Clef Notes

In honor of Black History Month, we introduce you to composer Julia Perry (1924–1979). Despite successes early in her career, including numerous awards, recognition in Europe, and favorable reviews, she encountered obstacles due to her race and sex in addition to health and financial issues. Tragically, she died in obscurity at the age of 55. When she passed, only a handful of her 100+ compositions had been published or recorded. Fortunately, recent efforts by musicologists and performers have begun to restore her legacy. Read on to learn more about this brilliant composer, who was not fully appreciated in her time.

Whether burning from afar or passionately reciprocated, love has been a fruitful muse for many of the great composers. Come along as we celebrate Valentine’s Day with the love stories that inspired four famous compositions by Berlioz, Beethoven, Schumann, and Wagner. 

We caught up with Dr. Joy Yang, performing artist and founding director of the Interdisciplinary Institute, to learn about the Institute’s upcoming events in partnership with local small businesses. So far, these include Sound Bath Sundays, Live Jazz Tuesdays, and Animal Music Wednesdays, which are held every second and fourth week of the month. Read on to learn more about Yang and how the upcoming events work to fulfil the mission of the Institute as a “STEAM+ hub for creative play and art–science interchange.”

On January 1, the Vienna Philharmonic rings in the New Year with its annual concert from the gilded Musikverein. Conducted for the first time by Yannick Nézet-Séguin, the concert also features performances by the Vienna State Ballet and location segments hosted by Hugh Bonneville. Waltzing into the New Year with the Vienna Philharmonic has become a global sensation, watched by 1.2 million people worldwide each year. But what is the history behind this tradition? Read on as we explore the complex history behind the glittering spectacle.

Watch From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2026 on WILL-TV at 7 pm and 8:30 pm on New Year’s Day, or stream on January 2 on the PBS App.

BAFTA Cymru Award-winning composer Alexandra Harwood is best known for her TV and film scoring, particularly for the beloved Channel 5/MASTERPIECE series All Creatures Great and Small. Ahead of the release of season 6 on PBS on January 11, we’re taking a look at Harwood’s career thus far and how she brings the characters of Darrowby to life through music.

MIOpera, a professional opera company based in Bloomington-Normal, will present Gian Carlo Menotti’s one-act Christmas opera, Amahl and the Night Visitors. Performances will take place on December 12, 13, and 14 at First United Methodist Church of Normal. We spoke with Tracy Koch, MIOpera’s artistic director and resident stage director, to learn more about the opera and its relevance today as well as the opera company’s plans for the future.

It’s a banner year for Jane Austen fans. Not only is it the author’s 250th birthday on December 16, but it is also the 30th anniversary of the BBC adaptation of Pride & Prejudice, the 30th anniversary of Ang Lee’s Sense & Sensibility, and the 20th anniversary of Joe Wright’s Pride & Prejudice. With so many scenes in Austen’s novels taking place by the pianoforte, we couldn’t help but wonder what role music played in her daily life. Read on as we explore Austen’s relationship with music and how it influenced her writing.

The Nutcracker—it’s as synonymous with the holiday season as twinkling lights, candy canes, and fir trees. Pyotr Ilyich Tchaikovsky’s 1892 ballet is performed by virtually every ballet company during the month of December. But it may surprise you to learn that it wasn’t always a holiday staple. In fact, the ballet bombed at its premiere. In this article, we’ll take a look at the history behind The Nutcracker to see how it came to be a cherished holiday tradition around the world.

Premiering November 16 is Ken Burns’s highly anticipated documentary, "The American Revolution," a new six-part docuseries that explores the country’s founding struggle and its eight-year War for Independence. The series explores the Revolution’s influence across the world using the first-person voices of nearly 200 individual historic figures to tell the story. But what about the music that came out of the Revolutionary period? In advance of this new documentary, we investigate the role music played in the fight for independence.

Tune into WILL-TV Sunday–Friday, November 16–21, for "The American Revolution," or stream all six episodes on the PBS App starting November 16.

The Baroque Artists of Champaign-Urbana (BACH) kick off their 29th season on Sunday, November 16, with a program entitled “Back-to-Back Bach,” featuring two of J. S. Bach’s choral masterworks—his Magnificat in D, BWV 243, and Gloria in excelsis Deo, BWV 191. The concert is given in honor of the 275th anniversary of the composer’s death. Read on for our interview with BACH’s music director, Dr. Sarah Riskind, to learn more about the program.