2009 Grawemeyer Award Announced

"The Lost Art of Letter Writing, a four-movement concerto for violin and orchestra by Australian composer Brett Dean, has earned the 2009 University of Louisville Grawemeyer Award for Music Composition."

An interview with Donna Buchanan

"As the winter holidays approach, so does a seasonal classic. “The Nutcracker,” the fantasy ballet set to an adaptation of E.T.A. Hoffmann’s original tale and Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s score, seems to be as popular today with audiences of all ages as it was when it was first performed in St. Petersburg in 1892. U. of I. professor Donna Buchanan, whose specialization is Russian and Balkan music, teaches courses focusing on Russian art music, including “The Nutcracker.” She discusses the timeless appeal of the ballet and its music with News Bureau arts writer Melissa Mitchell."

Noises off: The rehearsal's the thing
Posted by Chris Wilkinson December 2 2008
The Guardian Theatre Blog

"The New York-based Ontological-Hysteric Theatre is in the process of rehearsing its new show, Astronome – A Night at the Opera, and will be streaming its rehearsals online every Wednesday evening until the show opens. This idea has excited bloggers stateside. George Hunka says, 'It's a unique offering from two unique theatre and music artists ... watch Foreman, his cast and his crew create a new work before your very eyes. You want the theatrical process available through the internet, you've got it.'"

News Gazette story
Dec 6, 2008

Free and online: 62 solid days of classical music
COLIN EATOCK
Special to The Globe and Mail
December 13, 2008

"This week, the Canadian Music Centre launched Centrestreams, an audio-streaming service that makes the CMC's collection of 8,000 recordings, by about 700 Canadian composers, available online at http://www.musiccentre.ca."