Shows
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkMet Opera Radio Starting Soon. On StaccatoGet ready for fresh content once again from Met Opera Radio. Live performances will once again run on KMFA starting December 10th. This season is a mix of the old, the new and the revered. There’s also an audio live stream and The Met: Live At Home.
2022-12-0302 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkConcerts You'll Have Time To See This Thanksgiving Week. On StaccatoWith the holidays upon us and vacations afoot, there might be time to watch some movies of a classical nature. There’s a new Magic Flute film and its soundtrack. Conspirare has posted its Hear Me Out concerts with the Miró Quartet. Then there’s the filmed opera Black Lodge, a mind bending musical piece by Composer David T. Little.
2022-11-1802 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkIt's Time For The Amateurs at The Cliburn. On StaccatoHow long has it been since you played the instrument you loved way back when? The Cliburn International Amateur Piano Competition allows those who love playing the piano but need a “real” job, to flex their fingers over the keys in a near professional setting. The winner this year is a software engineer from San Francisco, Jon Lee.
2022-11-0404 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkMoonstrike: Three Musical Takes on the North American Experience. On StaccatoSometimes a childhood dream becomes a reality of sorts. Matthew Detrick Founder, Artistic & Executive Director of the Apollo Chamber Players of Houston says his love of all things space resulted in the group’s latest album Moonstrike. It features decidedly different versions of the North American experience.
2022-10-2804 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkNew Albums by Black Composers. Afton Battle Resigns. On Classical Music In Color Album EditionThis particular Classical Music in Color is truly just that. Several albums are out now featuring the music of Black composers. Listen for new albums from William Grant Still, Coleridge-Taylor and a live performance of George Walker’s music. Finally, Afton Battle is leaving the Fort Worth Opera after only 2 years as General and Artistic Director.
2022-10-2609 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Trombone Player Comes Home. On StaccatoThere’s nothing like returning home after finding success in the wider world. Navy MU1 David Kapral is about to experience that feeling. The Trombonist is now a member of the US Navy Band Commodores after a big start in the marching band at Dripping Springs High School. The band will be performing in the Austin area in November, including at Kapral’s old high school.
2022-10-2204 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkIs Musical Diversity A Fad? Black Women Classical Guitarists and more on Classical Music In ColorThere’s encouraging news from the Institute for Composer Diversity. An increasing number of orchestras and other classical groups are performing works by women and BIPOC composers. A new vocal competition has been created without all the rules that keep some people out. A classical guitarist wins the Sphinx Mpower Grant seeking to expose more Black women classical guitar composers. An African-American is the winner of the American Composers Orchestra’s EarShot Readings Commission with his composition Wraith Weight.
2022-10-2020 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkUnboxing Opera on World Opera Day. On StaccatoHave you been to the opera lately? Or even purchased tickets for an upcoming performance? If your answer is no, the people at World Opera Day on Tuesday, October 25th are hoping you will jump on social media to see what you are missing. There are deals to be had at Austin Opera as well as in Dallas. OperaVision is offering a free online six nation performance of an opera from Ukrainian composer Borys Lyatoshynsky. Dan Cooperman of Opera America says they have a specific goal for this year.
2022-10-1505 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkPerformance Grants Available NOW from Women's Philharmonic Advocacy. On StaccatoHow often do orchestras, chamber groups or similar organizations get an offer like this? Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy is once again offering performance grants. These grants would cover expenses for performing classical compositions by women and other groups within that sphere. Liane Curtis, President of Women Philharmonic Advocacy says they are attempting to widen the canon.
2022-10-0702 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Season Ahead: Austin Classical Guitar. On StaccatoIn just a few weeks, performing arts groups in central Texas will open their doors for new and fresh and live performances. Austin Classical Guitar is like many of them, excited to offer a full season of music without the heavy burden of health related matters.
2022-08-2504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkRequiem For The Enslaved by Carlos Simon on Composer's CadenzaAs classes start at Georgetown University in Washington, DC this month, there is an album composed by composition professor Carlos Simon called Requiem For The Enslaved on the Decca label. It is in honor and in reparations for the slaves sold by the Washington, DC university in 1838 to fund the school. Simon is a very busy composer. He’s working on a piece for the Minnesota Orchestra, with a libretto by Marc Bamuthi Joseph that pays tribute to George Floyd. That work will receive its world premiere next May. That’s just one of the many musical assignments he’s workin...
2022-08-1908 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkQuinn Mason & Lara Downes Separately and Together. On StaccatoSometimes there’s a meeting of the minds and hearts between classical artists. In this case, Quinn Mason, the young and fast rising composer and conductor and the experienced pianist, and producer and Classical Woman Of The Year, Lara Downes. Mason and Downes have formed sort of a loose partnership.
2022-08-1504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkAngel Blue BEFORE the Blackface Controversy on Classical Music In ColorBlackface. A word and an action that draws gasps and anger and in some cases, a shrug. It motivated one international opera singer to back away from performing a cherished role. Her name is Angel Joy Blue. The interview here on this August 2022 edition of Classical Music In Color took place BEFORE her withdrawal from Arena di Verona. It does offer a glimpse of the woman who would make this decision.
