The Second Street Dreams Audio Network

The Sphinx Organization, the group that’s been fostering diversity in classical music since 1996, has a programming chief for the first time ever.  Andre Dowell is new to the job but not to the Sphinx organization. In his new job, he says he wants Sphinx to keep moving forward in diversifying the classical music community via the organization’s many programs.

Austin Opera is ending their 2023-24 season with the red-hot opera Carmen.  The cast is full of young singers, many of whom are making their debut with the Austin Opera.  CEO Annie Burridge is hoping this super popular work from Bizet will entice audiences back to the Long Center after the hibernation forced upon us by Covid.  

As the end of most performing arts seasons come to an end, the Grammy winning choir, Conspirare is going out with a blast of three programs featuring a 30th anniversary event and the post pandemic return of Conspirare’s Symphonic Choir .   Founder and Artistic Director Craig Hella Johnson is celebrating the end of their 30th season with a musical bash.  

Why would a business school devoted to developing entrepreneurs invite an opera singer to lead a masterclass?  Babson College in Massachusetts did just that. They named Soprano Karen Slack as the school’s Artist In Residence .  She spent 3 days teaching, talking, and singing.  School administrators, like Anjali Bal, say that Slack and other artists like her, offer their students a different perspe...

There may come a time when classical music and other types of music will be “prescribed” along with your medication.  A Canadian Pharmaceutical expert and researcher, Dr. Tony Kiang, is taking up a study to determine if listening to music while taking your medication would improve its effectiveness.  

The upcoming Solar Eclipse will darken the sky for a few minutes on April 8th.  Texas orchestras are providing the soundtrack with concerts celebrating the celestial event.  The Waco Symphony is having it’s 'Sci-Fi Spectacular'  Sun, Moon and Superstars concert.  The East Texas Symphony has collaborated with Tyler Junior College for a musical and visual feast.  Here are other eclipse related music...

Just in time for the solar eclipse, Austin Classical Guitar presents two programs ending its 2023-2024 season.  Your eclipse guests might enjoy classical guitarists the Beijing Duo or if they stay long enough, David Russell .  Perhaps there’s an amateur classical guitarist in your circle who might be brave enough to try Open Mic night at the Rosette . 

At least six U.S. orchestras are performing the music of Florence Price this Women’s History Month .  Other women composers are getting the spotlight too.  That’s nice says Liane Curtis, the President of Women’s Philharmonic Advocacy , but it’s not really enough.  The organization has released its Repertoire Report which analyzes the programming of the top 21 U.S. Symphony Orchestras.

The League of American Orchestras is in the middle of a new program aimed at improving gender equity among top orchestra executives. Cane Thomason Redus, the VP of inclusion and Learning at the League Six Women and Non-Binary Orchestra Professionals were chosen for the inaugural Anne Parsons Leadership Program from the League of American Orchestras .   One of the six is Violist Catherine Beeson fr...

It’s a big successful time for Austin Soundwaves , a group that’s been teaching student musicians from all backgrounds since 2011. Their most recent expansion is their summer music camp . Their award-winning Executive Director Patrick Slevin says this “new” camp is a full day and offers classes they’ve never offered before. They are hoping the students will take their musical training to the next...

When most of us attend classical music concerts, we’re most likely not thinking about how our fellow patrons are enjoying the music. Apparently, we’re all affected by the performance at the same rate called Embodied Cognition . That’s according to a study by Dr. Wolfgang Tschacher , Professor Emeritus at the University of Bern in Switzerland. He and his team at the Experimental Concert Research Pr...

During Black History Month , many organizations are celebrating what’s known as Black Excellence. The Department of Music at Southwestern University in Georgetown, Texas is presenting a performance by pianist Althea Waites this month. She may be under the radar of more well known pianist but her talent and experience has carried her through over a near 60 year career.

Valentine’s Day is 3 weeks away. That’s just enough time for you to prepare to attend the Mid-Texas Symphony’s Romance and Chocolates concert with a side of diamonds. Music Director, Akiko Fujimoto has curated classical music and movie soundtracks to celebrate. In addition, patrons will be given chocolates to eat while listening to one of the works. There’s also a raffle for diamond studs .

