Antonio Pappano, the longtime music director of the Royal Opera in London, has absorbed a few lessons from the theater. He knows that casting is critical. Consider the lineup for his Carnegie Hall debut, which stretched over Friday and Saturday evenings. There was the elite symphony orchestra that Mr. Pappano also leads: the Orchestra dell'Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia of Rome. Joining them on Friday was the pianist Martha Argerich, in her first Carnegie Hall appearance in nine years.  Ms. Argerich received her first standing ovation merely for walking onto the stage to play Prokofiev's Piano Concerto No. 3 - one of the showpieces with which she established her legend. (Friday's concert was broadcast live over the radio and via the online streaming service medici.tv. The audio is available on wqxr.org; the video version will be free to view until early next year.)  Photo: Chris Lee READ THE FULL New York Times REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Helvetica; min-height: 12.0px}

On WCRB: Boston CD of the Week, journey through the Yekwon Sunwoo's gold medal-winning performance in the 2017 Van Cliburn International Piano Competition. One of the most exciting aspects of the classical music world is the emergence of new musicians. For the next generation of famous performers, that step into the international spotlight doesn't come easy. Luckily, there are a number of competitions held around the globe each year to promote young artists, perhaps none more captivating than the Van Cliburn International Piano Competition.   p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Jacques Offenbach's "Les Contes d'Hoffmann" (The Tales of Hoffmann) is back at the Metropolitan Opera in a sparkling production, directed by Bartlett Sher and starring tenor Vittorio Grigolo. They, plus a strong supporting cast, the excellent orchestra under conductor Johannes Debus and the chorus under Donald Palumbo, make this revival is a treat for opera lovers. From his golden voice to his matinee idol looks to his energy-he even dances along with the crowd while singing the tavern aria-Grigolo is ideal for the part. Occasionally one singer portrays all of the three loves (as Joan Sutherland did), but here, as in recent years, they are all played by different women. READ THE FULL Epoch Times REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

In my business, sometimes you walk down the street, get offered a show ticket and end up observing music students from the Oklahoma School of the Blind as they experience phenomenal gospel music from the Blind Boys of Alabama. At least that's what happens if you are lucky. Wednesday evening, I received a last-minute ticket to the Tower Theatre for the performances of Irma Thomas and the Blind Boys of Alabama. While I had heard of Irma Thomas - the Soul Queen of New Orleans - I was more familiar with the Blind Boys, a gospel group founded in 1939 by men with visual impairments. As I walked through the parking lot, I noticed a school bus parked in the back. I wondered to myself which school had loaded up students for the concert, but when I read the name on the side, everything started to click: Oklahoma School for the Blind. As expected, the night's performers sounded incredible. I'm not a music writer, and if I have to explain the appeal of soul-soothing gospel songs then we probably better part ways right here. But the Blind Boys of Alabama inspired Tower Theatre patrons in a manner that the last fellas I saw on that stage could only dream of. When the music stopped, I scanned the crowd for students of the Oklahoma School for the Blind, an important state institution in Muskogee that Helen Keller visited in 1915. They were grouped in the middle of the theater, their tickets provided - I later learned - by a donor to the school. "They were amazing. Really outstanding," 10th grader Dee William said of the Blind Boys of Alabama. "They are great singers. I can tell they have an original voice. There's no auto-tune there." READ THE FULL NONDOC ARTICLE p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Ukulele virtuoso Jake Shimabukuro will appear with his trio Wednesday at 7:30 p.m. in Kutztown PA's University's Schaeffer Auditorium, as part of the KU Presents! series, allowing the audience to see what he can do with four strings on songs like George Harrison's "While My Guitar Gently Weeps" and Queen's "Bohemian Rhapsody." It's been a little over 10 years since Shimabukuro's intricate, soulful version of the Harrison piece went viral on YouTube and launched his international career as a touring and recording artist. His 16th album, "Nashville Sessions," his first with all original material, was released last year, and he's working on a new one. p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

You could see it on the face of the great bassist: Dave Holland was clearly having as much fun playing on Saturday night, Oct. 21, at SFJazz as the audience members were having as they listened. Holland beamed like a kid onstage, especially in an extended post-intermission musical "conversation" with Zakir Hussain, the unrivaled tabla master with whom Holland created Crosscurrents a few years ago to explore the links between Indian classical music and jazz. Holland's fingers worked the strings of his standup as Hussain's hands flew across the skins of his instruments, coaxing an entire symphony of sound that was as melodic as it was percussive. It was only one of an evening full of transcending moments at SFJazz. READ THE FULL San Francisco Chronicle REVIEW p.p1 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial} p.p2 {margin: 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px 0.0px; font: 10.0px Arial; min-height: 11.0px}

Jesse Cook has discovered a formula for staying relevant in today's shifting, short-attention-span music scene. Focus! Early in our conversation Cook introduced me to a video he recently edited for a track, "Hembra," from his new album Beyond Borders. It was shot with the Panasonic GH4; a digital SLR that shoots 4K and retails around $1,500 Canadian, and a 4K drone. Think about that. In the recent past shooting a video came with writing a grant application, anticipation, rejection – a crew, a sound guy – big dollars. Cook has not only bought into the video game, but he also edits his shorts. Another broad learning-curve. To understand the man, this may be all you must know.  He's a voracious student of the arts, both technical and the personal expression and imagination. READ THE fyi Music News q&a