2022-08-1119 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Gold Standard of William Grant Still. On Staccato.Even though composer William Grant Still wrote nearly 200 compositions, many of not most of them have never been recorded. That changed with the new album “William Grant Still” performed by the Royal Scottish National Orchestra on the Naxos label. Conductor Avlana Eisenberg was encouraged to record this album by her mother – a violinist. Still’s granddaughter Celeste Headlee provided insight into Still's struggles.
2022-08-0506 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkFleischmann wins the Campbell Opera Librettist Prize. On StaccatoIf you don’t know who wrote the libretto to your favorite opera, perhaps it’s time you did. Acclaimed librettist Mark Campbell feels so strongly about that, he created and funded the Opera America Campbell Opera Librettist Prize. This year, it went to Stephanie Fleischmann who’s written the words to at least 20 musical pieces over her long career.
2022-07-3005 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Black Fiddlers of Monticello on Classical Music In ColorWhen we think of Black people in the 19th century, violin music doesn’t often come to mind. David McCormick, the Executive Director of Early Music America researched the “Fiddlers of Monticello” and found a tome of research on them which included the Black male children of our third president, Thomas Jefferson with their enslaved mother Sally Hemmings. There is even a documentary about it. Also on the show, pianist and producer Lara Downes talking about her difficulty in coming up with a Juneteenth playlist. Your Classical also posted one for the nation’s latest federal holiday.
2022-07-1921 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkAndre Hayward Jazzes up the Austin Chamber Music Festival. On StaccatoThe Austin Chamber Music Center Festival continues this week with a little jazz mixed in with the classical performances. Andre Hayward of Austin is a trombonist with a stellar career with some of the nation’s most revered jazz and classical performers. He and his friends perform new works focusing on African-American composers.
2022-07-0802 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Austin Chamber Music Festival with Shakespeare. On StaccatoSummer festivals are underway all over the country. In Austin, the Austin Chamber Music Festival starts July 8th. The festival will feature a performance of scenes from Shakespeare’s The Winter’s Tale with music curated by the Austin Chamber Music Center’s Artistic Director Michelle Schumann and directed by Austin Shakespeare’s Artistic Director Ann Ciccolella. One of the actors, Babs George says it’s a real treat.
2022-07-0105 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkBackstage at the Cliburns with MC Artina McCain. On StaccatoThe recently concluded Cliburn International Piano Competition in Fort Worth had many moving parts. To keep things running smoothly and an eager audience informed, they hired a classical pianist with Austin roots. Dr. Artina McCain, now a Professor of Piano at the University of Memphis, stepped in as the Mistress of Ceremonies. She says it’s tougher than it looks.
2022-06-2404 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkJessie Montgomery: The Busiest Classical Music Composer In America. On Staccato.The New York Times called composer Jessie Montgomery the “future of classical music”. She was gobsmacked by that, even though orchestras all over the country are clamoring to play her works. The Austin Symphony will perform one of her pieces in November. In addition she’s on a three year assignment with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra as their Mead Composer in Residence. This makes her one of the busiest classical composers in America.
2022-06-1704 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkNew Music USA Expanding The Classical Music Canon. On StaccatoNew Music USA, a group advocating for new music discoveries in the United States is upping the ante for the nation’s orchestras. Their program Amplifying Voices has 30 orchestras collaborating to co-commission works by 9 composers of color. Vanessa Reed, the President and CEO of New Music USA says they’re trying to expand the canon of classical music.
2022-06-1004 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Cliburn Is Back. On StaccatoAfter the pandemic halted the quadrennial Cliburn International Piano Competition in 2021 it has returned. The 2022 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition is now underway in Fort Worth, Texas. Jacques Marquis, President and CEO of The Cliburn says this year is fitting, in a way, because it’s the 60th anniversary of the competition.
2022-06-0304 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkCastle Of Our Skins Celebrating Their First Decade on Classical Music In Color10 years is a long time but it seems like it was just yesterday for Ashleigh Gordon of Castle of Our Skins. The organization is celebrating its first decade with a fundraiser for the National Negro Opera Company House and other events. There’s also tributes to George Floyd from the Colour Of Music Festival and Memorial Day remembrances from the Air Force.
2022-05-2819 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkMemorial Day - It's Not All BBQ's And Parties on StaccatoMemorial Day ushers in so much promise because of its status as the gateway to summer. However, the day is meant to celebrate the men and women in the military, who gave their lives in service. The Air Force has, once again, released two videos honoring their sacrifice. One of them – Goin' Home – has a Dvorak connection.
2022-05-2702 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkBill Banfield Is Back On Track And Busier Than Ever on Composer's CadenzaWhat calamity!! Composer Bill Banfield, who’s also a retired professor, an author, mentor and all around happy guy now, says life has thrown him a couple of curves. Covid and a symphony score lost for 20 years. Now though, things are back on track. The Wisconsin Chamber Orchestra performed his “lost” symphony this year and there’s more. Hear all the “deets” !
