Interchanging Idioms

“Adventurous and brilliant.”– New York Times on Daniel Hope When violinist Daniel Hope returns to New York for two performances of Baroque works with the Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center (Dec 10 & 12), the program features material from his latest Deutsche Grammophon album, Air, a baroque journey. Between the two concerts, Hope heads downtown for a duo recital with pianist Wu Han in the Peoples’ Symphony Concerts series (Dec 11). For his final New York appearance this December, Hope joins cellist Paul Watkins for Brahms’s Double Concerto with the New York String Orchestra under Jaime Laredo at Carnegie Hall (Dec 28). At Carnegie Hall on December 28, Hope performs Brahms’s Double Concerto with cellist Paul Watkins and the New York String Orchestra led by Jaime Laredo. Hope’s U.S. presence will continue into 2011. He and his frequent collaborator, pianist Jeffrey Kahane, will tour North America, starting in San Francisco on February 10 and continuing to Los Angeles, Van

In the first concerts of 2011 we arrive at an important turning point for Mahler. Gone are the folk tunes that dominate the first four symphonies; in their place is a thrusting rhythm, a demonic drive and an argumentative edge - all heard through an enlarged, empowered orchestra. Friday 14 January 2011 Syzmanowski Violin Concerto No. 2 Mahler Symphony No. 6 Jaap van Zweden conductor Leonidas Kavakos violin Wednesday 19 January 201 1 Beethoven Piano Concerto No. 5 (Emperor) Mahler Symphony No. 5 Yannick Nézet-Séguin conductor Nicholas Angelich piano Tickets £9-£38, Premium Seats £55 London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office: 020 7840 4242 (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm) www.lpo.org.uk [No booking fees] Southbank Centre Ticket Office: 0844 847 9920 (Daily 9am-8pm) www.southbankcentre.co.uk [Booking fees apply]

One of Boston’s greatest holiday traditions, the Holiday Pops season, under the direction of Keith Lockhart, opens on Wednesday, December 8, with a program that combines favorites of the holiday season with exciting new arrangements of some much loved Christmastime classics. The program ranges from seasonal music such as the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s “Messiah,” “Hark! the Herald Angels Sing,” and the Gospel favorite, “My Lord What a Morning,” featuring singer Renese King, to a Christmas Is For Children Sing-Along featuring “Jingle Bells,” “Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer,” and “We Wish You a Merry Christmas,” and beloved Holiday Pops arrangements including “Frosty All the Way” and “The Christmas Song.” Always a highlight of the Holiday Pops programs, the critically-acclaimed Tanglewood Festival Chorus will join the orchestra for the entire season of 37 performances, December 8-26. In addition, Santa Claus will make a special guest appearance at each of the Holiday concerts, wh

Rheda Becker narrates Act II in this family concert program The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and dancers from Baltimore Ballet will perform The Nutcracker at the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall led by guest conductor Emil de Cou on December 4 at 11 a.m. Join the BSO and the Baltimore Ballet as excerpts from this holiday classic come to life. Rheda Becker will narrate this special event. Treat your family (ages 5 and up welcome) to the timeless tale of The Nutcracker and delight in some of the season’s most memorable melodies. The Nutcracker For children ages 5 and up and their families Saturday, December 4, 2010 at 11 a.m.—Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall Tchaikovsky: Overture and Act II from The Nutcracker Emil de Cou, conductor Rheda Becker, narrator Baltimore Ballet Tickets range from $12 to $20 and are available through the BSO Ticket Office, 877.BSO.1444, 410.783.8000 or BSOmusic.org.

