Sharon Isbin performed solo and with Joshua Bell in an Evening of Classical Music at the White House on November 4. Here’s a shot of the First Listeners taking it in, followed by two beautiful clips, compliments of the White House. In the first, Sharon performs Albeniz’s Asturias and Mangoré’s Waltz Op. 8, No. 4, then it’s a duet of Paganini’s Cantabile.

With five entries in each of more than 100 categories, the nominations for the 52nd annual Grammy Awards (announced on December 2) surely include plenty of gays and lesbians. But scanning the classical nominations, we’ve got: Conductor Marin Alsop’s recording of Bernstein’s Mass nominated for Best Classical Album Guitarist Sharon Isbin’s “Journey to the New World” nominated for Best Instrumental...

Conrad Cummings’s fourth opera is “The Golden Gate” based on the best selling “novel in verse” by his old friend Vikram Seth.  The action takes place in the early ’80s in San Francisco, which is where the composer and novelist first became acquainted.  Set in two acts with a libretto by the composer, the opera has been in the works since 2006 and, as Conrad discusses on his web site,...

Everybody knows that gay men do up the best holiday decorations. But what about music for the season? Well, “The Nutcracker” and “The Messiah” are bigger and older hits than even “Rudolph” or “White Christmas,” at least in my book. And both were written by gay men, Tchaikovsky and Handel, respectively. There’s nothing quiet as inspired as “The Messiah,” at least...

Last Tuesday night in New York I was the guest at a lovely little dinner party at the home of Denes Striny.  He’s a tenor and voice teacher and later that evening his most famous student, soprano Lauren Flanigan, would be starring in a revival of Hugo Weisgall’s “Esther” at the New York City Opera.  We’ve become friends because we are both former students of Michael Cordovana, a retired assistant conductor from...

One of Lee Hoiby’s most popular works in recent years is a setting of the final correspondence from US soldier Jesse Givens before his death in Iraq in 2003.  ”Last Letter Home” has already been performed as a work for male chorus or for solo baritone. On November 8 in La Jolla, California a new version with string orchestra debuted. Here’s a video of baritone Andrew Garland performing with Hoiby at...

Gerald Busby (photo by Mia Hanson) Gerald Busby, a native of Texas, graduate of Yale, and protégé of Virgil Thomson, made his professional debut as a composer with a commission from Paul Taylor for the dance RUNES. The work has had nearly 1,000 performances around the world since its Paris premiere and was featured on the PBS series, Great Performances, Dance in America, and recorded on Nonesuch. Other significant collaborations...

Though located in Cooperstown, New York, Glimmerglass Opera knows where the money is and therefore throws its best parties in Manhattan. The company’s fall benefit is a celebration of the artistic kinship of Copland and Bernstein.  ”Aaron Copland and Leonard Bernstein: Their Words, Music and REminiscenes” features Jamie Bernstein and Rosamond Bernier and other guests and takes place Thursday November...

Twenty years before actress Meryl Streep and author/director Nora Ephron brought Julia Child to the silver screen with “Julie & Julia,” composer Lee Hoiby put the famous chef on the operatic stage.  His operetta “Bon Appetit!” starred Jean Stapleton (Edith Bunker) and debuted at the Kennedy Center in 1989 before going on to a successful run Off Broadway. Like many of Hoiby’s other theatrical works, “Bon Appetit!”...

The estate of the late composer/pianist Yvar Mikhashoff has announced its third year of an innovative funding opportunity to encourage collaborations between young composers and pianists. Guidelines available here. Deadline November 16, 2009.