classical music

SU Symphony creates a tapestry of sound
By Jonathan Williams
October 23, 2017 - 9:45pm
Review: The Syracuse University Symphony allowed its passion to shine through in a performance featuring Rossini and Sibelius.

The grandiose sounds of Italian composer Gioachino Rossini paired with the deeply textured and intricate work of Finish composer Jean Sibelius formed a multilayered symphonic pallet Sunday in Setnor Auditorium.

Under the baton of James Tapia, the Syracuse University Symphony Orchestra performed Gioachino Rossini’s short overture from his opera “La gazza Ladra” along with Jean Sibelius’s laborious “Symphony No. 2 in D Major, Op. 43.”

From stage to sound booth, opera singer Bruce Paulsen brings vocal talent to radio announcing
By Remy Reynolds
November 18, 2015 - 12:50pm
Bruce Paulsen began announcing at WCNY-FM after a diverse career led him both on and off the stage.

“When I was in fourth grade, I wanted to be Johnny Cash,” said Bruce Paulsen, classical music announcer at WCNY-FM. “Back then, I started talking with a fake low voice. But it turned out to be where I live.”

Valentine's Day Playlist
By Leah Harrison
February 13, 2012 - 4:04pm
Josh Breeden and Leah Harrison outline their latest holiday playlist for Valentine's lovers

William Shakespeare had a pretty good grasp on the concept of romance (unless you count Romeo & Juliet.) The king of romance once wrote, “If music be the food of love, play on.” Whether your valentine prefers the sounds of the 21st century, or has a taste for tunes a bit more aged, we’ve got you covered. Here it is: Josh & Leah's 2012 Valentine’s Day Playlist!

Finding identity through chamber music
By Leah Rankin
November 17, 2010 - 4:29pm
Two chamber groups, The Hawthorne Quartet and Ensemble Nordlys, share cultural identities during performances at Syracuse University

Syracuse University hosted two extraordinary journeys through the world of chamber music on Nov. 13, with performances from Boston’s Hawthorne String Quartet and Ensemble Nordlys from Denmark.  The programs for each of these concerts, though the music could not have been more different, illustrated how classical music is continually used to preserve cultural identity.

The changing face of chamber music
By Leah Rankin
November 17, 2010 - 2:13pm
Review: The Walden Chamber Players perform works that unite odd instrument combinations.

It’s not very often that music from the composer who wrote the soundtrack to “The Shining” is heard alongside a Brahms trio, but when the ensemble is as diverse as the Walden Chamber Players , the combination starts to make sense.  Out of the 12 artists that comprise the Walden Chamber Players, six performed Saturday night at Lincoln Middle School as part of the Syracuse Friends of Chamber Music’s 61st season.

Branford Marsalis jazzes up parents weekend
By Ana Barbu
September 26, 2010 - 10:11pm
Review: Marsalis' classic quartet played jazz, swing and bebop to a full house on Sunday.

The Branford Marsalis Quartet brought the swanky vibes of good old-fashioned Harlem jazz clubs to nearly 1,500 Syracuse University parents and students in the Schine Student Center on Sunday.

The Quartet set the tone of their performance with a track composed the night before the show. The four musicians had been jamming on the hotel piano, then grabbed a taxi to campus and sneaked into one of the music practice rooms. There, they developed a track composed by pianist Joey Calderazzo.

Pianist's last-minute change of tune causes a stir
By Leah Rankin
September 3, 2010 - 9:00pm
Review: Valentina Lisitsa spontaneously abandoned her planned piece for the Skaneateles Festival due to an unfit piano.

Grammy Award-winner Hillary Hahn has been performing at the Skaneateles Festival annually since she was a prodigal tween violinist, but the gossip after last night’s concert was less about her than the concert pianist, 

Following a strong presentation of Zoltán Kodály’s Duo for Violin and Cello, op. 7 from Hahn and cellist Robert deMaine, Lisitsa walked onstage. But instead of taking her seat behind the piano, she turned to address the audience.