The Second Street Dreams Audio Network

DakhaBrakha is a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine on an American tour.  They’re performing at Bass Recital Hall on April 11th. While not classically classical, the band describes themselves as the sound and soul of Ukrainian folk music with a modern flair.   Marko Halanevych and Iryna Gorban, the original members of the band, say they  think of family members back home in Kyiv whenever they...

Women’s History Month has brought forth an album of classical music featuring two of the most famous women composers of the 19th and 20th centuries.    Their music is performed by pianist Anna Shelest in the album she produced called Donna Voce, Volume 3: Clara Schumann & Cécile Chaminade.  She even got her husband involved.  Dmitri Shelest performs with his wife on Chaminade’s Pièces Romantiq...

A new opera is about to premiere in Virginia called Loving v. Virginia.  It tells the true story of an interracial couple who had to go to the Supreme Court to legalize their marriage.  Two well-known opera singers were asked to compose and direct. Bass Baritone Damien Geter composed the music and Mezzo Soprano Denyce Graves is directing.  Also on this March 2025 edition of Classical Music In Colo...

Applications are now open for the La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors. It takes place in Paris every two years.  It is a competition that is fast becoming THE place where women conductors can be seen, heard, and hired. Even for those who don’t win or place, there’s an Academy co-directed by the Philharmonie de Paris and the Paris Mozart Orchestra led by Claire Gibault and Oli...

If you are a gamer who likes to listen to the music of video games, this event is for you.  POWER UP:  THE ART OF VIDEO GAME MUSIC presented by Destiny 5-1-2 of Austin, is covering all of the bases when it comes to composing and recording music for video games.   Perhaps the music for the video games Walkabout Mini Golf  by  Mighty Coconut or The (evil) Baby in Yellow composed by   Virginia Leo  o...

You’ve heard the term Awards Season.  It refers to those major awards for stage and screen and music.  For Art Spark of Texas this is nomination season.  They are seeking nominations from anyone for disabled artists all over Texas for the 2025 Artist of the Year Awards.  Last year’s winners of one of the four awards were the Spinrockers.    Art Spark Executive Director Celia Hughes says Artists wo...

After a two year break, Golden Hornet’s String Quartet Smackdown is on again.  This is the competition that uses the bracket system of March Madness with a live audience to determine the winner. Among the 16 finalists is Evan Blaché of Cedar Park, who won the competition two years ago.  The String Quartet Smackdown is Saturday, February 22nd at The Baker Center. That same weekend, the Austin Symph...

February 2025 brings us Black History Month and the 125th anniversary of the Black National Anthem, Lift Every Voice And Sing. There are many arrangements of this uplifting song including two acapella versions featured in this month’s podcast. There’s also celebrations at Lift Every Voice and Sing Park in Florida. Composer Julia Perry (1924 – 1979) has finally found a distributor of her music. Aft...

African-American composer Julia Perry died in 1979 without a will, after an illustrious career in classical music that started in the 1950’s. Then she and her works fell into obscurity. Nearly 50 decades later, Perry's music is back in part because it is finally legally available for musicians to perform. That’s thanks to Dr. Louise Toppin, the Director of Vidamus, a group promoting concert works...

The winter/spring season is underway for Austin’s performing arts groups.  For this month, February, the Central Texas Philharmonic is one of the orchestras acknowledging Black History Month.  Music Director Stefan Sanders calls it a hefty spring season of music from all over the classical music spectrum.  Their movie entry is a live performance of the soundtrack of a Harry Potter movie.

What a great loss!!    The Wildfires in the Los Angeles area are still burning. The loss of life and homes is immeasurable.    Orchestras in the area are suffering their own losses, personal and professional. The League of American Orchestras has posted a disaster website full of information on places to go for help.   There’s very bad news for the music of composer Arnold Schoenberg.  Much of his...

I was pretty happy to see the last of 2024.  So many reasons but I think after some time, I am happy to be back producing more episodes of Classical Music In Color in 2025. In this episode I tell you about music organizations offering help for those affected by the Los Angeles Wildfires. I also cover BIPOC classical musicians who are up for Grammy Awards.  Application season is here for young musi...

