Hailed as the top of its field, the York Early Music Festival celebrates a milestone anniversary in 2026 with a deluxe calendar of celebrated and emerging artists. Across its 50 years, they’ve made ‘important scholarship come to life through vibrant and sometimes bewildering performances.’
A Half-Century of the York Early Music Festival Read More »
Last week, on Friday the 13th, New York’s Music Before 1800 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.
When Good Music Happens to Really Bad People Read More »
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.
A Deep South Collection of Old Instruments Read More »
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.
Banjo & Fiddle: Early Black Music in the Americas Read More »
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).
Edmond Dédé’s Morgiane: A Hit Opera, 138 Years Late Read More »
