The Second Street Dreams Audio Network

Many classical music groups have released new music or albums about the 250th birthday of America.  Some are straightforward, others take a diverse view, like the Apollo Chamber Players. Founder and Director  Matthew Detrick says the  album, We The People, features music from composers with disparate American experiences.  

We have been inundated with new music and performances of old patriotic music because of the 250th birthday of the United States. On this June 8th podcast, I’m starting a series on music composed and performed specifically for the big bash next month. This time it’s Karen LeFrak’s American Promise.  You’ll also meet Dawn Carroll who was inspired to compose Songs for Mary.  It’s about a woman who created the National Negro Opera Company and the house where it all started. June is also the month of Juneteenth and Pride month celebrations with some big firsts among them. 

There aren’t many musicians, classical or otherwise who aren’t presenting their own versions of a birthday song for America’s 250th.  On this episode, we hear from Min Kwon, a pianist with a little activist nature on the side. Back in 2021 she started a project called America/Beautiful.  Since then she’s commissioned over 70 composers to come up with their musical versions of what’s beautiful about America at this time using the song America the Beautiful as source material.  Plus it was important to her because she has two daughters, with birthdays on Presidents’ Day and the Fourth of July.

Hundreds of people are expected to  voluntarily step outside of their musical genre mode this weekend and hear something new, and different and maybe even odd. It’s time for the annual HERE BE MONSTERS, Austin’s Indie-Classical  music festival.  Co-director Michael Zapruder of Tetractys says this is a growing movement within the classical or near classical genre of new music.

Many orchestras and chamber groups are celebrating the 250th anniversary of America’s founding this year.  While most of the music is a positive portrayal of the United States there is at least one musical work telling the tale of the horrific treatment of Native Americans and their lands. The piece is Requiem For America by Mohican/Munsee-Lenape composer Brent Michael Davids.  He describes it as a  searing work confronting hard truths about America’s founding. It’ll be performed by the BBC Orchestra in London this month, before its American premiere in November.   

Even though operas from long ago are still being performed, there’s a movement afoot to freshen them up or to do new 21st century operas. In the case of the 1958 opera Vanessa, a production by Heartbeat Opera is doing a stripped-down version of the Pulitzer Prize winning work. It’s directed by RB Schlather.  At The Met, they are about to premiere a  true 21st century opera by first-time opera composer and Grammy winner, Gabriela Lena Frank with a libretto by Pulitzer Prize–winning playwright Nilo Cruz. Then there’s the big dispute between the Boston Symphony Orchestra and its patrons over the firing of Music Director Andris Nelsons.

Sometimes when someone makes a suggestion to you, it kind of sticks with you.  That’s what happened to jazz artist Darrel Grant.  He decided to act on this suggestion from a friend by composing Step by Step, the Ruby Bridges Suite.  It is a piece about the 6-year-old girl who was the first African American student to integrate the New Orleans public schools in 1960. It was not without protests, or strong resistance and a teacher who ignored the noise and taught the little girl in a classroom void of any other students.

In honor of April, Earth Month, more than a few composers have released albums about their love of our home planet, and their anxiety about climate change. This week’s episode features three of those albums.  

There have been several studies on the effect of music on mental health.  This is especially true with the elderly.  A long running study out of Monash University in Melbourne, Australia is finding that dementia may be delayed in the over 70 set if music is in their lives.  

Welcome to my latest podcast.  It’s called Feeding Thespis.  I’m picking it up again after more than a few years and some tears. This one is called NEW TIMES.  It takes place in 1967 on the campus of a prestigious women’s college when a Black woman is hired to run one of the dormitories for the first time in the school’s history.  Her various conflicts come from students, management and another Black woman who isn’t sure about this new lady. 

Composer Chinary Ung has been composing music for 60 plus years.  His compositions are heavily affected by his childhood in Cambodia and the deadly events that happened  there back in the mid 1970’s.  But he says he’s blessed that he was able to come to America in the 1960’s to study the western style of music. Many of his compositions will be performed at the Miller Theatre at Columbia University School of the Arts in its Composer Portraits series on March 26th. 

It took pianist Rebeca Omordia 8 years to create the African Concert Series in London.  She was even told that African classical music wasn’t really classical at all, nor would anyone want to listen to it. The series is very popular now.  So much so that Wigmore Hall in London has gifted Omordia a residency at the world class venue. 

