Today’s Beautiful Music features the marvelous cellist Seth Parker Woods with pianist Andrew Rosenblum. They are playing the Cello Sonata written in 1957 by American composer, pianist, and organist George Walker (1922-2018.) This performance took place at The 92nd Street Y in New York City. The Grammy-nominated cellist met George Walker in 2008, and you […]

Dutch conductor Edo de Waart’s career has spanned decades. The 82 year old musician is Music Director Laureate of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra, former chief conductor of the Royal Flemish Philharmonic, Artistic Partner with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra, and music director of the New Zealand Symphony Orchestra. He has also had Music Directorships with

Close your eyes and enjoy a few moments of pure bliss. Today’s Beautiful Music features the artistry of pianist Lara Downes playing a sweet and touching solo by Florence Price called CLOUDS. You can almost imagine puffy clouds floating lazily overhead. Lara Downes is a stunning and versatile musician, and I’ve had the privilege to

It’s April 15 — tax day! — and we’re injecting some levity into the mix. Today’s Beautiful Music is a classical rendition of the ABBA song MONEY, MONEY, MONEY featuring The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Have you ever heard of a musical instrument called a lirone? It’s a bowed string instrument in the lira family that was popularized in the 16th and 17th centuries. Today’s Beautiful Music is an introduction to the lovely and interesting lirone. Virtuosa lirone player Emilia Benjamin gives a captivating explanation and demonstration for you to

Leonara Duarte (1610-c.1678) grew up in Antwerp in a family of Portuguese Jewish heritage. She was steeped in art and music and culture, and learned to play harpsichord, lute, and viol as a girl. Leonara Duarte also composed music. Today’s Beautiful Music is one of her seven five-part Sinfonias for viol consort, arranged for brass

Outstanding, multi-talented musician Michael Unger provides today’s Beautiful Music. The gifted organist is featured playing Zwei Stücke from Fünf Stücke, Op.46, Nos. 2-3 by 19th c. German-Jewish composer Louis Lewandowski. This performance took place in July 2021 at the historic Isaac M. Wise Temple in Cincinnati, OH. There’s a link below to Michael Unger’s YouTube

On April 11, 1727, Johann Sebastian Bach’s ST MATTHEW PASSION was performed for the first time. It was at St. Thomas Church in Leipzig Germany. Today’s Beautiful Music is a complete performance of Bach’s monumental work from the 2022 BACHFEST in Leipzig. The performance was livestreamed on Jun 17, 2022 from that same St. Thomas

Joan Szymko is a composer and conductor who specializes in choral music. The Chicago-born musician states on her website (see link below): “My goal is to compose music that invites the audience in while challenging the notion that accessibility and musical integrity are incompatible concepts. I have composed choral music to be performed with actors, poets, Taiko drummers,