Who are these musician people anyway?  They’re usually seen dressed in black like some sort of formal super hero with a secret identity we never get to learn.  Today’s Take a Friend to Orchestra contribution comes from one of those formal super heroes, Charles Noble,  the Assistant Principal violist for the Oregon Symphony.  His contribution

John Luther Adams once said of Kyle Gann "[He] is a force of nature. Composer, performer, author, critic, scholar, educator  Like the weather, he seems to be everywhere at once – a commanding presence in the landscape of American music." Add to that list; blogger.  I’m fortunate to be right next door to Kyle’s blog,

Since we all can’t be professional musicians or veteran orchestra managers with the confidence to take someone to an orchestra concert and show them the ropes it pays to look at things from the eyes of someone on the outside looking in. The average experienced orchestra patron probably believes that they don’t know very much

U.K. based harpist extraordinaire, Helen Radice, is one of the most imaginative music bloggers around today.  Her weblog, Twang, Twang, Twang (I bet you don’t forget that name), contains paragraph after paragraph of razor edge wit and observation about the music world and other sundry items as she sees fit to include them. Although much

TAFTO contributor, Patricia Emerson Mitchell, posted a bit of a follow up to her contribution from Tuesday, May 4th on her weblog, www.oboeinsight.com.  It’s a compelling piece worth your taking the time to read.  Here’s a snippet to get you hooked: “I remember listening to a recording of a work with a friend once. The