Conductor and Music Director JoAnn Falletta of the Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra has fulfilled a dream.  She’s released A Hero’s Life.  The album has two pieces, one from Richard Strauss and another that’s a world premiere recording of Behzad Ranjbaran’s  Concerto for Violin and Orchestra.  Falletta is also releasing another edition of her book of poetry, Love Letters to Music. This is in addition to the upcoming full length documentary about her nearly 30-year career at the Buffalo Philharmonic.   

When you think of countertenors what’s the first thing that comes to your mind?  Randall Scotting, a countertenor sees himself as a preserver of this male voice classification. He’s releasing the album Divine Impresario to celebrate one of the most popular castrato opera singers of the 17th and 18th centuries. His name is Nicolini.      Cancellations at the Kennedy Center continue even as the building is set to close for renovations. The San Antonio (Texas) Philharmonic shuts down with hopes of returning someday.

In these last few weeks of Black History Month, there are many more events celebrating Black excellence. One such event is with violinist Rachel Barton Pine, who founded the series Music by Black Composers” as part of her foundation, the Rachel Barton Pine Foundation. She did it to advance opportunities to study and perform works by Black composers. Pine performs with the Madison Symphony in Wisconsin this coming week with a group of young people performing the music of some Black classical composers.

As any musician, classical or otherwise, knows, it’s a difficult climb to success.  It took Sarah Kirkland Snider almost 20 years to find it with her composing career.  She’s out with a new album of ethereal, spiritual music called Forward Into Light. Black History Month soars with hundreds of events this month.  Go to the Classical Music In Colors page on secondstreetdreams.com for links to some of the most interesting events. 

Oh Happy Day!  It’s Black History Month.  There are so many events celebrating “black excellence” in all genres of music.  I’ve only mentioned a few including the Colour of Music Festival.  See links on secondstreetdreams.com    There’s a new audio edition of the Harry Potter books.  Believe it or not, the National Endowment for the Arts is offering Challenge Grants. The Cliburn ends its piano competition for Amateurs.  There are plenty of other piano competitions for amateurs, like this one in Paris.   Then there’s the closing of the Kennedy Center, ordered by the President.  

So many events are happening this month and early in February.  Some of them require the attention of the classical music community.    There’s the Grammys, a new album of choral works from the composer of Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, a fresh take on Bach, another cancellation at the Kennedy Center and the March broadcast of the Oscars with a nomination about Verdi.  There’s also a sad story about a violinist whose violin case was too big for the overhead bin.   

While we look forlornly at the holiday bills as we head into  tax season, there is some joy this January.  The Grammy winning and nominated this year again Jazz pianist Sullivan Fortner is grateful and humble after winning the 300k Gilmore inaugural 2026 Larry J. Bell Jazz Artist Award. Donors have nearly flooded the Washington National Opera with funds after the opera company departed the Kennedy Center.  There are still many ways to honor Dr. Martin Luther King and many other African American leaders as we head into Black History Month.  And oh my as George Takei would say, there’s a Star Trek version of a Mozart opera.

Sometimes things happen that let you know that you are on the right path.     This is the experience of the Zara Hudson Kozdoj of the UK.  This 29-year-old Polish-Jamaican cellist, composer and conductor isn’t all about classical music but has surrendered herself to it in bits and pieces. She released her first album in October called Remember Who You Are. She found out while making the album that there were items about business that she wasn’t taught during her years at the Royal College of Music in London.  Then the fates stepped in again. 

Which opera team are you on?“Old” operas versus the “New” operas. According to the book, Opera Wars by Caitlin Vincent, artistic directors and others at the nation’s opera companies are in conflict with themselves over staging the standard operas from the 18th and 19th centuries or producing those composed in the late 20th and 21st centuries. There’s a new directory for musical instruments adapted for those would be musicians with disabilities.  Other companies and engineers are developing adaptations too. Apple Music Classical has made a surprising choice for it’s classical album of the year. 

While we still might be recovering from Thanksgiving,  there’s the rest of the holidays to consider.  Shopping for gifts, decorating the house while listening to music. Gifts have already come to Kyle Rivera, who won the Michael Morgan Prize for Black composers.  The Pegasus Opera Company in the UK is looking for partners to produce an opera about the Windrush generation.  The Detroit opera presents two little known and rarely staged operas. 