BSO connects with new audiences through interactive experiences like BSO Academy and Rusty Musicians The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announced today its second annual BSO Academy. This immersive summer music program gives approximately 100 amateur adult musicians the opportunity to perform alongside a top professional orchestra. The BSO Academy will convene in Baltimore, Maryland for seven days—from Sunday, June 12 to Saturday, June 18, 2011. Daily sessions of performance and educational activities will be held at the BSO's primary venue, the Joseph Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, and the Maryland Institute College of Art (MICA) located just a few blocks from the Meyerhoff. In addition to orchestra rehearsals, sectionals, master classes and personal lessons, the Academy also includes chamber music rehearsals and enrichment classes led by BSO musicians, activities with Maestra Alsop and lectures led by local experts. Chamber music groups created at the beginning of the week with Acade

Order your Rusalka tickets early and save $10 on Dvorák's hauntingly beautiful fairytale. Experience the story of Rusalka, the water sprite who falls in love with a human prince. Rusalka gives up her voice to be with her love, but can the prince be faithful? Love and tragedy collide under the moonlight when Opera Colorado presents its first Czech opera. Click here to purchase online Use special offer code PRINCE This offer is good for Price Classes 1, 2, 3 and 4 for any of the four performances. It will only be available online. So act now before this offer expires on January 14, 2011 Click here to see a map of seating locations. This offer is valid until Friday, January 14. All sales final. Discount not applicable on previously purchased tickets and cannot be combined with any other offer. Valid for Price Classes 1, 2, 3 or 4 only. Ticketmaster convenience fees apply. No refunds or exchanges on purchased tickets.

The 2011 Tanglewood season offers a kaleidoscopic array of many of the world’s great musicians performing an impressive range of music from classical to jazz, pop, and rock, with performances virtually each and every day of the summer, June 28-September 4, at the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s acclaimed summer home located in the beautiful Berkshire Hills, between Lenox and Stockbridge, MA. 2011 Tanglewood season details are available at www.tanglewood.org. From an all-Italian Opening Night Boston Symphony Orchestra program under the direction of James Levine on July 8, four appearances by living legend Yo-Yo Ma (6/28 & 29, 8/13 & 14), a Boston Pops Cole Porter tribute led by Keith Lockhart (7/17), and the incredibly popular Film Night with John Williams (8/20), to the welcome returns of Itzhak Perlman (8/27) and Christoph Eschenbach (7/30 & 31, 8/2) and special appearances by favorite artists Joshua Bell (7/10), Stephanie Blythe (8/10 & 14), Rafael Frühbeck de Burgos

The St. Louis Symphony announced the appointment of three new members of the Board of Trustees at the Annual Meeting on November 19, 2010: Robert G. Clark, Dr. David Fischoff, and Nancy Galvin. Robert G. Clark is Chairman and CEO of Clayco, Inc., one of the nation's largest, privately owned real estate, architecture, engineering, design, and construction firms. He is a member of board of directors of LaBarge, Inc. Robert is also a member of the Board of Trustees of St. Louis University and Board of Managers for the Central Institute for the Deaf and a member of the St. Louis Airport Commission. In February 2010, President Barack Obama appointed him as a member of the Committee for the Preservation of the White House. Dr. David Fischoff holds a bachelors degree in Biology from M.I.T. and a Ph.D. in Genetics and Molecular Biology from the Rockefeller University . He is Vice President, Technology Strategy & Development, and Chief of Staff for the Technology division at Mons

It's already been a red-letter autumn for the American mezzo-soprano, with DiDonato winning two prestigious 2010 Gramophone Awards – "Artist of the Year" and "Recital of the Year", as well as Germany’s 2010 Echo Klassic “Singer of the Year” Award. She continues her illustrious 2010-11 season with a December full of performances in another of her key roles, that of Octavian in Richard Strauss's Der Rosenkavalier , at Madrid's Teatro Real. On her debut as Octavian in 2007 at San Francisco Opera, the San Francisco Chronicle extolled her vocal art and dramatic verity: "The evening’s signal triumph belonged to Joyce DiDonato, undertaking Octavian for the first time and turning the role into something tender and strong. Her singing was robust and full of feeling, and she brought the technical precision and alertness of her finest Rossini and Handel performances to this very different stylistic strain. . . The result was a performance that seemed to brea

