On this day, over two hundred years ago, a historic concert took place. It was in Vienna, in the middle of the Advent season, and Beethoven needed some money. “But, Beethoven,” you would say, “surely he was doing fine! He is Beethoven! Everyone loves him!” However, in Vienna in 1808, just because everyone loved you …
Forty-three years ago patron Dianne Phelps earned her Music Education degree at Eastern New Mexico University. She faced difficult challenges with her partial vision at the time and struggled with some of the faculty, reluctant to award her a degree. Thankfully, she prevailed. Afterwards, she had a keyboard and was frustrated as she was not …
THIS IS A GUEST BLOG BY DONNA KOH, Music Reader Services Librarian in the Music Section As a piano teacher, I’ve witnessed countless times how a student perks up when I start playing the teacher’s duet part during their lesson. It’s a great joy to see a smile spread across the student’s face as the simple …
Today we are honoring a superstar in opera. You know someone is famous when they are referred to by only one name; Michelangelo, Beethoven, Bach, Picasso. And that is just a short list of artists and composers. What about performers? Who can possibly be ingrained in the memory of fans to be remembered by one …
Early winter has been unusually warm in Washington D.C. But now the temperature has finally come down, and it is in the teens and twenties. Recently, when I stopped to reflect on the idea of this year’s changing season, I thought of Vivaldi’s work of four violin concerti, Le Quattro Stagioni (The Four Seasons). Each …
