range. In Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations (Symphonia Armonie Celestium Revelationum), Hildegard transcribed the heavenly chorus she heard in her mind, beginning with O vis eternitatis (“O Power within Eternity”), a particularly salient example of her breathtaking, angular melodies. The melody reaches ever more improbable heights as the poetry expounds on the incarnation of God’s Word in Christ.

Hildegard von Bingen, O vis eternitatis, performed by Sequentia

Her most famous theological work, Scivias, contains illuminations of her visions in brilliant colors and ends with fourteen musical compositions: two for the Virgin Mary, two for the angels, and two for each category of saints—patriarchs and prophets, apostles, martyrs, confessors, and virgins. Scivias stands for “Scito vias Domini”: “know the ways of the Lord.”

An illumination from Scivias depicting Hildegard’s egg-shaped vision of God, the cosmos, and humanity.

As in her Symphony of the Harmony of Celestial Revelations, Hildegard begins with an image of salvation in O splendidissima gemma (“O jewel resplendent”), the chant that opens the musical portion of Scivias. Dedicated to the Virgin Mary, this antiphon—a refrain sung before or after a psalm—compares salvation to sunlight glinting off a jewel. God infused his creation with light through his Word, a light refracted and dimmed by the Fall of Man, and then fashioned the Word into human form as the light of Christ. The melody weaves its way forward, with occasional departures to a higher register, like an auditory rendering of light dancing across a prism.

Ensemble Mediatrix performs “O splendidissima gemma.”

Schumann’s Ghost Variations: The Sound of Angels

Throughout his life, Schumann struggled with a mental illness that a number of scholars now believe was bipolar disorder, as he was given to extremes of wild productivity and catatonic depression. In his early twenties, Schumann had also contracted syphilis and was treated with arsenic. After a long period of latency, he began to experience symptoms of the final stages of the disease, including auditory hallucinations and paranoia, imagining he had been poisoned. He heard divinely inspired music and the voices of demons who called him sinful and made him scream in fear. By 1854, Schumann was aware of the deterioration of his mental state and asked Clara to commit him to an insane asylum on several occasions. In the middle of the night on February 17, he awakened to write down a theme that he believed was dictated to him by angels, the beginnings of the piece that would become known as the Ghost Variations (Geistervariationen). But the theme was actually Schumann’s own, appearing several times across his works—in his violin concerto, which he had written just four months earlier, his Album for the Young (1849), and his String Quartet, Op. 41, no. 2 (1842).

In the early afternoon on February 27, 1854, Schumann left his study, where he had been composing earlier that morning, and walked to a bridge on the Rhine River, still in his dressing gown. He tossed his wedding ring into the river then jumped into the icy cold water. Fortunately, he was soon rescued by a passerby who pulled him onto his boat, and was taken home. He completed the Ghost Variations within a few days, dedicating the score to his beloved wife Clara. Shortly thereafter, he was admitted to an asylum where he spent the remaining two years of his life.

In his last years, Schumann became aggressive, had fits of screaming that left him hoarse, and eventually declined to the point that he lost the ability to speak clearly. In the summer of 1856, Clara found out that Schumann had not left his bed in several weeks and went to visit him. Having been prevented from seeing him twice, she was finally admitted into the asylum to find Schumann ill with pneumonia and barely conscious. Schumann summoned the strength to embrace her. That would be the last time Clara saw him.

As it was one of the last pieces Schumann completed, Clara did not want to release the Ghost Variations for publication, but Brahms managed to persuade her to publish the theme in 1893. It took over forty more years for the complete work to be published, finally appearing in 1939. This beautiful composition has only recently begun to receive more interest among pianists, and one can only hope that it will be performed more widely in the future.

András Schiff plays Schumann’s Ghost Variations on his own Bösendorfer mahogany piano.

The post Trippy Tales in Classical Music appeared first on Classical KUSC.

We’re going to be making some changes to our schedule this fall, and wanted to let you know about them…

Starting on Labor Day, The Morning Show with Jennifer Miller Hammel will run an hour longer, from 6am until 10am.  “I’m excited to have an extra hour of storytelling, companionship, and gorgeous music which includes the magic of Mozart in the Morning,” Jennifer says.

Starting September 9th, Alan Chapman will host weekdays from 10am until 3pm. If you’re a fan of Dianne Nicolini, never fear! You’ll still be able to hear her on KUSC on Saturday afternoons from Noon to 5pm (during the Met Broadcast season, from after the opera until 5). We’re making this change to put an emphasis on local hosts and storytelling; you can also hear Dianne on the Classical California Movie Music stream, as well as our sister station, her home base at KDFC in San Francisco.

Saturday’s schedule, as mentioned, will have Dianne from Noon to 5, with Rich Capparela starting later, from 5pm to 10pm, and Alan from 10pm to Midnight. There’s also a new morning feature that you can find out more about here, called Saturday Morning Car Tunes (hosted by Solomon Reynolds) a kid- and family-friendly fun exploration of classical music and orchestral instruments, Saturdays at 8:15am, with a repeat at 3:15pm.

On Sundays, Rich Capparela will host from 11am to 3pm, followed by Brisa Seigel from 3pm to 6pm. (You can still hear John Van Driel on Classical California All-Night on Tuesdays, Wednesdays, and Thursdays, from Midnight to 6am.)