2022-05-2215 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA DAY OF SOLIDARITY FROM THE BLACK ORCHESTRAL NETWORK on Classical Music In ColorWhat are you doing on Monday, May 9th and perhaps thereafter? The newly formed Black Orchestral Network is calling for a Day Of Solidarity in their quest to get more orchestras to hire more Black musicians. Listen to find out the other changes they’d like to see in American orchestras.
2022-05-0906 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkTransforming Poetry Into Music on StaccatoComposers get their inspirations from many things. One of them is poets and authors. One man, Gerald F Sweeney wrote a book about this called US Composers and Poets — The Intersection of American Classical Music and American Literature. Emily Dickinson was the subject of one such work by Aaron Copland and many others. Charles Ives composed music in honor of four writers who were transcendentalists.
2022-05-0604 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkJazzical Komitas - The Music of Armenian Folk Songs on StaccatoA pianist who’s worked with opera singers, rock bands and jazz musicians was shocked when he heard the music of Amenian folk songs. Joel A. Martin was shocked because he’d never heard this music before and he immediately fell in love with it. So much so that he arranged some of the tunes that were written down by Komitas Vartapet nearly 90 years ago. The album is called Jazzical Komitas.
2022-04-2805 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA 21st Century Fantasia, Amy Beach and Joseph Collier. On StaccatoNow that many of us are attending live in person concerts, the musicians are there for it. Jacob Collier uses his audience as a choir. For the stay at home folks, a couple has produced a documentary about the first successful American female composer Amy Beach, and Philharmonia Fantastique a live action/animated concert film releases its soundtrack.
2022-04-2204 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Violin Conspiracy Author Nearly Died And Then Came His Hit Book. On Classical Music In ColorThe book world has been rocked by the book, The Violin Conspiracy. Mainly because this first novel by author Brendan Slocumb, details the career of an African-American violinist and the difficulties that came with it. It’s also the story of a valuable family heirloom that was stolen at the worst possible moment. Also in this edition of Classical Music In Color, hear when the first performance at Carnegie Hall by an all Black orchestra will happen. Also watch classical music's next generation of BIPOC musicians and apply for fellowships and grants from the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, Black Violin and th...
2022-04-1819 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA Flute Fixation: Density 2036 on StaccatoAttention all Flute players: Claire Chase has a message for you. She’s nine years into the project she started called Density 2036. She’s seeking to expand the flute repertoire like Edgard Varèse did with Density 21.5 in 1936.
2022-03-2905 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkWhat Does Your State Sound Like? Musicially Speaking. On StaccatoEvery state has its own state song. Like Texas, Our Texas. There’s a composer in Colorado who’s writing new songs for every state. Marcia Stockton responded to a challenge from a composer friend to compose music for all 50 states. Hear the one she wrote for Texas and the 11 other state tunes she’s composed so far.
2022-03-2504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkHailstork Says He's HOT!! On Classical Music In ColorIt was quite a wonderful surprise when my main event interview on this episode actually called me back HIMSELF within a half hour of my calling his contact number. It is an interview with Mr. Adolphus Hailstork, a composer extraordinaire about his latest premiere: A piece about George Floyd to be performed by the National Philharmonic. Hear about the South Bend Symphony holding symposiums about the lack of diversity in orchestral repertoire and there’s a Fellowship and some financial support for musicians too.
2022-03-1924 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDeep River: Black Currents in Classical Music on Classical Music In ColorBlack History Month is officially over but many of the programs honoring African-Americans in classical music were recorded for online viewing. One such concert is Deep River: Black Currents in Classical Music. The live stream of the event is still available to view. There’s also a Black History Month playlist from SPHINX, new George Walker album and Early Music America is offering a bit of help to musicians still struggling from the pandemic. The live streamed event on February 3rd was hosted by the Apollo Theater, New York’s classical music radio station WQXR, and American Composers Orch...
2022-03-0113 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkQuinn Mason - The Draylen Mason Composer In Residence on KMFA. On StaccatoKMFA, Austin’s classical music radio station, would like you to meet its first ever Draylen Mason Composer in Residence. He is Quinn Mason of Dallas. He already has a long resume at the age of 25. KMFA introduced him to the public last week in the Draylen Mason Studio. Listen to the unusual story of how he got to where he is now and where he’s going.
2022-02-2706 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA Night Of Black Excellence. On Classical Music In ColorThere are hundreds of groups celebrating Black History Month. One of them is the Fort Worth Opera who’s presenting its 2nd annual Night Of Black Excellence. It features lots of local talent and Met Opera Soprano Karen Slack. Find out what’s new with the music of Florence Price, and there’s a midwestern premiere of a concert play about Joseph Boulogne.
2022-02-1812 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkSkyspace, The Antidote To Life Today. On StaccatoIf you feel like it’s time to release the tether to your real life, there’s a place for you. The SKYSPACE on the campus of UT is open again. It's a naked eye observatory with lights and sound and music. Andrée Bober, Director of the Landmarks Public Art Program at UT says the sunset light show is an aural feast.