Struggling for Christmas gift ideas? The London Philharmonic Orchestra is offering a unique CD subscription which would be ideal for your music-loving friends and family. We will send the latest CD on the LPO label each month, so that they always have something new to listen to. For months where there is no new release, a recording from our back-catalogue will be issued. CDs will be dispatched before they are available in the shops and we can send the first disc to you so that you can give it in person or send a card with your personalised greeting. £79.99 - 10 CDs (worth at least £100) £44.99 - 5 CDs (worth at least £50) No CD is issued in July or August Click here for more details & to buy online or call the London Philharmonic Orchestra Ticket Office: 020 7840 4242 (Mon-Fri, 10am-5pm) New on the LPO Label Bach Cantata 63 Mendelssohn Vom Himmel hoc h Vaughan Williams The First Nowell Vladimir Jurowski conductor Lisa Milne soprano Ruxandra Donose mezzo soprano And

Music retail store Music and Arts to repair donated instruments at no cost Baltimore Symphony Orchestra announces a Musical Instrument Drive, which runs from November 29 to December 17, 2010. The BSO invites the community to donate musical instruments in good to fair condition to benefit OrchKids, the BSO’s after-school music program that serves youth in West Baltimore. Music & Arts will provide instrument repair on donations when necessary at no cost. A one hundred instrument goal has been set for this holiday season. Each Holiday season, for the four weeks following Thanksgiving, WMAR TV sponsors a Toy Drive. The call for musical instruments to benefit OrchKids is a new component of this annual event. WMAR TV will team up with WEAA FM (88.9) to promote the Drive on the air and on their websites over the four weeks as well as serve as drop off sites.

Orchestra will seek many donations to fund creation of a new symphonic work; Judd Greenstein announced as composer; Premiere targeted for March 2012 The Minnesota Orchestra today announced the launch of the Musical MicroCommission project, inviting music fans to donate sums supporting the creation of a major new orchestral work by New York-based composer Judd Greenstein . Unlike standard commissions, which are usually funded by one or several large donations, the MicroCommission aims at drawing hundreds of “micro” donations of $5, $10, $20, $50 or more to support the project. The premiere of Mr. Greenstein’s symphony-length piece, slated for March 2012, will be the culminating event of the Orchestra’s 2011-12 Inside the Classics series, which is conducted by Principal Conductor of Pops and Presentations Sarah Hicks and hosted by Orchestra violist Sam Bergman. Full information on the project and a link to donate are available at insidetheclassics.org . “The idea behind the MicroC

Adams to lead Orchestra in semi-staged production of his El Niño oratorio December 2-4 Michael Tilson Thomas conducts Orchestra in Adams’ Harmonielehr e December 8-11, to be recorded for release on SFS Media For two weeks, December 2-12, 2010, the San Francisco Symphony’s Project San Francisco shines the spotlight on the work of renowned American composer and Bay Area resident John Adams, building on the more than 30 year relationship between the composer and the SFS. In the two-week collaboration, the Orchestra will perform two of John Adams’ San Francisco Symphony (SFS) commissions, El Niño and Harmonielehre ; an all-Adams chamber music concert; and present a post-concert Off the Podium, Q&A session with the artists. The performances of Harmonielehre will be recorded for future release on the Orchestra’s in-house label SFS Media. On December 2-4 Adams will conduct the Orchestra in his San Francisco Symphony commission El Niño , a bilingual English and Spanish retelling

The St. Louis Symphony announced today that Associate Concertmaster Heidi Harris is the first recipient of The Mabel Dorn Reeder Honorary Chair . The newly created chair announced in July 2010 was established with a $2 million endowment gift from the Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation, and is awarded based on merit for a period of five years to a musician of the St. Louis Symphony who demonstrates both excellence in artistry and leadership within the orchestra and the community. The award may be granted to a tenured orchestra member and carries a one-time stipend to support professional development. Mabel Purkerson, Mabel Dorn Reeder Foundation Trustee, said: “Mabel Reeder, my godmother, loved the St. Louis Symphony and was extremely generous to it. We at the Foundation felt that we could both further her legacy and support the wonderful music-making of the St. Louis Symphony with an award that recognized the individual efforts of the musicians themselves. This award not only acknowledges a