A new era of operas is emerging. Not that the popular ones are stuffy or just plain old.  Composer Nathan Felix seeks new 21st century operas at his second annual Opera Austin Festival.  Another member of the Kanneh-Mason family of England, has released a new album.  Pianist Jeneba Kanneh-Mason shows her love of Jane Austen with an album of music in honor of the 250th anniversary of the novelist’s birth.

As the holiday season officially makes its debut this Thanksgiving week, there’s money and music to behold.  First up, in these times, the Palm Beach Symphony has hired its first ever Development Director in its 41-year history. Then there’s Chloe Flower who’s released an album of holiday music composed by women. It’s called She Composed – The Holidays.   Finally we ask the question:  How does your concert outfit affect perceptions of your performance? 

There is always much concern about the future audiences for classical music. The New York Philharmonic may have found the solution.  It’s their 100-year-old Young People’s Concerts.  A new one is coming up this month called the Young People’s Concert: Symphonies! Stories! Sibelius! It’ll tell an elaborate tale about the investigation of Sibelius’ Second Symphony written by classical music expert and writer Lauren Rico.

In observance of National Native American Heritage Month, White Snake Projects, has introduced the Indigenous Directory for Musical Storytelling.  It names Native American musicians, artists, and crew members who are available for work. Some of them are Grammy award winners.  The co-founder and Artistic Director of White Snake Projects, Cerise Lim Jacobs says Native American artists were initially reluctant to sign up, fearing it was a scam. That’s despite the Pulitzer Prize White Snake Projects won in 2011 for the opera Madam White Snake. 

With the federal government shut down, (as of this writing)  it’s difficult to say if there will be a federal observance of Veteran’s Day on November 11th. So, In gratitude for their service, the podcast this week is all about the music composed to honor them. The men and one woman featured in this show are just a few of the Veteran composers who wrote music for and about Veterans.  One piece was composed and performed while the composer was in a POW camp.     There is also a piece about Native American Heritage Month.

When you took your shower today did you think about where the water came from?  The source of it?  Probably Not.  There’s at least one arts organization in Austin, Texas, Forklift Danceworks,  led by Allison Orr, that wants you to know and maybe learn how to help keep the clean water flowing.

One man, a conductor,  has such love for the music of British composer Samuel Coleridge Taylor (August 15, 1875 – September 1, 1912) that he made it his mission to find his manuscripts.  The album, produced by conductor Michael Repper and performed by the National Philharmonic with violinist Curtis Stewart is a love note to Coleridge Taylor on the 150th anniversary of his birth.  Much of the music on the album titled Samuel Coleridge-Taylor are world-premiere studio recordings of his work.  Some of them have not been performed for 100 years.

While we all get accustomed to Classical Music in ColorS, let’s move on to Segment 2 of 2 of the October 2025 edition.This time we’re talking about a woman who was most likely the first African American hired by a mainstream orchestra, the 93-year-old South Bend, Indiana Symphony Orchestra. Her name is Rosemary Sanders, whose name and history was found as many items are, in the archives.   This discovery shocked Dr. Marvin Curtis, the head of Arts Equity and Public Art in South Bend and Justus Zimmerman, formerly of the South Bend Symphony orchestra, who is now leading the Austin, Texas  Symphony.   Both men decided to produce a documentary about Sanders called Invisible Player. It focuses on Sanders and other Black classical musicians who are still facing difficulties.  

Welcome to a new version of Classical Music in Color.  The first change?  The name.  It’s now plural, CLASSICAL MUSIC IN COLORS.  This is the result of Staccato; my other podcast being cancelled by the radio station that aired it for 10 plus years.  I’m folding Staccato into Classical Music In Colors.  The second change.  Segments.  I’ll be producing one segment with one topic a week. This first segment of the new Classical Music In Colors is about supporters, donors and volunteers who’ve stepped up to help arts organizations who are no longer receiving grants from the National Endowment For the Arts/Humanities.  As an example we focus on Castle Of Our Skins, a Boston based African American organization promoting classical music composers.  They were able to hold their annual MassQ Ball thanks to donations from people like you.    

Jazz pianist and composer ArcoIris Sandoval spent her summer all over the place.  We met her in July at the Zinc Bar in New York’s The Village where she was performing over a couple of nights before heading off to Massachusetts and other venues around the country.    Sandoval took the time to learn more about her craft with her master’s degree in jazz piano performance from the Manhattan School of Music.  In 2018, she released her debut Sonic Asylum Trio album entitled “First Voyage” which won a Global Music Award In 2018.   