The new year brings new opportunities and one of them might be for the young ones in your life. The National Children’s Chorus is holding auditions right now for their Austin chapter. It’s for children aged 5 to 18. Artistic Director and CEO Luke McEndarfer says any child who loves music and wants to sing is invited to take part. Austin is one of 8 cities with chapters of the National Children’s C...

Have you ever heard of Vicente Lusitano ? During his lifetime in the 1500s he lit up the Early Music/Renaissance world with his music, intelligence, and moxie. Unfortunately this Afro-Portuguese composer’s mixed parentage and the prejudices of the period meant his legacy would not survive. But his music remains. In this January 21st edition of Classical Music In Color, two Lusitano experts, Garret...

The Austin Opera is about to do something they’ve never done before. They are presenting the world’s first Mariachi Opera, Cruzar la Cara de la Luna. It will also be the first time they are staging an opera sung in Spanish with help from the new Butler Fund for Spanish Programming . Some of the cast is from Ópera de Bellas Artes , the national opera company of Mexico.

Going back to work this week might seem like somewhat of a letdown after all the fun and frivolity of the holiday season. There is a way to make it all better. Listen to music at the office. A recent study found that workers are happier and more productive when listening to instrumental music while on the job. However, other researchers have somewhat opposing ideas about listening to music at the...

However you celebrate the holidays, there’s probably nothing like playing with your new toy this time of year. It might be a video game with a soundtrack of some of the oldest tunes in the world . Early Music. Dr. Karen Cook , an Early Music Scholar and a Video Game Scholar says while she’s playing some of the latest video games , she’s also listening to the soundtrack for the telltale signs of ea...

Prepare to hear the sounds of three very different African-American composers from different eras of classical music in the 20th century. On the album African-American Voices II , curated and conducted by Kellen Gray , there’s Margaret Bonds and the music of Ulysses Kay and Coleridge-Taylor Perkinson . Kellen Gray is coming stateside next month (January) to work in Minnesota and in Washington, DC....

There are two new very different albums that came out recently that could be on your holiday list. Composer and author Tina Davidson has released her latest album Hymn of the Universe . It’s a choral work performed by VocalEssence and based on the writings of Jesuit Priest and Scientist Pierre Teilhard de Chardin . And The Emerson String Quartet has released its final album after 47 years of perfo...

The Austin Chamber Music Center has opened its application season for the 2024 Coltman Chamber Music Competition . They’re inviting exceptional ensembles from across the country to compete for cash prizes and performance opportunities. Artistic Director Michelle Schumann says some past winners of this competition have gone on to solid careers in the chamber music space, like the 2023 Grand Prize W...

With TikTok, Facebook and other social media platforms, it’s hard to imagine a time when the only way to see a documentary was on television. That is the world the late Christoper Nupen lived and worked in. Starting in the 1960’s Nupen’s company, Allegro Films , started with Double Concerto . Nupen continued to produce ground breaking documentaries about classical musicians that revealed their off...

Two composers and musicians, George Lewis and Harald Kisiedu have gathered some of today’s composers and musicologists in a book of essays called Composing While Black . There are nine essays in the book that talk about their experiences composing, performing and being in a world that isn’t always welcoming to Black musicians, classical or otherwise.

We’re a little more than a month away from 2024 which means it’s time to make plans for the summer. Specifically summer music programs for young musicians. Equity Arc has partnered with at least 17 summer music programs to provide applications fees and scholarships for BIPOC musicians via their Common Application for Summer Study . Magee Capsouto, the Associate Director at Equity Arc says they’re...

Austin Soundwaves will be able to serve more students in several ways after receiving a grant from Carnegie Hall’s Play USA program . Their mission is to train student musicians across the greater Austin area and to provide diverse opportunities for learners of all ages and backgrounds. Last year they served more than 1,100 students through 23 school partnerships and programs., Deputy Director Her...