Even if you’re a hard core classical music enthusiast, you probably haven’t spent very much time thinking about one of the more unusual of St. Cecilia’s servants; the tuba. The tuba didn’t even come into being as an instrument until around 150 years ago and since that time has evolved considerably; the photo below depicts only a few of the many variety of contemporary tuba designs. It serves as the bass voice for an entire ensemble, orchestras and bands, but it has been steadily growing in popularity among professional musicians and throughout … Continue Reading

The winter holiday season has traditionally been a cash cow for live performing arts organizations. Productions such as The Nutcracker pack large concert halls with patrons willing to spend money on tickets for a production they’ve likely seen a number of times before. However, times are changing and big budget productions that were traditionally available only in New York City are starting to hit the road. Such is the case with the Radio City Christmas Spectacular show, which bills itself as “America’s most beloved holiday theatrical”. The RCCS began to set up … Continue Reading

I used to believe that while growing up I had no exposure to classical music or other forms of culture. My schools never had artists or musicians visit, my family never listened to classical music, opera was only something to be laughed at, and the first live orchestra I heard was one that I played in. But luckily for me I grew up 25 years ago as a slightly obsessive compulsive child who watched an awful lot of television, especially cartoons; and my favorite cartoons were those made by Warner Brothers. Although … Continue Reading

When pet care publisher Herbert Axelrod approached the New Jersey Symphony in 2002 to see about selling his personal collection of string instruments from the “Golden Age” of Italian string makers, the orchestra considered it a momentous event. Unfortunately, it wasn’t bound to be momentous for the reasons they had hoped. If all of this is new to you, here’s what has happened so far: In 2002, Herbert Axelrod approached officials from the New Jersey Symphony and offered to sell the orchestra his 30 piece collection of “Golden Age” string instruments, which … Continue Reading