Épisodes

  • It's Black History Month

    It's Black History Month
    Feb 2 2026
    Oh Happy Day! It’s Black History Month. There are so many events celebrating “black excellence” in all genres of music. I’ve only mentioned a few including the Colour of Music Festival. See links on secondstreetdreams.com There’s a new audio edition of the Harry Potter books. Believe it or not, the National Endowment for the Arts is offering Challenge Grants. The Cliburn ends its piano competition for Amateurs. There are plenty of other piano competitions for amateurs, like this one in Paris. Then there’s the closing of the Kennedy Center, ordered by the President.
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    13 min
  • Song Offerings From Christopher Tin

    Song Offerings From Christopher Tin
    Jan 26 2026
    So many events are happening this month and early in February. Some of them require the attention of the classical music community. There’s the Grammys, a new album of choral works from the composer of Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, a fresh take on Bach, another cancellation at the Kennedy Center and the March broadcast of the Oscars with a nomination about Verdi. There’s also a sad story about a violinist whose violin case was too big for the overhead bin.
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    26 min
  • Who won the largest single gift ever dedicated to one Jazz artist?

    Who won the largest single gift ever dedicated to one Jazz artist?
    Jan 19 2026
    While we look forlornly at the holiday bills as we head into tax season, there is some joy this January. The Grammy winning and nominated this year again Jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner is grateful and humble after winning the 300k Gilmore inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award. Donors have nearly flooded the Washington National Opera with funds after the opera company departed the Kennedy Center. There are still many ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King and many other African American leaders as we head into Black History Month. And oh my as George Takei would say, there’s a Star Trek version of a Mozart opera.
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    20 min
  • Zara Hudson Kozdoj Remembers Who She Is

    Zara Hudson Kozdoj Remembers Who She Is
    Jan 11 2026
    Sometimes things happen that let you know that you are on the right path. This is the experience of the Zara Hudson Kozdoj of the UK. This 29-year-old Polish-Jamaican cellist, composer and conductor isn’t all about classical music but has surrendered herself to it in bits and pieces. She released her first album in October called Remember Who You Are. She found out while making the album that there were items about business that she wasn’t taught during her years at the Royal College of Music in London. Then the fates stepped in again.
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    25 min
  • Opera Wars

    Opera Wars
    Dec 15 2025
    Which opera team are you on?

    “Old” operas versus the “New” operas. According to the book, Opera Wars by Caitlin Vincent, artistic directors and others at the nation’s opera companies are in conflict with themselves over staging the standard operas from the 18th and 19th centuries or producing those composed in the late 20th and 21st centuries.

    There’s a new directory for musical instruments adapted for those would be musicians with disabilities. Other companies and engineers are developing adaptations too.

    Apple Music Classical has made a surprising choice for it’s classical album of the year.
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    20 min
  • The Emerging Black Composers Project is back

    The Emerging Black Composers Project is back
    Dec 7 2025
    While we still might be recovering from Thanksgiving, there’s the rest of the holidays to consider. Shopping for gifts, decorating the house while listening to music. Gifts have already come to Kyle Rivera, who won the Michael Morgan Prize for Black composers. The Pegasus Opera Company in the UK is looking for partners to produce an opera about the Windrush generation. The Detroit opera presents two little known and rarely staged operas.
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    22 min
  • The Opera Austin Festival and a Jane Austen Tribute

    The Opera Austin Festival and a Jane Austen Tribute
    Nov 30 2025
    A new era of operas is emerging. Not that the popular ones are stuffy or just plain old. Composer Nathan Felix seeks new 21st century operas at his second annual Opera Austin Festival. Another member of the Kanneh-Mason family of England, has released a new album. Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason shows her love of Jane Austen with an album of music in honor of the 250th anniversary of the novelist’s birth.
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    19 min
  • Two Things to be grateful for: Music and Money.

    Two Things to be grateful for: Music and Money.
    Nov 23 2025
    As the holiday season officially makes its debut this Thanksgiving week, there’s money and music to behold. First up, in these times, the Palm Beach Symphony has hired its first ever Development Director in its 41-year history. Then there’s Chloe Flower who’s released an album of holiday music composed by women. It’s called She Composed – The Holidays. Finally we ask the question: How does your concert outfit affect perceptions of your performance?
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    16 min