EMA FEATURES & PRESS RELEASES
When Good Music Happens to Really Bad People
Last week, on Friday the 13th, New York's Music Before 1800 concert series hosted the U.S. premiere of 'Death of Gesualdo,' a ghostly retelling of the Renaissance composer's life and grisly crimes, set to his avant-garde music. Performed by puppets, actors, and the British vocal ensemble the Gesualdo Six, the show is the latest from Bill Barclay, whose 'Secret Byrd' was a revelation for putting ancient music in a profoundly living context.
A Deep South Collection of Old Instruments
The Sigal Music Museum, in South Carolina, is the only such public collection in the South and includes the oldest-known piano, from the 1770s, that was commercially build and sold in the nascent United States. With performances from its collection and substantive lectures on historical instruments, the Sigal is a treasure trove of musical history.
Collegiate Early Music: You Forgot the Students
In a Letter to the Editor, a soprano reacts to a much-discussed EMAg article on higher education in our field. She say the reporting left out an essential component: the students. 'As a graduate of two early-music programs, I frequently find myself questioning the value of my degrees.'
Making a Difference in Delaware
The Yudah School of Music, just a year old, offers free tuition for all its students, mostly Black and Latino elementary- and middle-schoolers. Late last year, Yudah founder Rasháwn King brought together students and professionals for a 'Messiah' with a historically informed approach. Along the way, he's challenging 'what it’s supposed to be, who’s supposed to play it.'
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EMA RECORDING & BOOK REVIEWS
Banjo & Fiddle: Early Black Music in the Americas
Fiddle and banjo music played by free and enslaved Blacks before the 1860s is a key element of American musical and cultural history. But the evidence is scant. In 'Go Back and Fetch It,' authors Kristina R. Gaddy and Rhiannon Giddens explore more than three centuries of songs in this landmark new book.
Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane: A Hit Opera, 138 Years Late
The oldest known opera by a Black American composer, Edmond Dédé's 1887 'Morgiane,' had its world premiere last spring and now has its debut recording. Rich string writing, a variety of obbligato parts, and snappy dance rhythms point to a composer with an ear for traditions both formal (French grand opera) and folk (his New Orleans upbringing).
Dazzling Telemann from Amanda Forsythe & BEMF
Amanda Forsythe is the star of this Telemann recording with the Boston Early Music Festival Orchestra. In a favorite cantata and showy opera arias, the soprano and ensemble deliver fiery intensity and emotional depth. And it's a 2026 Grammy winner for Best Classical Solo Album.
Tchaikovsky and Mahler, Refreshed on Period Instruments
Historical performance often reveals fresh sounds in big symphonic music. The Philharmonie Austin's Tchaikovsky's Fifth Symphony and 'Romeo & Juliet' showcases a thrilling Texas ensemble, while the European group Les Siècles, in Mahler's 'The Song of the Earth,' goes back to the composer's soundworld.
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COMMUNITY NEWS & PRESS RELEASES
On March 6, Alkemie will premiere WHAT’S YOUR SIGN? at the Jalopy Music Theatre in Brooklyn, a program curated by ensemble members Tracy Cowart and Ellie Sutherland that explores medieval ...
Baroque Music Montana, led by Artistic Director Carrie Krause, offers a period-practice workshop for modern and baroque performers, August 12th-16th, 2026 in Bozeman, Montana. This year's workshop theme is "Riding ...
In her fourth CD release, recorder soloist Clara Guldberg Ravn turns to the recorder concertos of Georg Philipp Telemann. The recording reveals the full expressive range of this music, from ...
MELZITA, a new album by early music mezzo-soprano Rocky Duval, features works by Hildegard von Bingen and new songs by Duval written in Bingen’s secret language, Lingua Ignota. This album ...
How AI is Changing Music (panel discussion) Thursday, April 16, 6-8pm | Murdock-Whitney House (151 Front St. Winchendon, MA 01475) Andrew Arceci - Director, WMF WITH Chris White - Associate ...
