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This is a love letter to teachers. I have been fortunate to have many excellent teachers and mentors, and they still affect my life profoundly. Good teachers not only ignite a passion for the subject they are teaching, they inspire a broader love of learning and they are role models for how to teach well […]

On this last Sunday of Summer, I’m feeling a twinge of disappointment. I love Summer, and I’m sad to see it end. I love the bright sunshine, and not having to wear a jacket. I love sleeping with the windows open, so I can hear the wildlife rustling around at night and wake up to

Twenty years ago, we launched Sunday Baroque (formerly known as Sunday Morning Baroque) as a nationally syndicated offering to stations across the U.S. I had originated the local version of the program 11 years earlier on WSHU Public Radio in Fairfield, Connecticut — my hometown, and my first radio job. We began with five pilot

Recently I served as MC for a concert featuring teenage musicians who had won a local orchestra’s concerto competition, an event I’ve been participating in for several years. These marvelous young instrumentalists are exceptionally talented and committed to their musical studies, and to seeking out additional opportunities to express themselves through their music. Beyond their

One of my favorite quotes is, “The more you love music, the more music you love.” A friend recently shared a YouTube video of cellist Yo-Yo Ma playing with singer-songwriter James Taylor. I enjoy both musicians immensely — their talent, charisma and repertory. I love them even more because they exemplify the above quote: they

Recently I have read a few articles about the link between happiness and maintaining a sense of “wonder” about the world. The basic message is that experiencing life with wonder is a valuable way to promote one’s own happiness and satisfaction, reduce stress and calm anxiety. By looking outside ourselves with a sense of appreciation,

On Friday, I attended a Passover Seder with good friends. Some around the table were Jewish, several were from Christian backgrounds, and a few were unaffiliated with any religion. Today I attended an Easter brunch at the home of another dear friend. Around this table, once again, were people from many different faith backgrounds and

Shock waves reverberated virtually everywhere one looked yesterday, as news spread about the fire at Notre Dame Cathedral in Paris. It is stunning and surreal to see an iconic building that has stood for more than eight centuries being ravaged before our eyes. It’s a house of Christian worship, of course, and this tragedy struck

The “big name” composers of the baroque era, including George Frideric Handel and Antonio Vivaldi, have a recognized body of work that has been thoroughly studied and documented. Thanks to ongoing scholarly research over the centuries since the baroque era ended in 1750, we continue to learn more about these musical giants and their contemporaries,