When choosing speakers for an event in the Dallas/Fort Worth area on the topic of Classical Education, you really have to think of Barbara Rogers of Coram Deo Academy. I first met Barbara 15 years ago when we sang in the same church choir. I … Read more
Don’t miss our symposium on Teaching the Arts Classically, October 7 on the University of Dallas campus. Dr. Gregory Roper, Associate Professor and Chair of the English Department at University of Dallas, will present “Teaching and Learning Writing Through the Ancient Method of Imitation.” Here’s … Read more
Bernstein, Overture to Candide Leonard Bernstein (1918-1990) sprang to fame in 1943 when he found himself conducting the New York Philharmonic on short notice. He had studied with the top names in the music world at Harvard and the Curtis Institute and had just been … Read more
“Why are we going to Bratislava?” Someone asks the question on this route every time we board our luxury coach to leave Vienna. Why aren’t we driving straight to Prague? That’s the city that most of us came to see. Prague is coming, yes! But … Read more
Hildegard von Bingen, Caritas abundat Hildegard von Bingen (c. 1098-1179) is one of the earliest composers we can identify by name. A saint, doctor of the church, mystic, and abbess, she experienced visions throughout her life. She eventually recorded her visions and left a significant … Read more
Let me tell you about the radishes here in Budapest. Maybe you have such radishes where you live, but, for me, radishes this big and tasty come only from the “paprika capital” of the world: Hungary. Eating Hungarian radishes is like biting into an apple—juicy … Read more
Bolcom, Three Ghost Rags When you think of Ragtime, you probably think of Scott Joplin. Maybe you should think of William Bolcom (b. 1938) as well. Bolcom played a key role in reinvigorating interest in Ragtime and in Joplin back in the 1960s. And very … Read more
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Teaching Arts Classically / October 7 In case you need one more reason to attend the upcoming “Teaching Arts Classically” conference on October 7, we are pleased to announce that Jenny Dickinson will join us to speak on beauty in architecture. The conference will be … Read more
They’re back on the shelf: my set of Encyclopedia Britannica, 14th edition. Bound in brown leatherette with gilded letters, they date from 1966 and weigh a ton. We almost tossed them during our last two moves. Instead, whether due to inertia or wisdom, they stayed … Read more
Debussy, Sonata for Cello and Piano When you think of the music of Claude Debussy (1862-1918), you might conjure up big washes of sound—the kind of sonorities you would find in his seascape La Mer. Or perhaps you think of the ethereal and bucolic Prélude … Read more