2022-02-1804 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDuBois Credo: Two Versions Set To Music. On StaccatoThe Grammy winning choral group, Conspirare, is celebrating Black History Month with two concerts focusing on the words of African-American activist W.E.B. DuBois. He wrote his Credo in 1904. Years later, composer Margaret Bonds put it to music. In another program, Conspirare will sing composer Benedict Sheehan’s new movement, honoring DuBois’ words, to his Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom. Craig Hella Johnson, Conspirare’s Artistic Director and Conductor says this is the beginning of exposing more works by neglected composers.
2022-02-1204 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDancing to Classical Music For Valentine's Day. On StaccatoWith Valentine’s Day approaching, perhaps you are stumped for ideas on how to celebrate the day with your loved one. Austin Camerata, Ventana Ballet and Fever have collaborated on a program for lovers everywhere. Candlelight: A Valentine’s Day Special has dancers moving to classical music and other tunes.
2022-02-0404 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkIs Tuba Conducting Part Of Your MBA Curriculum? On StaccatoThere is at least one university in the US teaching its business students empathy via the arts. MBA students at the Tepper School of Business at Carnegie Mellon University in Pittsburgh are offered a chance to take courses outside of the traditional MBA curriculum, like music, art and poetry. Program Managers Matthew Stewart and Michelle Stoner say students learn the difference between being a manager and a leader.
2022-01-3005 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkHigh School Students and Grammy Nominee, Clarice Assad create Mosaic Variations. On StaccatoImagine being a high school student and a Grammy nominated composer teaches you how, in a very unique way, to compose a new piece. This piece however is not solely your own because it was a collaborative composition. Austin Classical Guitar invited composer Clarice Assad to take on this task. Artistic Director Joe Williams says the completed work will be performed on Saturday, January 29th.
2022-01-2304 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkViolinist Randall Goosby’s Bold Debut Album on Classical Music In ColorViolinist Randall Goosby represents a new, fresh generation of classical musicians. With his debut album ROOTS, he’s redefining and/or adding composers to the traditional canon. He performs the music of mostly African-American composers on his first album.
2022-01-1229 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkSheku and Isata - The Kanneh-Mason Duo Album MUSE on StaccatoThere is still some music to mine from the early days of the pandemic. The brother and sister team of cellist Sheku and pianist Isata Kanneh-Mason of England, recorded a new album because they could no longer tour. It’s called Muse and includes at least one work that isn’t played very often.
2022-01-0905 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkPlans For 2022? Wait And See. On StaccatoPerhaps we’re entering the new year full of questions about what’s next but are holding on to that “can-do” attitude. There are several events on the calendar for 2022 and some that have been canceled, in part because of the uncertainty of 2022. Here are some of them.
2021-12-3106 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkAuditions for the National Children's Chorus Latest Chapter in Austin, Texas. On StaccatoAuditions underway for one of Austin’s latest musical groups. The National Children’s Chorus. They are looking for young singers from 5 to 18 years old. The Artistic Director and CEO Luke McEndarfer says they opened an Austin chapter and an academy because the city is already known for making music.
2021-12-1804 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkYour Pet is Music Called Sympawnies on StaccatoWe love our animal friends. There’s one composer, Noam Oxem, who’s making music with photos of your beloved pet and other animals. He calls them Sympawnies.
2021-12-1103 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkWill You Donate Your Instrument? It's For The Young People. On StaccatoThe Fall Into Music Instrument Drive ended about two weeks ago with a large number of instruments donated to the students of Austin Soundwaves. Development Manager Ciyadh Wells says just because the drive has ended doesn’t mean you have to wait until next year to donate instruments.
2021-12-0303 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkShe's a Doctor of Medicine and a Doctor of Music: Meet The New VOICE OF THE MET Debra Lew HardingThe Toll Brothers-Metropolitan Opera Saturday Matinee Radio Broadcasts starting airing Saturday, December 4th. You’ll be hearing someone new on MET RADIO this year. She is Debra Lee Harder the new Voice Of The Met. This classical music announcer has a medical degree and a Doctorate in Music.
2021-11-2905 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Musician As Athlete on StaccatoIf you like classical music AND football or sports of any kind, it’s not that far afield for you to imagine musicians are like pro athletes. They suffer the same type of injuries but don’t make the same kind of money to treat those injuries. In comes the Musician Treatment Foundation which treats musicians for little or no money.
2021-11-1304 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkClassical Music Composed By, About or For Military Veterans on StaccatoIn honor of Veteran’s Day, we’ve compiled some of the classical music written by, about and for military Veterans. It includes FREEDOM SONG composed by Betsy Listenfelt. Gustav Holst Ode to Death, John Adams’ Tromba Lontana or Distant Trumpet, Aaron Copland – Fanfare for the Common Man and Olivier Messiaen Quartet for the End of Time
2021-11-0804 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Future Is Female on StaccatoFor the third year in a row, even during the Covid shutdown, the Dallas Symphony has hosted the Women in Classical Music Symposium. It’s aim says Ross Perot President and CEO Kim Noltemy is to advance the status of women as conductors and administrators in the orchestral community and beyond. The Women in Classical Music Symposium runs November 7th through November 10th.
2021-10-3004 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkYour Orchestral Season Is Becoming A Bit More “Colorful” on Classical Music In ColorOrchestral leaders, conductors, music directors and others are looking to include more composers of color and women in their upcoming seasons. Since many are unfamiliar with composers of color and their music, they’re looking at at least two websites: The Institute For Composer Diversity and the The African Diaspora Music Database.
