Audiences have little comprehension of the nuances that are determined by the conductor and the musicians in the rehearsal process. The audience sees elaborate gestures that somehow result in exquisite music making. What actually goes on? It is no exaggeration

When I went to Guangzhou last September for the Asian premiere of Anthony Minghella’s Madama Butterfly, I was completely swept away by the Guangzhou Opera House. The stunning architecture of the building, designed by Zaha Hadid, together with the overall

Arnold Rosenberg, Uncle Arnold, was a global citizen who relished all of the arts especially music. He rubbed shoulders with great artists and travelled widely in the days when world travel was an extraordinary undertaking. He became a music critic

I was sixteen years old when I was first asked to turn pages. A fabulous young violinist was making his Toronto recital debut. I was thrilled to be allowed to purchase my first long gown for the occasion— it was

Fans come in all shapes and sizes. They can be famous actors, artists themselves, and family members. We musicians tend to love our fans. Sometimes, their love of us can be requited.

Concertgoers love to conjure backstage mysteries. What enables musicians to walk onstage with such confidence and dazzle audiences with their prodigious talents? I have always enjoyed taking groups of patrons to the inner sanctum for them to see the interior

There is a greater than usual sense of wonder and joy in beholding the Sydney Opera House when you know that you will soon give two performances of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony inside its famous shell. Cambridge is of course not

After the term of exams that university students work so hard for, the sudden summer break is seen as a vast chasm of empty time, the long summer months stretching out seemingly endlessly before the next year of education begins.