RAMPD. It’s the latest indication that disabled musicians are emerging as bonafide able musicians.    The Recording Artists and Music Professionals with Disabilities was started in 2021.  Two handicapped musicians got tired of venues that were not ADA compliant. Founders Gaelynn Lea and Lachi also got tired of those who couldn’t see past the musician’s disability.    Watch Gaelynn play the violin and sing here.  Keep in mind that this month is the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26th.

We’re introducing you again to composer/singer Molly Joyce.  She’s the disabled musician who has been featured on Staccato before.     This Julliard grad returns with a new album STATE CHANGE with an unusual lyrical content: That of her medical records regarding the near decade long treatment for her disabled left hand.   The music is all her compositions via some new technology she had to learn to use to make this album.   Molly Joyce is releasing the new album in honor of the 35th anniversary of the Americans with Disabilities Act  on  July 26, 1990.  

Every year Art Spark Texas chooses five or more artists who are disabled as winners of their annual awards.   Celia Hughes, Executive Director, says the categories range from Artist of the Year Award,  the Gloria Bond Creative Aging Award, the Creative Veteran Service Award and several others.   In this Staccato, we focus on the 2025 SPARK Award winner Zachary LaViola of Austin whose autism and other issues does not prevent him from being a classical pianist.   There’s also filmmaker Matthew Alaniz, of Austin, TX,  who is recognized as an artist who elevates disability awareness through digital or media art. There's a link to one of his movies:  “Ten To One” on the Staccato page on secondstreetdreams.com Art Spark is now calling for Submissions for the 16th Annual Distinguished Artist Veterans Exhibit. 

It’s that time of year again.   Each summer, Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute chooses the brightest young players from across the country to form the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.  This year 15 of the 96 student musicians chosen are from Texas.  Two are from Austin.    Dorian Herri is a double bass player and Lerchen Zhang is a violinist.    Before heading out for their tour of Asia, there will be a concert at Carnegie Hall on July 20th. 

Another Austin, Texas arts organization has lost its NEA grant.   However, the Tapestry Dance Company is taking it, in as much stride as possible.   Instead of their annual 3 day tap extravaganza, the Soul 2 Sole Festival, they are holding a one-day event.       Acia Gray, the Executive Artistic Director and Co-Founder of the Tapestry Dance Company, says they are treating the Tap Jam as a fundraiser for 2026 including their silent auction.  They are also hoping the event on June 18th will act as a salve for the tap-dancing community.   

This is a very exciting time for the Texas State International Piano Festival.  They are holding this year’s event in Seoul, South Korea.  It is the first time they will be “off campus” for the 15 year old competition. It’s usually held at Texas State University in San Marcos, but it’s always been a dream of the co-founder Dr. Jason Kwak and some of his colleagues,  Dr. SungEun Park and Dr. Martin Kesuma to hold the competition in Seoul.  The Texas State International Piano Festival gets underway June 24th and runs until July 6th. 

An increasing number of orchestras are taking it upon themselves to ensure the health of their musicians. They’re setting up a program called physio toolkit. The latest is the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic in the UK.   Dr. John Chong, one of the founders of the Performing Arts Medicine Association or PAMA, in Canada says musicians face a number of specialized ailments.    This comes just as HAAM The Health Alliance for Austin Musicians is celebrating its 20th anniversary annual member event. They’re offering free health and wellness services and other perks.  It’s on June 17th.  

The firings and resignations continue in all parts of the American universe.  National Endowment for the Arts grants have been slashed, leaving arts and music organizations scrambling for funds.   With memories of Memorial Day still with us, two new albums have been released honoring the fallen. A Symphony For Vietnam Veterans tells the musical tale about the trauma and some joy in that war.  The opera An American Soldier spotlights the suicide of a Chinese American soldier after weeks of daily beatings by members of his own unit.  There’s a quick reminder to all professional women conductors to apply for a competition that’s already considered prestigious:  The La Maestra International Competition for Women Conductors.