2021-10-2024 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkForklift Danceworks Celebrates 20 Years of Community Based Dancemaking on StaccatoIt’s been a quirky and productive 20 years for Forklift Danceworks of Austin. The “dances” choreographed by founder Allison Orr over the years include Sanitation workers, Austin Energy linesmen and women, firefighters and so much more. Orr is now celebrating this milestone with a glamorous and fun filled party at the Umlauf Sculpture Garden on October 28th.
2021-10-1504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA MO-HO Releases His Trauma With The Shards Of An Honor Code Junkie on Composer's CadenzaPain and Trauma are difficult to process. One composer, Blake Allen found a way to release it with his new album The Shards Of An Honor Code Junkie, produced by No Reverse Records. It’s a musical retelling of his difficulty coming out as a gay man while a Mormon and a student at Brigham Young University.
2021-10-1410 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA Transgender Man And A Woman Loving Woman, Characters In Two Chamber OperasLike many performing arts organizations, – Local Opera, Local Artist or LOLA in Austin, Texas had to use digital forms of communication to premiere a couple of new chamber operas. Now, under the leadership of Liz Cass they’re performing for an in-person audience and livestreaming their latest production. Good Country is about a transgender man in 19th century Northern California. It’ll be at KMFA’S Draylen Mason Studio.
2021-10-1004 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Delta Variant Scares Audiences From Attending Events - on StaccatoIt looked for a while like it might be safer to attend live in person concerts but with the Delta variant many arts patrons aren’t so sure. Alan Brown of Wolf Brown says his Audience Outlook Monitor found many people still want to stay home while yearning to attend live in person performances. Digital offers some solace with performance videos like The Hill We Climb.
2021-09-1704 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkRe-Contextualized music from Curtis Stewart and the death of conductor Michael MorganThe classical music world mourns the death of the long time conductor of the Oakland Symphony, Michael Morgan. How did his unorthodox choices work for this rare Black conductor? Curtis Stewart, a violinist and composer, finds his voice on his unusual album "Of Power". Amanda Gorman’s poem from the inaugural inspired a new composition and a performance video. There’s more good news about the works of Joseph Bologne. The Met Opera gets ready for Fire Shut Up In My Bones.
2021-09-1517 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Music Borne Of Wildfires And Melting Glaciers on StaccatoThis year, for the second year in a row, the Cabrillo Festival of Contemporary Music in Santa Cruz, California went virtual. It means that if you missed any of the new music at last month’s festival, you can still see it online. One composer, Sean Shepherd, premiered his new work about the environment. It was sort of a sequel to an earlier work that took a dark view of our days ahead.
2021-09-1104 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkRemembering MASS 50 Years Later on StaccatoThe Kennedy Center in Washington, DC is celebrating the 50th anniversary of MASS, the Leonard Bernstein production that opened the Kennedy Center in 1971. There are at least two prominent members of the classical music community in Austin, Texas who saw the original production. Ann Hume Wilson, President and General Manager of Austin’s classical music radio station KMFA and Austin Symphony conductor Peter Bay have very fond memories of the event and one of them tells some stories out of school!!
2021-09-0308 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkTexas Performing Arts Celebrates 40 Years On The 40 Acres on StaccatoTexas Performing Arts has a full calendar on the What’s Coming Up This Fall series for Staccato. They are celebrating 40 Years On The 40 Acres, a $3 million dollar renovation and a new leader. The new Executive and Artistic Director Bob Bursey says he brought back performing arts groups that are returning to TAP and those who are new.
2021-08-2103 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkAfter 222 Years Of Whitewash (?) Joseph Bologne Is Starting To Get His Due.It looks like French composer Joseph Bologne, Chevalier de Saint-Georges might be getting rediscovered. This 18th century contemporary of Mozart has been lost to history almost since his lonely death in Paris in 1799. The Winston-Salem Symphony, with Music Director Timothy Redmond, is performing a play with music about this Black man, written by playwright Bill Barclay called The Chevalier – A Voice to be heard. Several people encouraged Barclay to pursue this play with music and the Winston-Salem Symphony has joined with two groups to produce it.
2021-08-1015 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkFrom Bach to Richter to Nina Simone on StaccatoThere’s nothing like getting a running start and then hitting the COVID wall. Now after 2 years, the Ishida Dance Company is finally able to embrace a live audience (with safety precautions) with their performance, in Austin, Texas of “Faraway, So Close”. Company founder Brett Ishida has included a wide swath of music from Bach to Richter to Nina Simone to illustrate the choreographed story of an angel in love with a mortal who can’t see, touch or hear him. A metaphor, says Ishida, about troubled relationships.
2021-08-0504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkSomeone New and Different at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra on StaccatoThis is the first in an informal series on What’s Coming Up This Fall in Central Texas and beyond on Staccato on KMFA 89.5 Austin. We start in New Orleans at the Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra. They’ve hired Anwar Nasir, as their Executive Director. He’s the first Black American to hold the job. Nasir says he wants the orchestra to be a little more like New Orleans and he has a digital season in mind too.
