...and his history with the pianist. In the fall of, I believe, 1995 or ‘96, the Akron Youth Symphony held an annual competition for young pianists in the area to perform a movement of a concerto with the group on its spring concert. As conductor of the orchestra, I sat…
by Children's Chorus director Laura Barkett Over the last seven years, I have had the privilege of directing many choirs of varying age ranges. Regardless of whether I am working with elementary school children or adults, there seems to be a universal hurdle that I encounter: Recruitment. Finding individuals who…
One of the many benefits of being the resident company of the Performing Arts Center is having access to the hall's magnificent Steinway piano. The instrument represents more than a century of craftsmanship. Henry Steinway, born Heinrich Steinweg, built his first piano in his kitchen and went on to fine-tune…
In 1817, a group of 200 German Separatists, rejecting some of the teachings of the official church in Germany, left behind intense persecution and set sail for the United States. After arriving in Philadelphia, they headed west to Ohio; and with the help of the Society of Friends, they settled…
March is Women's History Month as we make up for lost time, all that time lost by glossing over—or entirely ignoring—the contributions of women in history. While we fill in the blanks by telling the stories of women who contributed to math, science, innovations, politics and cultural development,…