Clef Notes

The classical music world has been set abuzz by the 2022 psychological drama Tár. Written and directed by Todd Field and starring Cate Blanchett, the film tells the story of a fictional female conductor, Lydia Tár, who abuses her position of power for sexual favors and, ultimately, faces the consequences of her actions. But what do real female conductors—who still face an uphill battle in the heavily male-dominated field of classical music—have to say about the film?

Coretta Scott King was a trailblazer in her own right before she even met her husband, Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. The talented soprano earned two music degrees, including one from the prestigious New England Conservatory in Boston, and sustained an active concert career in the 50s and early 60s. Though she eventually gave up her singing career to support her husband and the cause, her musical background informed her advocacy work as she kept music at the forefront of the Civil Rights Movement.

In anticipation of Sinfonia da Camera's upcoming concert with cello soloist Ko Iwasaki on January 28, read up on Antonín Dvořák’s beloved Concerto for Cello and Orchestra in B Minor, Op. 104, which will comprise the second half of the program.

Beloved MASTERPIECE series All Creatures Great and Small so vividly evokes the Yorkshire Dales in the early twentieth century. In anticipation of the release of the third season on January 8 at 8 pm on WILL-TV, we thought we'd help transport you to that same era with a selection of some of the greatest English art songs. Read on to learn more about the Golden Age of English Song and listen to a specially curated Spotify playlist of songs by Roger Quilter, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Benjamin Britten, and more sung by some of the best interpreters of the genre. 

Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Ned Rorem passed away on November 18, just a few weeks after his 99th birthday. The prolific American composer was especially renowned for his vocal works, writing over 500 art songs—more than any other American composer to date. Read on to learn more about the composer's life, compositions, and writings and to listen to select recordings.

This year marks the bicentenary of composer César Franck. Born on December 10, 1822, in Liège, Belgium, Franck was well known in his lifetime as a pianist, composer, organist, and teacher. However, it wasn’t until after his death in 1890 that his compositions began to truly gain the recognition they deserved. Read on to learn more about this composer.

Over the last year and a half, we have gotten to know Illinois Public Media’s first-ever John Frayne Classical Music Fellow, Julia Escobar, through her special episodes of Prairie Performances and Classics of the Phonograph. As the semester draws to a close, we thought we’d check in with her to find out more about her upcoming studio recital on December 4.

For millions around the world, Christmas isn’t Christmas until they’ve heard the lone treble voice sing the opening verse of “Once in Royal David’s City” broadcast from King’s College Chapel in Cambridge. Every Christmas Eve since 1918, King's College has held a service called A Festival of Nine Lesson and Carols. Though it is now inextricably linked with King's and its renowned choir, you may be surprised to learn that the first service of this kind was actually held in Cornwall, not Cambridge.

Perhaps mice dancing to Tchaikovsky is not so far-fetched after all. Researchers from the University of Tokyo recently published a study in which they found that rats could keep the beat while listening to Mozart. Accurately moving to a musical beat was thought to be a unique innate human ability, but the findings of this study suggest that this ability may be more widespread among the animal kingdom than previously thought.

On November 17, the University of Illinois Symphony Orchestra will present William Grant Still's Darker America alongside Stravinsky's Symphony of Psalms and other works. Not yet familiar with William Grant Still? Read on to learn more about this composer before attending the concert.