2021-07-2303 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThey Still Want To Kill Us and Lowak Shoppala' - Chickasaw History and Culture on Classical Music In ColorThis episode of Classical Music In Color shows just how rich and colorful our classical music world can be. Composer Jerod Impichchaachaaha' Tate reveals the history and culture of the Chickasaw Nation in the soundtrack to Lowak Shoppala' Fire and Light. Daniel Bernard Roumain revels in the sunshine after the storm with They Still Want To Kill us.
2021-07-1231 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkHow Would You Respond to America The Beautiful on StaccatoThe Independence Day holiday is often the kickoff for family vacations, road trips and the like. Especially this year. One pianist, Min Kwon, decided to celebrate the holiday with a premiere of works composed on the theme of America The Beautiful. She marshaled 75 composers to write their own take on the patriotic tune in what she called the America/Beautiful project, now on You Tube.
2021-07-1104 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkLong Trip with the Kids? Here's Something For Them To Do, on StaccatoThis may very well be the first time families can celebrate the July 4th holiday week together in over a year. Those traveling with children may need something to keep them occupied during a long trip. Two animated programs may help. Let’s Make An Opera from the Bergen National Opera in Norway is a fun music drenched animated program all about making an opera. There’s also Classics Explained, a simple telling of the lives and music of classical composers like Igor Stravinsky.
2021-07-0202 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkNow What? The Question from the League of American Orchestras on StaccatoIt’s been a tough year and a half for just about everyone. Classical music organizations are no different. The League of American Orchestras recently held its 2021 virtual conference to take a look at the orchestral landscape after the trials of 2020. So how does it look for the Austin, Texas Symphony?
2021-06-2604 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkJuneteenth My Personal Story And Events on Stories of InterestJuneteenth is no longer a day celebrated by people in individual states without federal attention. Now it’s a federal holiday signed into law by President Joe Biden. There are many events honoring the day Black Americans were liberated from slavery. Hear about a few of them including my own experience celebrating Juneteenth in my hometown of Houston, Texas.
2021-06-1809 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkTIKTOK Star Goes to Opera Camp on StaccatoGet ready for a summer opera camp that takes it to the next level. The Discover Opera Virtual Summer Camp from the Houston Grand Opera is enticing students with promises of a TikTok like experience. Alisa Magallon, Senior Education Manager at the Houston Grand Opera says this is the second, and hopefully last year the camp will be completely virtual.
2021-06-0602 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDice and Mental Illness with Jimena And Melika on COMPOSER’S CADENZAThose of you who create, whether it be music, art or prose, know that it can be a mental exercise in either futility or joy. Two women from very different parts of our world were winners of the 2021 String Quartet Smackdown from Golden Hornet in Austin, Texas. Melika Fitzhugh and Jimena Palma de Gyvés used unusual methods to create their award winning work.
2021-06-0116 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThat Time He Wouldn’t Sing: Ryan Speedo Green on Classical Music In ColorBass-Baritone Ryan Speedo Green says he’s happy to talk about his background as a juvenile delinquent before he started singing opera. He gets the opportunity every time he’s engaged as an Artist In Residence. This time it’s for the Texas Opera Alliance. There are many classical music groups all over the country trying to up their Diversity Quotient. We focus on Oregon's Eugene Symphony in their partnership with the Lane County NAACP.
2021-05-3017 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkOUT OF DEPRESSION - A WIN on StaccatoMany people suffer from depression, made worse by the pandemic. One young composer from Mexico used it to propel her to write a piece naming her mental illness and putting it to music. Jimena Palma de Gyvés’ work, Distimia, won the 2021 String Quartet Smackdown from Golden Hornet.
2021-05-2304 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkMusic On The Moon on StaccatoWhen astronauts return to the moon in a few years, they won’t be alone on the barren satellite. There will be a disc of music there created by The Earthling Project from SETI. The creator of the project, composer and conductor Felipe Perez Santiago calls it the sounds of humanity.
2021-05-1704 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkSimone and Bach Saved Richard Danielpour on COMPOSER'S CADENZAA new album released last month seeks to offer relief to those who've had to endure this terrible pandemic. Composer Richard Danielpour wrestled with the pandemic himself. In this inaugural edition of COMPOSER'S CADENZA, he talks about his struggles, how Pianist Simone Dinnerstein got him through with the result being their collaboration: An American Mosaic. The album honors those who have been and still are ESSENTIAL.
2021-04-1631 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkStories of InterestThis is a collection of stories that are about interesting people doing interesting things. COMPOSER'S CADENZA – Richard Danielpour A...
2021-04-1631 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkWords AND Deeds from the Opera Theatre of St. Louis on StaccatoMany classical music organizations have voiced support and change because of last summer’s racial reckoning. Opera Theatre Of St. Louis acted fast to put action in their words with their Clayco Future Leaders Fellowship. Three people, including Lyanne Alvarado, were chosen and are learning how to manage an opera company. General Director of Opera Theatre of St. Louis, Andrew Jorgensen says their program is attempting to diversify opera and classical music administrators at many companies.