Polish composer Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki passed away "We are sorry to confirm the news that Henryk Mikolaj Gorecki has passed away," said Beata Jankowska-Burzynska, an official with Polish Radio's National Symphony Orchestra in the southern city of Katowice. Gorecki was born December 6, 1933 in Czernica, near Poland's gritty coal-mining city of Katowice. He was orphaned at the age of two when his mother, a pianist, died. He studied music at the Katowice Music Academy, where he went on to hold a professorship and became its rector from 1975-1979. Known for his trademark simple yet monumental musical style, Gorecki was regarded as being at the forefront of Polish avant-guard classical composers through the 1950's to 1970's, exploring Polish folk music and medieval themes. Focused on motherhood and the ravages of war, Gorecki's Symphony No 3 or Symphony of Sorrow Songs, gained critical acclaim and worldwide popularity after its 1992 re-release featuring

Canadian violinist Mark Fewer has a tremendous array of concerts and events this season, including a recording of rare music by Giovanni Pandolfi with the Smithsonian and a concert in Washington DC , two world premieres – by Phil Dwyer and Serge Arcuri - and more in Montreal , chamber music in Los Angeles , appearances in Edmonton and Halifax , and much more. Also in the works are recordings of music by American avant-garde composer George Antheil, music inspired by Stéphane Grappelli, and a new children`s book and concert, “Jake and the Musical Zoo.” All Music Guide says that the new CD “ allow[s] listeners to savor every note, every chord, every subtly of Brahms' writing … Fewer's interpretation is one of graceful, unfettered simplicity .”

Cleveland Orchestra Executive Director Gary Hanson announces the appointment of Cristina Rocca as director of artistic planning. Ms. Rocca will be responsible for managing all aspects of artistic planning and programming at The Cleveland Orchestra, including managing all artist relations, programming, and presentations at Severance Hall and the Blossom Festival. She will begin her duties with the Orchestra on January 3, 2011. Gary Hanson said, “I am pleased to announce the appointment of Cristina Rocca. Her extensive global experience in artistic administration and her long-term relationships with artists of international stature will make her a valuable member of our team.” Cristina Rocca comes to Cleveland from the Orchestre Philharmonique de Strasbourg in France , where she has served as artistic manager since April 2006. In this role, she has been responsible, in collaboration with music director Marc Albrecht, for the programming and artistic administration of the conc

As the Metropolitan Opera Guild prepares to celebrate its diamond anniversary with a star-studded gala luncheon at New York’s Waldorf=Astoria on December 7, it is time to reflect on the Guild’s illustrious founder. Eleanor Robson Belmont (1878-1979) was one of the most remarkable and influential figures of her day, and her pioneering approach to fundraising helped save the Metropolitan Opera from closure during the Depression. Today, the Guild remains vital in supporting the Met and cultivating wider public interest in opera. From her birth in northern England to a career as a Broadway leading lady, marriage to one of the wealthiest men in the world, and revolutionizing of arts fundraising, Belmont led a colorful, one-of-a-kind life. She made a tremendous difference for the causes she believed in, and she did so decades before women were taken seriously in the business world. Belmont’s success in arts fundraising and management owed little to her beginnings. Born into a theatr

