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It’s inspiring to learn about some of the talented young performers who represent the future of classical music. American violinist Elicia Silverstein is a 20-something musician whose career trajectory as a soloist and chamber musician has already taken her across the United States, Canada, Europe and Israel. Today’s Beautiful Music features Elicia Silverstein playing the […]

Apollo’s Fire founder & director Jeannette Sorrell is a trailblazing leader in the world of early music. The Oberlin Conservatory grad’s list of teachers and mentors reads like a Who’s Who of classical music: Robert Spano, Leonard Bernstein, Roger Norrington, and Gustav Leonhardt. In addition to her performing career, Jeannette Sorrell is also a passionate

Award-winning British violinist and composer Natalie Klouda enrolled at the Yehudi Menuhin School at age 8. Although her parents were not musicians, she grew up in a home that contained her great-grandfather’s piano. He was a professional pianist and organist, and she says that having access to that piano as a child allowed her to

British musician Ethel Smyth lived from 1858-1944, and was a composer and conductor. She was also an avid writer and a passionate suffragette. Her compositions include a broad range of genres, including songs, chamber music, operas, sacred music, and keyboard solos. Today’s Beautiful Music features two compositions by Ethel Smyth: MARCH OF THE WOMEN performed

Chicago-born musician Vivian Fine (1913-2000) was a child prodigy pianist who wrote her first composition at age 13. The multiple award-winning composer wrote everything from chamber music, to orchestral works, to choral works. Use the link below to learn more about Vivian Fine, her career, and her body of work. Today’s Beautiful Music is a

Dr. Mary Térey-Smith was a Hungarian conductor and musicologist who trained at Liszt Academy in Budapest and became resident conductor of the Tatabânya Symphony Orchestra. She left Hungary in the 1956 Revolution, and relocated to Canada. In 1971, she earned her Doctorate in Musicology from the Eastman School of Music in Rochester, NY. Dr. Térey-Smith

Pianist Angela Hewitt has cultivated a reputation as an outstanding interpreter of music by Johann Sebastian Bach. The Canadian musician began recording Bach’s major keyboard compositions in 1994, and complete the recording cycle in 2005. In an interview with Jared Pearman for Magnifissance (see link below), Angela Hewitt spoke movingly about her relationship with Bach’s

The Kanneh-Mason family includes seven sisters and brothers who all play musical instruments at an exceptionally high level. Raised in Nottingham, England, the award-winning siblings all play either violin, piano, or cello, and have pursued conservatory level training. Today’s Beautiful Music features three of the Kanneh-Mason sisters — Isata, Konya, and Jeneba — playing a

Kansas City-born musician Shelley Washington is a saxophone player and composer. She cites inspiration from jazz, rock, American folk and other music, and proudly asserts, “I love making lots and lots of noise.” She is also a vocalist, and doubles on flute, piccolo, clarinet, and English handbells. Use the link below to learn more about

In 1890, at age 13, Pablo Casals bought a used copy of Johann Sebastian Bach’s 6 Suites for Unaccompanied Cello that changed his life and the life of every serious cellist since then. Casals swore by his routine of starting each day playing something by Johann Sebastian Bach. Today’s Beautiful Music features cellist Eva Lymenstull