Musings on ballet, classical music, the violin, and life
The Classical Girl Tonight, American Ballet Theatre principal Misty Copeland will debut on Broadway in On the Town, as the aspiring Broadway dancer, Ivy Smith (AKA Miss Turnstiles). Broadway, eat your heart out. Here’s a peek. I love seeing ballet professionals show up in other venues, on unfamiliar stages. Misty Copeland is showing up everywhere these days, including on … Read more
A common question I get asked goes something like this: I’m taking a ballet class again after many years. I’m not even sure what to wear as an adult, or what to bring, What should I wear or bring, so that I fit in and don’t stand out as oblivious? Okay, a valid question, and … Read more
In my second year of playing the violin, back in 2006, I decided my $200 starter violin, initially a rental, had served its purpose, and it was time to invest in a quality advanced beginner violin. My budget was $2000. The search took five months as I sampled over forty violins, in San Francisco, Santa … Read more
Boy, the things you come back home to after you’ve been away on vacation. Especially if you’re one of those people, like myself, who tries to avoid the stuff that chains you to your regular, non-vacationing life: the news, the Internet, social media. Sometimes this philosophy backfires. In mid-June I came home from a relaxing … Read more
Back in 2013, when this blog was but a fledgling, I thought it would be clever, as my very first post, to discuss Tchaikovsky creating his first symphony. The post, entitled “Creating the First” applied to both him and me, you see. I just love Tchaikovsky’s Symphony No. 1 and I love the story behind … Read more