2021-04-1604 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkJust How Do Composers Compose - on StaccatoThere’s more new music coming borne of the pandemic. This time it’s in the form of a podcast from the Miller Theatre at Columbia University’s School of the Arts. Mission: Commission paired a composer with a musician to write a new piece but they had to talk about their progress every week. Melissa Smey, Associate Dean of Columbia University’s School Of the Arts and the Executive Director of Miller Theatre says they wanted to demystify the process of composing classical music.
2021-04-0904 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkOpera At The Racetrack on StaccatoIt looks like being outside may be one of the places to enjoy the arts during this pre-post-pandemic period. The Austin Opera got creative when finding a venue for live performances of the opera Tosca by Puccini. They’re inviting audiences to the racetrack, the Germania Insurance Amphitheater at Circuit of the Americas later this month. In this extended edition of Staccato hear how General Director and CEO Annie Burridge found her way to the site in a desperate search for a proper venue for Tosca.
2021-04-0104 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkGood Intentions, Early Music And Artina McCain on CMICAs we move closer to the end of the pandemic, there’s hope that live, in person, performances will start again. When they do happen, many mainstream classical much groups are hoping to show off a little more diversity than in 2019. NIMAN, The National Instrumentalist Mentoring and Advancement Network is one group looking to add some color to the nation’s orchestras when they return from the virtual space. Dr. Artina McCain is hoping to go on tour with her Gold Medal winning album Heritage, and Black musicians performing Early Music are looking at increasing the numbers in their ranks. Also...
2021-03-2245 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Eagle And The Songbird. A book that takes you away from NOW, on StaccatoIs it this moment you need to sit down and read a book about a time almost half a millennia away? It’s The Eagle And The Songbird, about two 16th century musicians performing at a big event hosted by Emperor Maximilian. Sara Schneider, an announcer at KMFA 89.5 in Austin, Texas self-published this book and even added a playlist.
2021-03-0604 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkIt's in Ruins: The Historic Opera House of The National Negro Opera Company on StaccatoFor our last report for Black History Month while moving into Women’s History Month, here is the story of an African-American woman who started the nation’s first National Opera Company for African-Americans in 1941. After 60 years of neglect, the National Negro Opera Company House in Pittsburgh is in such bad shape it has been named one of the 11 most endangered places in America by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. Funds are being raised to refurbish it.
2021-02-2803 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkUNCOVERED The Start Of Something Musically Black with Samuel Coleridge-TaylorThe Catalyst Quartet, a Grammy Award-winning group founded by the Sphinx Organization 11 years ago, is on a mission. They’ve just released the first of four volumes of music written by Black composers. On Volume one of Uncovered, they focus on the music of Samuel Coleridge-Taylor. They’re also getting heavy assists from pianist Stewart Goodyear and clarinetist Anthony McGill, the first African-American to be named the principal clarinet of the New York Philharmonic.
2021-02-2004 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkJoseph Phillips, The Grey Land and Will Liverman, Dreams Of A New Day on Classical Music In ColorOn this, the February 2021 edition of Classical Music In Color, we hear from two next/new/now classical music creators. Joseph Phillips about his mono-opera The Grey Land and Will Liverman, Baritone, about his new album, Dreams Of A New Day. Two men who’s work is the personification of the first Black History Month since the death of George Floyd.
2021-02-1530 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkChange Comes Only If - Lee Pringle of The COLOUR OF MUSIC FESTIVAL 2021The 9th year of the Colour of Music Festival comes amid a promised change in the classical music community. Lee Pringle, the Founder and Artistic Director of the festival says this year, he was especially proud to present the works of African-American composers and musicians performing some of the standard repertoire. He’s wondering what may come in the wider classical music community in the years ahead.
2021-02-0603 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDreams Of A New Day – Songs by Black Composers sung by Will Liverman, Baritone on StaccatoSometimes closing our eyes and listening, rather than looking at a screen can be the better choice. In this particular Black History Month, Baritone Will Liverman releases an album of songs by Black composers. Dreams Of A New Day features the works of some contemporary composers of color along with the work of an older generation.
2021-01-2804 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkTyshawn Sorey, Lawrence Brownlee and 2020’s Grip on 2021 CMIC 2021 JANUARYEven though 2020 still has a grip on 2021, we are attempting to move in a different direction in this new year. Much of what we learned how to do during the pandemic year of 2020 is now (almost) muscle memory. In this, the January 2021 edition of Classical Music In Color, listen to composer Tyshawn Sorey’s “new age” way of composing music with Alarm Will Sound’s Alan Pierson. Then stay tuned for a fun interview with Tenors Lawrence (or is it Larry?) Brownlee and Michael Spyers about their new album of Rossini duets, Amici e Rivali. And between those two, hear about th...
2021-01-1834 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkDeadline Is Near. Apply Now! Staccato 2020 December 27th wk SSDAN jgibson trt 344Early in 2020, two men pushed to give opera librettist as much attention as opera composers. One of the men who started this campaign, Mark Campbell, is now funding the first ever prize just for the men and women who write the words in operas. The Mark Campbell Librettist Prize.
