I told a friend about Gabriela Montero, pianist extraordinaire, who constantly hears music in her head. The reaction was immediate, "Is she crazy? You know, like in the movie, The Soloist?"

I did not have the guts to ask Montero if she is crazy; but I did ask her if the music in her head drives her crazy. [...]

During SummerFest, there are many  free opportunities to peek into the lives of musicians. My favorite is the Master Class, where a professional musician who commands high salaries teaches one who doesn't. What could they be learning? Surely these twenty-somethings, who have chosen a career playing classical m [...]

Part 1 of a 2 part interview.

In this interview, I've only scratched the surface of composer Bright Sheng. I would need to be an expert in anthropology and music to uncover the depth of his knowledge. Besides being one of the few composers commissioned to create a piece for La Jolla Music Society, Sheng traces human migration paths by learning thei [...]

This is Part 2 of a 2 part interview.

Here is Part 1.

How has the change in the business of music, such as downloading of free music, changed what you do? Is it good or bad for you? Is it good or bad for classical music?

I think it is all for the good. And it is good for classical music in general because now the music publication is immediate and it reaches a far wider audience. We will have to be sure that our music is of some true value and believe that some musically mor [...]

INTERVIEW WITH ANTHONY NEWMAN Part 2 of 2

Part 1 is here.

As a musician, teacher, conductor, composer, and author, you have been involved in the music business for over 50 years. How has downloading of free music changed what you do?  Is it good or bad?

Newman:  It is both good and bad.  Downloading almost makes the sale of CDs irrelevant, but one usually receives a tiny royalty for each.  Concert music needs to be modernized!

Could you expand [...]

INTERVIEW WITH ANTHONY NEWMAN PART 1

I got lucky with this, my premier blog interview. Anthony Newman was the first SummerFest musician to agree to be interviewed; so what choice did I have? He's a baroque music aficionado. Baroque music (1600 - 1750's), to me, is safe and conventional [...]

Which SummerFest concert am I most excited to hear? It is a tough question; but, beside Opening and Closing Nights, I choose Wednesday, August 25th, An Evening with Vladimir Feltsman. Being a child of the 60's and 70's, I'm fascinated by anyone that grew up be [...]

Why am I starting this blog? I've asked myself three times now as I force myself to sit and write. First, I love the music. And despite the gorgeous beach, San Diego would be a dull place to live without the arts, especially La Jolla Music Society. Being an electrical engineer, I like complicated problems. I discovered that the music world is just as complicated as the telecommunication world but infused with gorgeous music. Artistically, there is the balance between music that will [...]

Remember that guy who comes onstage before each performance? That guy who, when he first arrived, unknowingly fell into the war of the children versus the seals at Children?s Beach by naively saying on-stage how unique it is to have seals so close by? Four and a half years later, he?s fully schooled in the pros and cons of all-things seals; and, a [...]

Haochen Zhang, piano prodigy, was invited to America to attend the Curtis Institute of Music in Philadelphia in 2005. He was chosen from 115 outstanding candidates; but this was not enough to convince our government to allow his mother to stay and take care of him after her 6 month visa expired. What I found touching is that Haochen, 16, ate nothing but Kentucky Fried Chicken and $5 Chinese food after she left. The Woo family, including La Jollans Dolly and Victor Woo, unofficially adopted hi [...]