Natalia Staneva, Author at New West Symphony

A stolen Strad is back on stage

Oct 11, 2018 | All Posts

You may have heard Nina Totenberg. She’s a legal affairs correspondent for National Public Radio. You may also have heard Roman Totenberg. He was Nina’s father, and a world-renown violinist and educator. He enjoyed playing the...

Sing your heart like Sylvia

Oct 4, 2018 | All Posts, Musicians & Guest Artists

After years of singing with world-famous orchestras and opera companies in the US and Europe, Sylvia McNair faced a turning point. Two stacks of music sat on the piano before her. One, a pile of towering opera roles she needed to master. Next to it, tunes from the...

He brought the Gershwin family to tears

Oct 3, 2018 | All Posts, Musicians & Guest Artists

Kevin Cole garnered a reputation as a masterful Gershwin interpreter on the piano. So much so that he performed for the Gershwin family and George’s close friends. Kevin says, “About halfway through, I noticed that one by one, they were getting up and leaving the...

She thought opera was ridiculous. Then she sang opera for a living.

Oct 2, 2018 | All Posts, Musicians & Guest Artists

As a violin major at Wheaton College, Sylvia McNair couldn’t stand opera. She told BBC Magazine, “My first experience of opera was playing in the orchestra . . . I just couldn’t believe how ridiculous it was. I thought, what a ludicrous art form this is!” But when an...

You haven’t heard Rhapsody ’til you’ve heard the 1924 recording

Oct 1, 2018 | All Posts

Here’s a bit of fun history: the Rhapsody in Blue we know today is a far cry from the performances of the 1920s. How do we know? Just check out this 1924 recording with George Gershwin himself on the piano part! Some notes: You’ll notice it’s quite a lot...

« Older Entries

Next Entries »