Ms. Mutter Performs in Multiple Cities and is Artist-In-Residence at The New York Philharmonic for the 2010 | 2011 Season Acclaimed violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter has just embarked on a tour performing chamber music and will arrive in New York City shortly to begin her tenure as Artist-In-Residence at the New York Philharmonic , beginning with a chamber concert on November 14, 2010. Many of the violinist’s activities highlight aspects of her wide-ranging career as she looks forward to the 35 th anniversary of her stage debut in 2011. Ms. Mutter performs concerts of Beethoven String Trios with violist Yuri Bashmet and cellist Lynn Harrell in San Francisco (11/7), Costa Mesa (11/10) and New York City (11/14). On November 13 th , Ms. Mutter will perform the three Brahms Violin Sonatas with pianist Lambert Orkis in Washington DC. The two artists have just released their all-new recording of these sonatas on Deutsche Grammophon on both CD and DVD. Click here to learn more, wat

Brandi Carlile's ethereal, melancholy ballads reflect her love for old-school country but she is definitely of today. " I get all sorts of comparisons but never to one person ," she says. " It's more like, 'Sheryl Crow meets Patsy Cline,' which makes me feel good ." A string of recent orchestral engagements have solidified this talented singer's reputation as one of the most exciting artists of her generation. "Its not easy to categorize Brandi Carlile's genre-straddling music, but its not hard to zero in on what makes her such a standout talent: that electrifying voice." - Philadephia Inquirer "...her swirling guitars and brushed drums are so charming, it's tempting to forget the emotions Carlile is laying bare. But then there's a song like "Dreams," the album's single, where she belts out "I have dreams" with a conviction that verges on desperation. Suddenly her pain is all too real, her son

Norwegian conductor Arild Remmereit debuts in a program of virtuoso works: Martinu's Symphony No. 1; Beethoven's Fourth Piano Concerto celebrating the return of Horacio Gutierrez; and Grieg's Peer Gynt Suite, including "Morning Mood" and "In the Hall of the Mountain King." Grieg's Peer Gynt 11/20 - 7:30 p.m. 11/21 - 2:30 p.m. Boettcher Concert Hall Arild Remmereit, conductor Horacio Gutierrez, piano MARTINU / Symphony No. 1 BEETHOVEN / Piano Concerto No. 4 GRIEG / Suite from Peer Gynt

For composer Michael Hersch , the summer brought two important world premieres : his monumental Third Symphony , whose “granitic force” ( Financial Times ) “impresse[d] with sheer sonic weight and intensity” ( San Jose Mercury News ) at the Cabrillo Festival, and his unaccompanied violin work, in the snowy margins , which Grammy Award-winner Peter Sheppard Skaevard debuted at the Dartington Festival in England. It was Sheppard Skaevard’s repeat performance on September 23 at the British Museum that launched Hersch’s new season, in which the composer also looks forward to the release of his new CD , the second volume of his complete works for solo strings, due November 23 from Vanguard Classics; the world premiere of his Two Pieces for Cello and Piano , for which he will accompany veteran Hersch specialist Daniel Gaisford in Washington DC on November 7; and further performances in New York City and Nashville TN early in the new year. This coming Sunday, November 7 s

Brooklyn, New York-based early music ensemble BaroQue Across the River ( www.baroqueacrosstheriver.com ) will perform “Elegance & Extravagance: Cantatas and Solos from France & Italy” on December 3-4, 2010 . The December 3 concert will be held at 7:30pm at Brooklyn Friends Meeting House, 110 Schermerhorn Street, Brooklyn (718.643.4608, www.nyym.org/brooklyn) ; The December 4, 8:00pm concert will be held at Tenri Cultural Institute , 43A West 13th Street, in Manhattan (914.633.0758, www.tenri.org .). Tickets are $20.00 (suggested donation) at door for both concerts. Two rival styles dominated European music in the late 17th - early 18th Century -- the delicate and demure French style favored elegant melodies in contrast to the more passionate, virtuosic and extravagant style of Italian music. In “Elegance & Extravagance: Cantatas and Solos from France & Italy” BaroQue Across the River offers selections of this exuberant contrast with music by Rameau, Clérambau