2020-12-2803 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkAn Uplifting Message Ending a Terrible Year Staccato 2020 December 20th wk SSDAN Apollo 8 jgibson trt 3222020 is extremely similar to another tough year that ended 52 years ago with an uplifting and spiritual message from space. The astronauts aboard Apollo 8 delivered their Christmas message while orbiting the moon. A message heard in the historic re-telling of the mission in the documentary First to the Moon: The Journey of Apollo 8 with a soundtrack composed by Alexander Bornstein.
2020-12-2803 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkNoname, Price, Hughes, Burleigh – Looking Forward CMIC 2020 DECEMBER2021 brings with it the trauma from 2020. In the classical music community this transition comes with hope and some joy that classical music composed and performed by Black classical musicians will be recognized more so than ever before. There’s D-Composed, a Chicago Black music ensemble formed by two women who took it upon themselves to focus on Black classical music and and those in other genre’s of music too. There’s Heartbeat Opera in New York who produced a visual ablum of music by Black composers. It’s called Breathing Free. In addition, there are books and online p...
2020-12-1924 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkThe Gift Of A Personal Playlist for the Memory Impaired trt 309It is entirely possible that you won’t be able to spend the holidays with a loved one who’s in a nursing home or otherwise being treated for cognitive decline. Music and Memory, a group dedicated to helping these patients re-engage by using music, says you should create a playlist just for your special person as a gift.
2020-12-0403 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkPrison Choirs and Black American Composers in the Opera Breathing Free - A Visual AlbumAs we move deeper into the difficulties 2020 has brought us, one New York based opera company is doing a deep dive into its programming. Heartbeat Opera has produced a 6 part visual album highlighting the music of Black composers. It’s called Breathing Free.
2020-11-2904 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkA Musical Conversation between Malcom X and Dr. Martin Luther King on CMIC 2020 NOVEMBER this oneComposer Rudy Perrault writes a musical conversation between Malcolm X and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr about President Barack Obama. Auditions are coming up for a new opera company in Houston for singers of color. We talk to the founder of I Colori Dell'opera, Errin Hatter.
2020-11-1931 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkCOMPOSING MUSIC WITH YOUR FACE Staccato 2020 November 1st wk SSDAN web SELFIE jgibson trt 435During these difficult days, creativity abounds. Composer John Dante Prevedini decided to use his own face for a new composition. It’s called, appropriately, SELFIE.
2020-11-0104 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkHow Far Does Your Air Go? Staccato 2020 October 18th wkIt’s been 8 months of orchestras, chamber groups, opera companies and more, trying to figure out how to hold performances, safely. Rice University’s Shepherd School of Music and the Brown School of Engineering recently completed a study on how that could happen. One finding? Social Distancing and masks are just ONE part of getting full orchestras or operas on stage with an audience watching.
2020-10-2504 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkMasks for Singers on Staccato 2020 October 25th wkNecessity is indeed the mother of invention, especially in these times. Singers and musicians silenced by the pandemic may have found a way to sing and play together. One singer, Kelly Glyptis, and an organization, The Broadway Relief Project, have independently come up with what both are calling a Singer’s Mask.
2020-10-2503 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkStaccato 2020 October 4th wk SSD Cancellations and Artist ReliefCiting health concerns, at least two classical music organizations have made a difficult decision about their programming. The Met Opera and The Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. There is some some good news from the Artist Relief Fund.
2020-10-0603 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkClassical Music In Color - October: Is That A Flicker Of Light At The End Of The TunnelThere’s mo’ money for struggling creatives, the story of a very busy young Black composer and a Langston Hughes-Beethoven mash up are among the virtual concerts you will want to watch while we try to answer the question: Is there a light at the end of the tunnel?
2020-10-0626 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkCMIC 2020 August-September - Changing the Complexion of Classical MusicAs we move into the fall season for performing arts, there is uncertainty, still, about how it’s all going to work out. On this August/September 2020 edition of Classical Music In Color, hear some of the push back from some classical music groups to the Black Lives Matter message. Black American classical musicians talk about what they go through on the job. There’s also information about grants from the Artist Relief Program. On the musical side, we play a tribute to George Floyd, and there’s a piece from D-Composed.
2020-08-2435 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkFlutist Eugenia Zukerman Battling Alzheimer's on StaccatoFor the 75 year old world renowned flutist Eugenia Zukerman, life is a little different these days. Cloudy as she would put it, after being diagnosed with Alzheimer’s. She’s written a book about her diagnosis and about her life now. Like Falling Through A Cloud.
2020-06-2704 min
The Second Street Dreams Audio NetworkIn Honor Of George Floyd on Classical Music In ColorThis Show Is In Honor Of George Floyd. This June 2020 edition of Classical Music In Color is mostly a This June 2020 edition of Classical Music In Color is a concert of music composed by African-Americans in classical music that’s about injustice. Most of the music was composed before George Floyd but which resonates even more now. Thanks to the Sphinx Organization for The Seven Last Words of the Unarmed. Actress Jennifer Lewis for Take Your Knee Off My Neck, and Composer Charles D. Dickerson III of the Inner City Youth Orchestra of Los Angeles. for This Is Why We Kneel.
2020-06-0533 min