This is our two-week Thanksgiving issue, which means that a LOT is happening in the Next 14: Thanksgiving, Black Friday, the first Sunday of Advent, Giving Tuesday, and the start of the roller-coaster ride that is the Christmas concert season. This is the time of year when musicians and other performers are juggling packed schedules … Read more
As of December 10, Lauri’s List will have been around for two decades. (Can you believe it?) Thank you all SO much for being with us, reading us, joining the List, sending us your listings and events, and helping us to create some terrific events of our own. Lauri’s List has grown tremendously over the … Read more
If you’re not on the Essential Arts mailing list from the Los Angeles Times, you should be. This week’s issue tackles the upheaval at Twitter in both thoughtful and pithy tones and rightly ponders what the blue birdie’s undoing might do to arts journalism. The newsletter is usually helmed by Carolina A. Miranda, and includes … Read more
I’ve been on TED’s mailing list for years, as they make interesting recommendations each week from their extensive library of short “talks” on just about any subject you can imagine. Doing a TED Talk can make a career, even in classical music. (Just ask Eric Whitacre, Gustavo Dudamel or any of the other numerous musicians … Read more
This week, the Los Angeles music scene shows off their new music prowess with two new operas and a special concert of art song, just to start. We’re lucky to be served by a community that makes music groundbreaking and not just good, surrounded as we are by excellent musicians who don’t shy away from the … Read more
As someone who grew up thinking of herself as outgoing and easy to get along with, it seems strange now as I have to acknowledge so much anxiety and insecurity… even in an age where “anxiety” seems to be the buzzword of the day, with stigma (thankfully) removed. Upon reflection, this isn’t that surprising. We … Read more
One of the nation’s biggest proponents of new classical music runs many helpful programs to help composers and presenters of new stuff in our field. They have also, however, developed a reputation over the years for being highly biased toward NYC-based recipients. Whether or not that reputation is deserved, it’s nice to have an excuse … Read more
I’ve spent most of the last few days trying to formulate a statement on last week’s news out of our nation’s capital. What keeps issuing forth from my keyboard is angry, garbled and very, very preachy. I’ll try to spare you from the worst of the tirades, and will instead address a behavioral imperative that … Read more
From the dawn of civilization, creators have connected their work with things they believed in. Not all artists are political, and no one will support every cause or every work of art. But beauty does not exist in a vacuum, and the meaning it conveys can move mountains, change society and bring profound change to … Read more
So, let’s start with the GRAMMYs and all the people who were honored in one fell swoop with LA Phil’s recording of Mahler’s 8th. Controversy is still in the air: California is backing away from mask requirements for indoor venues (while local and venue rules still apply), yet surveys reveal on both coasts that audiences seem to favor an abundance … Read more
