Suzanne Bona

March 8 is International Women’s Day. To mark the occasion today, this is Beautiful Music by one of the earliest documented woman musicians: Hildegard von Bingen. She was not only a composer, she was a Benedictine nun, writer, and philosopher who lived from 1098-1179.  Brigitte Lesne leads the female a cappella ensemble Discantus singing Hildegard’s […]

American violin virtuoso Melissa White made a splash in 2001 on the radio program FROM THE TOP as a 16 year old who had recently won First Prize in the Sphinx Competition. In the 20 years since, she has attended Curtis Institute and New England Conservatory, and has cultivated her career as a soloist and

American flutist Doriot Anthony Dwyer was born on March 6, 1922. Like her great-aunt, Susan B. Anthony, she was also a trailblazer. In 1952, Doriot Dwyer earned the principal flute position with the Boston Symphony Orchestra, becoming the orchestra’s first female principal and only the second woman ever to earn a principal seat in a

Elisabeth Claude Jacquet de la Guerre was a child prodigy musician, who still a toddler when she wowed France’s King with her prowess on the harpsichord. She grew up to be a composer, too. Today’s Beautiful Music is her Sonata #2 in Bb played by violinists Adriane Post and Boel Gidholm, viola da gamba player

English conductor and musicologist Jane Glover has long had a passion for music of the baroque era. In 1975, at the age of 26, she made her made her professional conducting debut at the Wexford Festival, conducting her own edition of Francesco Cavalli’s 1652 opera L’ERITREA, and in 1978 she published biography of  Cavalli drawing

Izabella Shareyko is a conductor and co-founder of the Vienna Philharmonic Women’s Orchestra. This is their serene performance of Beautiful Music by Johann Sebastian Bach. It’s the AIR from Bach’s Third Orchestral Suite, from a live concert performance at St. Thekla Church, Vienna Wieden. (44) J.S. BACH: AIR Vienna Philharmonic Women´s Orchestra – YouTube  

One major advantage of viewing musicians online giving at-home performances is the ability to get an up-close look. You can see the instrument and the technique, you see the musicians breathe, smile, and concentrate, and it almost feels as though they’re playing just for you. Georg Philipp Telemann’s Fantasias are such intimate little gems, and

Johann Sebastian Bach’s music continues to be a touchstone for musicians. Composer Charles Gounod, who was born 68 years after Bach died, once said that, “Mozart is the most beautiful, Rossini the most brilliant, but Bach is the most comprehensive: he has said all there is to say.” Gounod used the Prelude #1 in C

I spend a lot of time looking around online for inspiring performances to share, and I’m often surprised and delighted to discover new performers and ensembles. Today I am happy to share a glorious performance of Beautiful Music by Gramophone Ghana, singing George Frideric Handel’s iconic oratorio MESSIAH. Gramophone Ghana is a Ghana-based choral and

Soprano Nicole Heaston brings a phenomenal sense of drama and passion to her performances that will knock your socks off. It’s the icing on the cake to her talent and facility as a singer. Nicole Heaston is featured singing Beautiful Music by George Frideric Handel from his opera ALCINA. It’s a February, 2015 performance of