Great Players Most People Have Never Heard About . . .

Now that I'm settled back in at DePauw, where it turns out more of my colleagues have been reading my blog than I had realized, it's been pointed out to me that it can be, oh, a tad bit difficult to keep up with the thing when I write enormously long entries.

I understand, but what can I say? I'm a college professor!

Some brief notes:

Interesting article by Anne Midgette in the NYT about attempts by classical performers and presenters to reach out to new audiences, in this case the "downtown" NY scene. This subject of audience building, and of non-traditional approaches to audience development, is important to all of us who are doing our bit to carry the classical-music torch.

Anne Reynolds, the flute professor here at DePauw, has obviously been practicing rather than trying to read all my blog entries in detail. Good thing, too--her Monday evening faculty recital was simply stunning.

There are so many fantasic classical performers that are known only regionally or to a very narrow audience. Anne is one of them. She's an absolutely spectacular performer. And pianist Claude Cymerman, who played with her, along with Anna Mattix on oboe, is an artist who with more connections and strong backing from a manager earlier in life could have had a major career.

And I've recently heard a live recording of Jake Heggie's "Holy the Firm": Essay for Cello and Orchestra with Emil Miland, of whom I was not previously aware, as soloist. Incredible playing--accurate, passionate, imaginative, musical, colorful, varied. The highest level performance I could imagine. (I'm playing the second two movements of this Heggie work myself at DePauw on Feb. 19). A few days ago, I didn't know he existed. Now I'm a big fan.

How many other wonderful discoveries await us?

OK. Hope this was readably short!