Peace and Reconciliation

Today I leave Basel to perform with EUBO and the choir of Clare College, Cambridge, in a program titled Peace and Reconciliation to mark the 100th anniversary of the start of The Great War. Though I cherish another opportunity to play with such a fantastic group, the presentation of three works on the program have given me cause for concern.

Polarizing Words

At a post-concert reception last February I had the chance to meet a couple who don't often attend early-music performances. In fact, I think it was their first time. In the middle of our conversation the husband used a word which caught me off guard.

A Mystery Solved?

Last week TheStrad.com published an opinion piece which turned a few heads. Early music should be left to period players said Julian Haylock, but for all the wrong reasons. Though his hypothesis is polarizing, the evidence he chooses to support his argument is spotty at best.

Worth a Read

Last week Sara Sitzer wrote an article on Newmusicbox on defining success. Many musicians coming out of conservatories today need to assess what success means to them. Last week I was lucky enough to run a round-table at the Schola focusing on the rationale of a career in music. My reason for the subject was that if we could define why we aspire for a professional music life, apart from the usual 'I like it' or 'I can't see myself doing anything else', then even in our darkest hours we could take what we had learned to find the motivation to continue. In many ways Sitzer's article parallels this activity.