The season opened auspiciously for Johannes Moser , “one of the finest among the astonishing gallery of young virtuoso cellists” ( Gramophone ), when his Hänssler CLASSIC album of sonatas by Britten, Bridge and Bax was named “Recording of the Month” by MusicWeb International , which advised, simply: “Don’t miss this.” Now the German-Canadian cellist turns to the instrument’s orchestral repertoire, undertaking two of the finest examples with North American orchestras. First he performs Dvorák’s B-minor Concerto for his debut with the Pittsburgh Symphony (Nov 26 & 28), as well as with Ottawa’s National Arts Centre Orchestra (Nov 18 & 19) and LA’s American Youth Symphony (Nov 21), before tackling Schumann’s Cello Concerto with the Vancouver Symphony (Dec 4). Dvorák was initially reluctant to even attempt his Cello Concerto in B minor (1894-95), believing that “as a solo instrument” the cello was too quiet in its middle register to be “much good.” However, his solution – savin

From Liszt to Ligeti and Carnegie Hall to Cleveland, Pierre-Laurent Aimard Looms Large in U.S. This Season In a season that also takes him from London to Tokyo and Moscow to Milan, Pierre-Laurent Aimard looks forward to a full program of North American engagements. He launched the new season with the release of his landmark all-Ravel album with the Cleveland Orchestra, which, besides the two Piano Concertos, features Miroirs , “whose poetry and liveliness Aimard relays like an oracle” ( Cleveland Plain-Dealer ). This haunting solo piano suite also forms the centerpiece of Aimard’s high-profile December U.S. recital tour , in Los Angeles (Dec 1), Philadelphia (Dec 3), Chicago (Dec 5), and Carnegie Hall (Dec 8). The pianist soon returns again to the historic New York venue, rejoined by the Cleveland Orchestra under its music director, Franz Welser-Möst; after three performances of Bartók’s Second Piano Concerto in Cleveland (Jan 20-22), Aimard joins the orchestra on tour in Bloo

Michael Tilson Thomas (MTT) and the San Francisco Symphony(SFS) plan to release a limited edition 22 LP set of their seven-time Grammy® award-winning Mahler Recording Project on SFS Media. The records will be manufactured on 180G virgin vinyl and have an estimated delivery date of April 2011. The box set includes an exclusive bonus 45 rpm recording of Susan Graham and MTT performing the piano version of the Rückert-Lieder from a private session on stage at Davies Symphony Hall not available separately. Excerpts of footage from this session will also be included in Season 3 of the SFS’s national PBS television series, Keeping Score , dedicated to the music of Mahler and airing in spring 2011. The Mahler cycle will be sold on vinyl in this 1,000 copy limited edition set provided a sufficient number of pre-orders are secured by the end of the year. The complete Mahler Project vinyl box set retails for $749 including shipping and orders are now being taken at the San Fra

Música Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas The Colorado Symphony announces today that its Youth Concert program, Música Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas will be open to the public on Friday, November 12, 2010 at 9:50 a.m. and 11:15 a.m. as a part of Visit Denver's Arts Week. Come "See the Music" in this symphonic celebration of music from Central and South America. Featuring characteristic Latin rhythms and lush melodies, Música Latina is guaranteed to thrill. From Mexico's Silvestre Revueltas comes Sensemayá about an eerie and ominous snake, to the lush romanticism of Brazilian composer Villa Lobos' Bachianas Brazileires No. 5, the sights and sounds of the southern hemisphere come to life in this colorful one hour program. All are welcome to attend this season's Youth Concert, Música Latina: A Symphonic Celebration of the Americas, which will entertain and educate students of all ages in Boettcher Concert Hall at the Denver Perfo

DG111 Adds a 56-CD Box Set and 111 Track Set to the Birthday Party Deutsche Grammophon ends its year-long 111 th birthday celebrations with a new selection of releases to celebrate the Yellow Label’s long and illustrious past as well as the vibrant and healthy present and future. Though DG will turn 112 years-old on December 6, 2010, the popularity of last year’s celebration (the 55-CD set sold-out in mere weeks) has prompted the new box sets. This new, 2 nd edition features more artists than before and stretches back even further in time to 1911 and then right up to the newest albums today. The entire selection, including all sets from 2009, will be available on November 9, 2010. Though anniversaries and birthdays have occasionally been celebrated too often, the history of Deutsche Grammophon and the landmark recordings the label has produced warrant not only celebration but also intense scrutiny. The more one searches and listens the more one finds. Deutsche Grammophon

