Welcome To The Club
"Welcome to the club." With these words last night, one of the world's great violinists, Vadim Gluzman, (near right with microphone, above) handed out instruments to children from four Columbus, Ohio charter schools, to launch a program called Play Us Forward, an...
Six Clowns and a Bass Player Walk Into A Bar…
Last weekend, I performed at Classical Revolution Cincinnati, a monthly show at the Northside Tavern. There was a very good-sized crowd, a nice mix of classical music fans and hipsters. The atmosphere was just right - the audience was listening attentively but not...
Blurred Lines – What Robin Thicke Could Learn From Gaspar Cassado
Stravinsky supposedly once said:"Lesser artists borrow, great artists steal." The recent decision to award Marvin Gaye's family several million dollars over copyright violations by Robin Thicke and Pharrell Williams in their recent hit "Blurred Lines" has sparked a...
Let Me Explain
Of all the kinds of music I know, classical is the only genre that comes with instructions. Imagine for a moment the pre-concert lecture at this performance: No other kind of music really needs to be explained when it's performed. And often, when it is, you wish it...
Grab a Hammer
For most people, classical music is irrelevant. This is not news, I know, but last Friday night, I played a concert which suggested how to fix that. The concert was with a group I'm proud to be a member of, the ProMusica Chamber Orchestra. Our guests were Igudesman...
Art, Durable Good
Procter and Gamble, maker of brands like Gillette and Tide, is the biggest corporate presence in Cincinnati, where I live, and they are a huge supporter of the arts here. Recently, I performed and spoke at two P&G offices on behalf of Artswave, the Greater...