In my large and surprisingly diverse family, being opinionated is the norm. I don’t think any of my relatives will quibble with this — in fact, many of them are proud of it, and see it as a sign of strength. So I grew up talking a lot, trying to be truthful and saying exactly … Read more
We’re spotlighting the Hear Now Music Festival in this week’s event newsletter, and always encourage our readers to support new classical music whenever the opportunity arises. Whether it’s buying a ticket, showing up, volunteering, making a simple donation, or contributing to a commission, these activities help classical evolve into its next, very dynamic phase, and what … Read more
It’s been an incredibly long day, but I couldn’t let Valentine’s Day slip away without a few words. Beloved or maligned, this holiday stirs up big emotions. Do something this whole week that reminds you how valuable you are, and how much you value the people in your life. Valentine’s Day has become about more … Read more
A few months ago, I found the following coming out of my mouth during a discussion about a person I’ve known for some time: “She has the most deafening silence I’ve ever known.” I wrote it down, partially because I’m a big word geek, but also because it so thoroughly defined a particular relationship in … Read more
Please don’t make the folks behind the table make faces like this… We list a lot of different things on the Lauri’s List site, including both public and members-only jobs and gig listings. Some of these require quick action, and we’ve discovered over the years that even some of our more experienced Listers (me too!) … Read more
Are you a big fish in a small pond, or a wee fishy in Lake Michigan? The real question is, what do you want your work to be? If you feel like a small fish, you’re in danger of working (and sounding) like one more often than you’d like to admit. If you believe you’re … Read more
Can a challenge for Indigenous Peoples’ Day give you an excuse to learn something new about our world?
Lauri reviews Amazon’s “Annette”, a difficult film that includes a lot of singing and poses many problems as it creates a glorious cinematic journey.
Sometimes a missed opportunity becomes a new challenge on its own. With the recent and sudden death of composer and pianist Frederic Rzewski, those of us in SoCal have proximal reason to mourn, as the titan was scheduled to be part of Piano Spheres’ upcoming season, and it would have been my first chance to … Read more
Yeah, that’s a big claim. I’m not sure I can actually live up to that title, but I couldn’t resist. You see, I got vaxxed on Saturday, with no small amount of ridiculous drama. My appointment was sudden and unexpected, I really hate needles, I had to get a friend to drive me about 35 … Read more