Jeremy Denk kicked off the new season with the release of his long-anticipated first solo album, Jeremy Denk plays Ives , and successful concerts at both Carnegie and Alice Tully Halls. Next he embarks on a six-city US tour with the Moscow State Symphony Orchestra , one of Russia’s most esteemed ensembles, under its music director and chief conductor Pavel Kogan , winner of the National Prize of the Russian Federation (and son of violinist Leonid). Appearing in La Crosse, WI (Nov 5), Naperville, IL (Nov 6), Notre Dame, IN (Nov 7), Morgantown, WV (Nov 10), Louisville, KY (Nov 13), and West Palm Beach, FL (Nov 17), Denk performs Prokofiev’s Second Piano Concerto , one of the most technically formidable examples of the genre, and Grieg’s Piano Concerto , to which, with the Philadelphia Orchestra, he recently “brought the right dose of suaveness…while keeping a keen emphasis on clarity and rhythmic exactitude and not trying to oversell it” ( Denver Post ). Denk’s most

The Library of Congress honored baritone Thomas Hampson with its Living Legend medal during a concert yesterday evening in the Library’s Coolidge Auditorium. Hampson, with pianist Wolfram Rieger, celebrated the birth anniversaries of Samuel Barber and Gustav Mahler, as well as offering a selection of American favorites. “I am deeply honored and grateful to receive this award. As an American artist, it is humbling to be acknowledged and appreciated in this way by the Library of Congress and to contribute to the great and passionate dialogue of arts, humanities and performing arts in the United States,” said Hampson. The Library’s Living Legend award recognizes individuals who have made significant contributions to America’s diverse cultural, scientific and social heritage. The first awards were given in 2000 in connection with the Library’s bicentennial celebrations, to honor Americans whose creative contributions to American life have made them living

The Curtis Institute of Music announces the appointment of Jonathan Biss to its piano faculty, beginning with the 2011–12 school year. A Curtis alumnus who is highly regarded for his artistry and deeply felt interpretations, Mr. Biss has won international recognition for his orchestral, recital, and chamber music performances on four continents and for his award-winning recordings. “At Curtis, we have enjoyed a long tradition of distinguished and active performers teaching our students,” said Curtis President Roberto Díaz. “We are thrilled that Mr. Biss, at the height of his performing career, is so committed to sharing his artistry with our students.” Mr. Biss will begin teaching at Curtis in Fall 2011, and along with the rest of the school’s distinguished piano faculty, will hear auditions in Spring 2011. Applications for the 2011–12 school year are due December 15 and more information is available at www.curtis.edu/admissions . “I'm tremendously honored to be joi

Nocturnes For Night Owls TRITONE MUSIC | RELEASE DATE: NOVEMBER 1, 2010 Acclaimed classical pianist Lara Downes has delighted audiences around the world with her “breathtaking virtuosity" and "unique blend of musicianship and showmanship" ( National Public Radio) . Now, she embraces young listeners with her luminous new release Nocturnes for Night Owls: Classical Treasures for Sweet Dreams . This charming collection of beloved classical masterpieces and little-known gems features quiet-time music of timeless beauty that both children and their parents will love. Nocturnes for Night Owls includes Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata , Schumann’s Dreaming, Erik Satie’s hypnotic Gymnopedie #3, Debussy’s Reverie, Ravel’s Pavane of the Sleeping Beauty, elegant Nocturnes by Chopin, Poulenc and Aaron Copland and more delightful music to lull little ones to sleep. "In my house, good music for bedtime is essential,” says Lara, a mother of two young children, based in