Music and Much More
In today’s episode, I interview special guest Kent Sanders, who helped write The Faith of Elvis with Elvis’s stepbrother Billy Stanley. Find out more about the behind-the-scenes life of the King of Rock n’ Roll!
Billy Stanley, Elvis Presley’s stepbrother, shares the untold story of the iconic singer’s Christian faith–its deep influence on his music, films, relationships, commitment to his family and fans, and his love for the Gospel.… Read More...
I wanted to say a quick thank you to my podcast listeners! Like you, I’m an audiophile myself. I don’t know what I’d do without my favorite podcast creators and music playlists!
I especially wanted to say “merci” to all my fabulous French listeners!… Read More...
As an aficionado of French and Music, it doesn’t get much better than Debussy!
Claude Debussy wrote his Violin Sonata in G Minor in 1917, near the end of his life. The unusual harmonies deviate from his earlier impressionistic works, like the famous piano Arabesques composed during the Impressionist era.
I hope you enjoy this little taste of French music composed during the early twentieth century!… Read More...
I hope you enjoy my recording of the this springtime classic.
American Jazz Violin Hit Song with Ukrainian/Russian Roots
Paul Nero, a mid-twentieth-century composer known for his hot violin jazz tunes, made a splash in 1949 with his successful song, The Hot Canary. This hilarious hit would have been the talk of Twitter, full of bird tweets and trills throughout.… Read More...
After all the excitement of launch, it has taken me a little while to reset, but it’s time to return to some of our favorite composers!
Johann Sebastian Bach (1685-1750) is the most well-known composer of the Baroque period, and one of the most famous composers of all time! He played many roles throughout his life, including composer, church organist, husband, and father to twenty children!… Read More...
Listening for next week: Dvorak Symphony No. 8
This week’s Music Book Club is sponsored by The Chronicles of Music Majors
Brandon clamped his large fingers around the thick neck of his six-foot upright bass.… Read More...
For more about my book A Change in Tune, check out my interview with Chautona Havig, the hilarious host of the Because Fiction podcast! Click HERE for the full post! (Please forgive the bad audio on my part! I was having mic trouble that day.)
With the approach of the new school year, as well as my upcoming book release, I am launching my own Music Book Club: Fiction Fridays.… Read More...
Johann Sebastian Bach was born March 31, 1685. As one of the most prolific and renowned composers of all time, I figured today we’d celebrate his legacy. I had the privilege of performing a couple of movements of his Sonata No. 3 in C Major.
Sadly, I never performed the infamously challenging Chaconne, but I can’t wait for Jennifer Roig Francoli’s upcoming recording of the beautiful work!… Read More...
To close out the year, I thought it fitting to honor one of the greatest composers of all time. This month, classical music aficionados around the world are celebrating Beethoven’s 250th birthday.
I was thrilled to be featured by Applause to the Musician for Beethoven’s Duet in C Major with cellist Chet Lord-Remmert.… Read More...
“… I don’t want Amati, a Stainer or a toy. I want a Stradivarius to play with and enjoy. I want a Stradivarius for Christmas. Only a Stradivarius will do. No French Vuillaumes, or Guarneriuses. I only like, Stradivariuses. And Stradivariuses like me too!”
If you know anything about violins, you’re probably aware you can’t go wrong in buying your sweetheart violinist a Stradivarius for Christmas.… Read More...
“Death at midnight plays a dance-tune, zig, zig, zig, on his violin.”
“Danse Macabre” by Henri Cazalis (French symbolist poet: 1840-1909)
The haunting month of Halloween is upon us, and I couldn’t help but revisit my favorite ghostly violin music. Over the past couple of centuries the violin has had it’s bout with the devil, from Berlioz’ Symphanie Fantastique (1830) and Saint-Saëns’ Danse Macabre (1874), to Mussorsky’s Night on Bald Mountain.… Read More...
A little late on the draw, but I had to jump on the internet bandwagon and create a tier list, this one based on my favorite (and a couple of not-so-favorite) composers.
Who would you put at the top? And at the bottom? Check out this tier list for my answers!… Read More...
“Chamber Music— a conversation between friends.” –Catherine Drinker Bowen
One of the advantages to being a professional violinist is its variety! I love to learn new material, explore multiple genres, and uncover old gems from centuries past. I enjoy playing in a variety of capacities, whether as a soloist or as a member of small ensembles.… Read More...
Check out the music playlist!
Freshman bassoonist Adam Heckel faces hazing in the music fraternity at Belton University while organist Miguel Guzmán struggles to overcome the pain of his past while preparing music for All Saints Day. When the two friends cross paths in an eerie locale Halloween night, will they finally find the brotherhood they both desperately need?… Read More...
“O say does that star-spangled banner yet wave, o’er the land of the free and the home of the brave?” –Francis Scott Key
Happy Independence Day! Growing up, I loved celebrating the 4th of July with my family. We had a great view of fireworks from our elevated back porch, so we often invited other family members to our house.… Read More...
Chenoa Alamu resides in Springfield, is a violinist in the Illinois Symphony Orchestra, Peoria Symphony Orchestra, and the Decatur-Millikin Symphony Orchestra. She teaches violin and viola privately, and is a Starter Strings Teacher through the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony programs and Springfield Public School District #186.… Read More...
“All music is folk music. I ain’t never heard a horse sing a song.”
-Louis Armstrong
It’s April Fools Day! We could all use a laugh, now more than ever. Classical musicians like to play practical jokes as much as anyone, and several composers even wrote jokes into their works.
Joseph Haydn (1732-1809) composed two works in particular that have entertained audiences for centuries with their humorous nature.… Read More...
Most little girls are enamored by ballet. My daughter certainly is! Nearly a year ago, she I had the opportunity to see Tchaikovsky’s ballet Sleeping Beauty performed live by a phenomenal group of dancers and musicians. I especially enjoyed hearing a friend of mine play the beautiful violin solos as the concertmaster of the pit orchestra.… Read More...
In recent years I have found the history of the violin quite fascinating. Here I look at a few of the precursors to the violin: the lyre, the rebab, the vielle, the rebec, the lyra family, and the viol family.
Ancient Greek lyre: Antiquity, c.14th century B.C.… Read More...
Valentine’s Day is just around the corner, bringing thoughts of love and warmth to our cold winter. The love story we look at today is not as warm, but its longevity has stood the test of time. Written at the end of the sixteenth century by William Shakespeare, Romeo and Juliet is arguably the most famous play of all time.… Read More...
Several years ago, I had the opportunity to perform a faculty recital entitled “An American Taste of Paris” at both the university where I taught and at the Fondation des Etats-Unis in Paris, France. The pianist, a Franco-American colleague of mine, introduced me to two short, relatively obscure French pieces—“Nocturne” (1911) and “Cortège” (1914), which captured my fancy. … Read More...