You can find out more about our new shows here!

Sign up for our free newsletter to get detailed, up-to-date programming each week.
 

The post Some Host and Schedule Changes for the Fall appeared first on Classical KUSC.

We’re rolling out some new features and specials this fall – here’s an overview of what’s ahead in the next few weeks:

Starting the week of September 4th:

Trio

Each Monday on KUSC.org, we’ll post Trio, a quick, curated list of  three events we think you’ll love, including one that’s free. Trio will be replacing the Play On, California! Blog. We began Play On, California! at the start of the pandemic to showcase the evolving ways our incredible local performing arts groups and musicians were adapting to zoom performances and more. Now, as local groups have steadily returned to more in-person performances (and some have adopted a hybrid model), we’re excited to highlight three upcoming events each week.

Saturday Morning Car Tunes

Saturdays at 8:15am and 3:15pm, Solomon Reynolds tosses you inside the orchestra pit for a deep dive into classical music and orchestral instruments. Why does the viola play second fiddle to the violin? Where are some surprising places to hear the bassoon? What even is a clarinet? This fun and funky feature is approximately 5 minutes and perfect for families en route to their Saturday activities.

Starting the week of September 18th:

Classical Californians

Tune in Wednesdays at 7pm as we hand the mic to a new “Classical Californian” – a California-based musician, composer, conductor, or other notable Californian who will share a few favorite pieces and stories behind them with our Classical California community. Get to know the people who make the Golden State’s classical scene sing.

The Coolest Thing I Heard This Week

Our hosts always have their ears open for music you’ll love, and we bring you their exciting discoveries with The Coolest Things I Heard This Week. Each Friday, hosts will have one track in their shift designated The Coolest Thing I Heard This Week. We’ll hear the music, the host’s personal connection to the piece, and why we think our listeners will find it cool, too.

September 23:

Hispanic Heritage Month Special

Brisa Siegel, host of Classical California’s Nuestra Música stream shares two hours of classical music from the Spanish-speaking world.

Sign up for our free newsletter to get detailed, up-to-date programming each week.

The post New Features and Specials! appeared first on Classical KUSC.

Its that time of year again; a new term, back to school shopping, seeing old friends and making new ones!

A brand new school year needs a brand new playlist….but with a twist of nostalgia. Here’s a century-spanning collection of school-inspired music that will rival anything you’ll experience in your history class. From 1774, to classics your parents and grandparents will recall, to this year’s hottest game; it’s a well balanced curriculum from Classical California!

Franz Joseph Haydn’s publisher gave symphony #55 its scholastic nickname, “The Schoolmaster.” According to musicologists, Haydn did write a separate piece, a divertimento which he called “Der Schulmeister” and the publisher may have gotten the two works confused, which provides a good lesson as we return to the classroom: always check your work before you hand it in!

In this beloved school film from 1989, Professor John Keating’s (Robin Williams) classroom antics seem rather quaint in 2023, but the score by Maurice Jarre still sounds fresh 34 years later. Dead Poets Society won a British Academy Award (BAFTA) for Best Original Score.

Gustav Holst was the music teacher at St. Paul’s School for Girls in Hammersmith London from 1905 until his death in 1934. In 1913, St. Paul’s opened a newly constructed music wing with sound-proof spaces for performance and instruction, and Professor Holst composed this suite to commemorate the occasion and no doubt delighting the young musicians who performed the premiere.

Math and Music at The Movies!  “My boy’s wicked smart,” and the score by Danny Elfman is wicked good! Elfman’s collaboration with director Gus Van Sant for Good Will Hunting captured an Oscar nomination for Best Score and Best Original Song.

Phys Ed has been a part of US school curriculum since 1853, and dancing definitely qualifies! Morton Gould composed his Concerto for Tap Dancer and Orchestra in 1953. Gould wrote the tap part as if it were performed by a percussionist, leaving the actual steps up to the soloist. Choreographing your own routine to match the beats deserves Extra Credit!

Hey parents, here’s a fun game….ask your kids how they are enjoying their Phonics/Elocution class, and thoroughly enjoy the blank looks on their faces!
In the film classic Singin’ in the Rain (1952) character actor Bobby Watson attempts to school Gene Kelly and Donald O’Connor in elocution, and gets schooled right back!

Keyboard Skills have given way to thumbs-only texting dexterity, but there was a time in the Long, Long Ago when learning the QUERTY keyboard was a part of the school day. In 1950, Leroy Anderson wrote this piece for what can now be considered an “ancient instrument,” the typewriter.

Brush up your Shakespeare with the students from the Chineke! Junior Orchestra, a youth ensemble of Black and ethnically diverse players aged 11-22 based in the UK. Here they are performing Samuel Coleridge-Taylor’s Othello Suite.

Did you get your Hogwarts Letter!? Step into the enchanting world of Hogwarts Legacy, featuring the Original Game Soundtrack! Immerse yourself in the serene and cozy scenes of Hogwarts during the early hours of an autumn day, as the sun gently rises over the castle spires. From the soft rustling of leaves to the distant chatter of students preparing for their day, this ambience video offers the perfect background noise for relaxation and study. Grab a mug of butterbeer, crack open a tome, and enter this bastion of Magical Education.

What is your favorite part of heading back to school?
Share your thoughts in the comments below, especially if you have a favorite piece of Back To School music.

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