The 60th anniversary year celebration continues for Chorus Austin.  So far in their 2024-2025 season, they’ve  collaborated with other Austin performing arts groups, commissioned new music and programmed big bold performances for the spring season.  They will continue to do so next month with their spring season performance of Verdi’s Requiem.  Ryan Heller, the conductor and artistic director of C...

Now that the holidays are over, take a rest from all the celebrating and family togetherness, before jumping back in to the entertainment scene.  You have plenty of time.  Austin Classical Guitar has a spring season full of a variety of performers, new music, a new soundtrack for an old silent movie and a celebration of a 25-year-old program. It all starts in February.   

Did you make a New Year’s Resolution for 2025? YouGov.com says the most common resolutions for 30- to 44-year-olds are saving more money (31%) and improving mental health (23%).  Generally speaking, being happy is on the list of resolutions for all age groups.  Researchers believe they’ve found a way to treat one of the most serious mental health issues: Treat Resistant Depression. It seems music...

This might be a good time for your high school or college musician to apply for some summer music programs.  There are so many available and applying for each one can be expensive and time consuming.  Equity Arc to the rescue with their Common Application for Summer Study  for students in underrepresented communities.   Magee Capsouto the Associate Director of Equity Arc says it means they’ll pay...

Sometimes there’s nothing like putting on some comfy clothes and reading a really good book.    Or perhaps you know someone who loves books with stories about classical musicians.    For your holiday gift giving, here are a few suggestions.   Music and Silence by Rose Tremain.  It’s historical fiction about a 17th century English musician in Denmark.   With Bel Canto by Ann Patchett, you can read...

Share the joy of the season with your children or grandchildren with books, and/or audiobooks.  These are written and orchestrated just for the super young set to introduce them to classical music.  Here are a few featured in this Staccato:  The Boy Who Said Wow  - Audio and Book An Introduction To Classical Music  The Nutcracker – An Audio Play with Music 

The Cliburns have expanded.    The prestigious piano competition has formed its own boutique firm called The Cliburn Agency.   Jacques Maquis, president and CEO of The Cliburn says the full-service firm offers comprehensive general management.  It means the four instrumentalists they’ve already chosen will receive  concert bookings, and publicity and branding services.   This comes right in the mi...

With the holiday season upon us, there are a number of musical performances on Austin’s entertainment calendar.  One of them is the Austin Gay Men’s Chorus concert Twas The Night Before – Tales of the Winter Season. Karl Logue is one of the founders of the AGMC.  He says expect this concert to be fun and quirky. 

Do you have a playlist planned for your holiday get together?  If you’re into music from video games, or tv shows with some serious classical music too, violinist Ray Chen might be the answer. His new album Player 1 is a mix of what Chen believes is classical music all around starting with the man he believes started it all, Erich Wolfgang Korngold. 

Panoramic Voices, the adult volunteer choir that’s been singing in the Austin area for many years is now offering young people an opportunity to sing. They’re looking for young voices for its new Panoramic Youth Choir.  The director of the choir, known as AV, says they are expanding their vision of music without borders.

For the first time ever, the opera community in the Austin area is coming together for the first ever Opera Austin Festival on November 16th.  This event, organized by composer and Austin native Nathan Felix, is designed to showcase new operas and the women and men who sing them.  There will also be panel discussions about the state of opera in central Texas.

This is another opportunity for a high school musician.  This time it’s for those who play wind instruments. Equity Arc is a national coalition dedicated to increasing racial equity within the field of classical music in the United States. They are now taking applications for their first Equity Arc Wind Symphony. It offers young musicians of color an opportunity to learn from the members of The Pr...

Patrons of the arts are getting a variety of choices this fall season from Texas Performing Arts.  There’s the always popular Broadway in Austin musicals and plays.  There’s also the acts whose work could be described as curious and imaginative or maybe even mind blowing. Bob Bursey, the Executive and Artistic Director Of Texas Performing Arts says he looks for balance in booking shows because he...