The Denver Post: Colorado’s Biggest and Boldest Art Moments of 2020
The pandemic was raging this summer when the Bravo! Vail Music Festival threw caution to the wind and went ahead with an abbreviated summer concert season. Sure, it was different than the usual fare. Instead of putting major international orchestras on stage, the programs featured small ensembles. And instead of packing the Gerald R. Ford Amphitheater with throngs of classical fans, it played to the bare maximum, filling just a portion of the seats to keep spectators at safe distances. Not everything that was planned actually happened. But something about the effort felt epic, as the organization stood firm, as best it could, against its viral showstopper. It was also generous. Unlike other orchestras that took whatever cash they could this summer, Bravo! Vail also made the programming free online to anyone who wanted to see it. Those who clicked in will remember the concerts for a long time.
The Times: Composer’s Carol Honours Oxford Team’s Covid Vaccine
Joseph’s doubts as he made his way to Bethlehem have inspired a new carol in honour of Oxford University’s vaccine scientists.
The composer John Rutter and bass-baritone Sir Bryn Terfel have been recruited by the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra for a concert in the city’s Sheldonian Theatre in honour of the team at the university who have developed a coronavirus vaccine.
Classical Music Magazine: Oxford Philharmonic to Stream Concert Dedicated to Vaccine Team
On Friday 18 December the Oxford Philharmonic will stream a concert from the Sheldonian Theatre in celebration of and dedicated to the Oxford vaccine team.
It was a joy to attend a recording session on December 3. The programme includes the world premiere of John Rutter’s Joseph’s Carol, written 'at the invitation of Marios Papadopoulos and the Oxford Philharmonic Orchestra and respectfully dedicated to the Oxford Vaccine team': the Oxford Vaccine Group, the Jenner Institute and the RECOVERY team. It was written with bass-baritone Bryn Terfel in mind, who sang the premiere, which was conducted by John Rutter himself.
Toronto Star: Azrieli Foundation conducts a new approach to launching its prize-winning composers
Bach, Mozart, Beethoven? You know what they do. What about Keiko Devaux, Yotam Haber and Yitzhak Yedid? Actually, they do the same: they are composers. Only they are still alive and relatively unknown.
That is where the Azrieli Foundation comes in. Like philanthropic enterprises elsewhere, the Montreal-based foundation has undertaken a mission to discover and celebrate creative talent in music.
Established in 2014 and awarded biennially, the Azrieli Music Prizes are, at a total value of $200,000 each — including a commissioning prize, a gala concert, national premier and recording for release — the largest in Canada to be awarded to composers.
BBC In Tune: Nicolas Namoradze
Sean Rafferty is joined by pianist Nicolas Namoradze ahead of the Southbank 'Inside Out' concert (3:34). Listen until November 19.
The New York Times: Whispers of an Italian-Jewish Past Fill Yotam Haber’s Music
Since early in his career, Yotam Haber has grappled with what it means to be a contemporary Jewish composer. The tentative answers offered by his music — full of allusions, distortion and whispers of the past — suggest that the grappling itself is a vital part of that identity.
The Strad: Bravo! Vail's Inside the Music with the Dover Quartet
In this video from this year’s Bravo! Vail festival, the Dover Quartet reflects on how the global pandemic has impacted them as individuals and as an ensemble and perform the 2nd and 3rd movements of Beethoven’s String Quartet No. 10 in E-flat major, Op. 74, ‘Harp’.
The players of the Dover Quartet are the cover stars of November 2020 issue.
The New York Times: Classical Concert to Stream, Hsin-Yun Huang with the Brentano String Quartet
The 92nd Street Y is opening an enticing season of livestreams with a concert by this exciting quartet [Brentano String Quartet]. On paper, a program offering works by Haydn and Mendelssohn might not seem so daring. But these superb players have chosen rarer fare, including Haydn’s String Quartet in D (Op. 17, No. 6); four short pieces by Mendelssohn; and that composer’s String Quintet in B-flat, a restless score with a mournful slow movement and hurtling finale. (The violist Hsin-Yun Huang joins for it.)
Los Angeles Times: 23rd Beijing Music Festival to Kick Off in October Featuring Virtual Performances
The 23rd Beijing Music Festival is scheduled to kick off in October this year, back with a bang as it features a mix of physical, virtual performances and more than 240 hours of uninterrupted audio-visual performances for music lovers.
Pianist: Anne-Marie McDermott celebrates 10 years as Artistic Director of Bravo! Vail
American pianist Anne-Marie McDermott chats with Pianist about 10 years with Bravo! Vail, the importance of protecting classical music, and an upcoming trip to Europe...