Classical Communiqué Classical blog

Discussing the way classical music touches the mind and the heart.

A Music of Their Own

Music is an essential part of the human experience, but the industry is dominated by men. Host Majel Connery uncovers extraordinary stories of women who have carved a path to success despite the odds.

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Classical Music

Classical Music Playlist, January 30, 2023

Connections

At the Opera

Caroline Tompkins/Courtesy of the artist

For Missy Mazzoli, composing is the hard work of making life easier

January 26, 2023

The composer of Breaking the Waves speaks candidly about equity in her field, the importance of role models and the unglamorous side of writing music every day.

Ned Rorem, major American composer and diarist, has died at age 99

November 18, 2022

The Pulitzer Prize-winning composer and diarist died Friday at age 99. Although he won the Pulitzer for an orchestral work, he was most celebrated for his huge body of art songs — over 500 in all.

Jessica Rinaldi/Boston Globe/Getty Images

Where are the Black musicians in the country's largest orchestras?

October 4, 2022

In 2014, a study found that only 1.4% of orchestra musicians were Black. In 2022, it's hard to know if that number is better or worse.

A new label revives forgotten female composers' music

August 18, 2022

The new record label La Boîte à Pépites is dedicated to raising the profile of female composers whose works have been neglected.

Carlos Simon's new work addresses a nation's — and a university's — troubled history

July 22, 2022 | Jennifer Reason

Composer Carlos Simon sheds light on a dark moment in Georgetown University’s history with a 21st-century rendering of an old musical form.

John Bullard breaks the banjo barrier in latest classical release

June 9, 2022 | Avery Jeffry

John Bullard is a banjo player who’s been hoping to make his instrument a mainstay on the classical stage. His newest release, 24 Preludes for Solo Banjo, Vol. 1, bringing the unlikely instrument into a whole new spotlight.

Leigh Webber/Courtesy of Spoleto Festival USA

The debut of 'Omar,' a thoroughly American opera

June 7, 2022

Composers Rhiannon Giddens and Michael Abels have brought a true story to the opera stage: the life of Omar Ibn Said, a Senegalese Muslim scholar who was enslaved and brought to the Carolinas.

Lawrence Sumulong/Courtesy of Sony Music

Composer John Williams and cellist Yo-Yo Ma bring together 'A Gathering of Friends'

May 24, 2022

On a new album, the classical stars revisit the concerto Williams composed specifically for Ma, as well as some of Williams' most affecting film scores.

Meet Raven Chacon, the first indigenous person to win the Pulitzer Prize for music

May 11, 2022

A composer, performer and installation artist from the Navajo Nation, Chacon's winning piece, Voiceless Mass, was composed for a chamber orchestra and a specific Milwaukee pipe organ.