There will be many honors this Memorial Day week for the military men and women who lost their lives while serving their country.  Music will be a large part of that.   One of them is the world premiere recording of the opera An American Soldier.  It’s the true story of the young Chinese-American Army Pvt. Danny Chen who committed suicide because he  was beaten every day by his fellow soldiers and a superior officer during his service in Afghanistan.  There is also a new version of  Symphony For Vietnam Veterans.   Composer and retired U.S. Army Captain James Kimo Williams has released a string orchestra version of his orchestral piece about his time in war.

In Part Two of Summer Music Camps for Adults we focus on musicians. There are more than a few camps all over the country.  Some with a focus on your instrument.  There’s the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan  and the Austin, Texas Chamber Music Center has several Workshops. 

Many of Austin’s music groups are ending their 2024-2025 seasons this month.    One is ATX Chamber Music and Jazz.  It’s closing the season with a performance of the Julliard String Quartet.  Co-Artistic Director Anna Petrova says it’ll be like old home week for her and a friend.    Prepare for your summer by attending the season closer of the  Austin Gay Men’s Chorus.  They want you to help them Shake The Rafters.  It’s called a full-spectrum extravaganza of emotion, community, and vocal cords working overtime in the best way possible.  

How about spending part of your summer elevating your skills at a music camp for adults?  There are plenty of choices, here in Austin, in Texas and all over the US.  There is, of course, the Interlochen Center for the Arts in Michigan.  Gary Gatzke Associate Director of Continuing and Community Education says there’s a wait list for many of the camps they offer.  There’s also Berkshire Choral International, a summer choral camp offering performances in some of the most prestigious places in the world.  In Austin, there’s the summer program for Alumni of the Texas State University's Choral Program. Stay tuned for Part Two of Summer Music Camps for Adults.  The focus will be on camps for musicians and their instruments. Listen for it during the week of May 18th. 

There’s a young woman in the Dallas area who is introducing at risk and low-income kids to classical music through a program called Miles for Music.  Emma Fossum, a 17-year-old high school student says the idea for the free program started with her youngest sister, who is autistic.  Fossum, a pianist and a beauty queen has been traveling to schools in North Texas presenting the program for the last 8 months.  She’s hoping to expand the program statewide and maybe nationally. 

To steal a phrase from a big budget movie: There is a disturbance in the force. Many if not all of DEI programs have been cut by the federal government. Harpist Ashley Jackson has a new album that will soothe your soul. Make an effort to see and/or hear one of two shows now in circulation:The Equity Arc Wind Symphony and Words and Music of Black America.There are some competitions to enter.  Click the links on the Classical Music In Color page on SecondStreetDreams.com   

There is something to be said for “togetherness” .  It’s the running theme in a recent study about the positive effects on young people who play in a classical music ensemble or orchestra.Dr Anna Bussu of Edge Hill University near Liverpool, England, is a psychologist and a senior Lecturer in Criminal Justice. She conducted the study called:  Playing music together: Exploring the impact of a classical music ensemble on adolescent’s life skills self-perception.  This paper explored the effectiveness of ensemble performance on the development of an  adolescent’s life skills. 

Back in October, 340 pianists applied for the 2025 Cliburn International Piano Competition.  Only 30 were granted entry.  They will be coming from 17 countries when the competition begins on May 21st in Fort Worth. All of them are hoping to win Gold, but there’s the silver and bronze medals, special awards and cash prizes of over half a million dollars.    This is also the first competition for the recently established Cliburn Agency that the winners can claim for career management packages worth a total of over $2 million. The CLIBURN International Piano Competition is widely considered one of the most prestigious contests in classical music.      

A Cancer diagnosis changes everything.   Pianist Yoko Misumi knows that first hand, which led to the album she and her colleague from the Greenwich Trio, cellist Heather Tuach curated and produced.  It’s called IN THE MIRROR, an emotional journey born of reflection, healing, and hope.   There are original works and new arrangements by 11 composers, all women on the album.  They include Jennifer Higdon, Dobrinka Tabakova and Jessie Montgomery. 

DakhaBrakha is a world-music quartet from Kyiv, Ukraine on an American tour.  They’re performing at Bass Recital Hall on April 11th. While not classically classical, the band describes themselves as the sound and soul of Ukrainian folk music with a modern flair.   Marko Halanevych and Iryna Gorban, the original members of the band, say they  think of family members back home in Kyiv whenever they perform the music they love to play. While they enjoy their audiences, the members of DakhaBrakha are looking forward to seeing their families again soon.