Martians Visit Pasadena, Leave Behind Paint-Box of New Colors
MicroFest 2003 recently wrapped up another celebration of microtonal music, which explores the pitch spaces between the piano keys. The late Harry Partch once said, "An artist has five shades of red, why should composers have only one C sharp?"  More...

Bard’s Gehry-ish New Concert Hall
Annandale has upstaged Manhattan, 90 miles to the south, with the opening of the Fisher Center at Bard College. The Frank Gehry-designed performing arts center has won raves for both architecture and sound -- and has given Los Angelinos a preview of their new hall.  More...

Instant Concert CDs, Sold on the Spot
Even before draining their final beer, clubgoers in Boston can now get a take-home CD copy of the musical performance they just heard. Communications giant Clear Channel has launched Instant Live, and it wants you to take home more than a groggy memory of the live shows they promote.  More...

Nemo, Heck - Composer Berlioz Found in On-Stage Aquarium
Think puppetry is all wet? You're right. Basil Twist has brought his underwater version of Berlioz' s 1830 "Symphonie Fantastique" to an enormous tank at Lincoln Center, where 6 puppeteers swirl swaths of fabric, plastic, and feathery fringes in a bubbly flurry of hallucinatory choreography.  More...

Ethel gets New Angle from Montgomery
Lincoln Center decided to ask teens themselves what might get them interested in chamber music. What they learned led to a magical meeting of a string quartet of Manhattan hipsters and a choir from an Alabama public high school.  More...



Peace & Quiet - Air Guitarists Vie for World Domination
Brooklyn's "C-Diddy" recently "stunned the crowd" at the East Coast US Regional Air Guitar Competition with his "near-perfect combination of technical mastery, stage presence, and the ever-elusive ‘airness’." Who will win the US Finals and go on to Finland for the World Championships, whose "main agenda is to promote world peace"?  More...

Orchestra’s Instruments Dumped into Stockholm Harbor
…but they were already getting soggy. The actual working cellos, harp and flute had been carved from ice for the Ice Art show.  More...

Three Piano Giants Share 150th Anniversaries
Steinway, Blüthner and Bechstein is not a law firm. They are three of world’s top 5 piano makers, and despite having widely divergent histories, they share an 1853 birthdate.  More...



Just Talking 'Bout… Stax.  Soul Music Museum Opens in Memphis
Memphis' gritty appearance belies its incomparable collection of musical and cultural jewels. A new gem has just been added with the recent grand opening of the Stax Museum of American Soul Music.  More...

Captain Kirk Bested by Alien Beatles
Actor William Shatner's warped rendition of "Lucy in the Sky with Diamonds" has been voted the worst Beatles cover of all time, beating actor Jim Carrey and auto racer Damon Hill as well as some actual musicians for the honor.  More...

Opera Fanatic Turns Techno Geek, Races Against Time
Stefan Zucker is literally the "Opera Fanatic," having created and hosted that show for Columbia University's radio station for 12 years. He also appeared in the Guinness Book of World Records for some unusual operatic athletics. But his mission now is restoring decaying early opera recordings.  More...



Kids Play with Toys, a Symphony Happens
MIT scientist Tod Machover was looking for music training for his daughters. He ended up inventing Beat Bugs and Shapers, developing the Hyperscore software, collaborating with violin superstar Joshua Bell, and composing The Toy Symphony.  More...

Pod People Infiltrate Georgia College
Notice a lost look on the students' faces? Check for earphones: they may just be enrolled in "Gothic Imagination" or "War, Politics & Shakespeare," for which they were issued individual iPods stocked with captivating musical resources to accompany their course readings.  More...

Guitar-by-Numbers
Not enough time during your lunch hour to get a real guitar lesson? If you have a few minutes to put down that sandwich, Yamaha's new EZ Guitar can show you where to put your fingers.  More...



Pirates Make Madonna Walk Plank
Never-coy Madonna offered to be one of the decoys used to fool music pirates: some illegal downloads of her new songs actually only contained Madonna herself swearing at the unsuspecting listener. Hackers trashed her site in response, but others have creatively incorporated her flaming profanities in new musical remixes.  More...

Radio Pioneer Seeks Alternative Fuels
Saturday afternoon broadcasts of the Metropolitan Opera have been around since 1931, the dawn of the radio age. Texaco has sponsored them since 1940, but just announced that the next season will be their last. Who will step in to "wear the star" of this historic sponsor?  More...

Gary Lucas Imports Pop from "The Edge Of Heaven"
The renowned guitarist has a new release that he claims combines elements of "Chinese folk, U.S. western swing, Billie Holiday-style blues and Broadway show tunes." His surprising source: the music of pre-World War II Shanghai.  More...

The Songs of Two Cities
New York and Atlanta were recently highlighted as the subject matter of many memorable songs. Is your image of the Big Apple captured more by "Take the 'A' Train" or "On Broadway."? Is all of Georgia on your mind, or just the B-52's "Love Shack"?  More...



What is the Sound of No Hands Clapping?
The persistent dip in the economy has proved too much for some arts institutions. Of particular note is the stunning recent wave of orchestra closings and dissolutions across the US.  More...

Carter Beats the Devil
Jazz violinist Regina Carter got her hands (temporarily, anyway) on "the Cannon," a peerless Guarnari violin that belonged to Paganini himself. Her new release pays tribute to the man who may have sold his soul to get those fiddle skills.  More...

Very Varied Variations
Uri Caine's take on Bach's "Goldberg Variations" includes a bundle of extra ones. Such as the "Dig It Variation," the "Stuttering Variation," and the "Tango Variation." And his arrangements include not only piano and harpsichord, but also bassoon, baroque trumpet, Hammond organ, guitar, tuba and a DJ's turntables.  More...

Making it Mann’s World
Aimee Mann, the former vocalist for 'Til Tuesday waited 'til the cows came home for her former labels to promote her recordings. Then she checked out of the industry and formed her own label. Now her songs bite the hands that didn't feed her.  More...



You are What You Beat
This just in: "people consider music an important aspect of their lives." No surprise there, but some new research actually goes much further, correlating individual personality with musical preference. What are the underlying 4 dimensions that reveal what you like -- and who you are?  More...

It’s a Bird - Itsa Plain
Musicians spend good money to add the right harmonic overtones to their instruments' sounds. Birds go the other direction -- filtering them out to yield completely pure tones. Now we know how they do it.  More...

And Speaking of Birds… Bartok Says "Drink Your Tee-E-E-E"
The songs of birds have inspired human song, as well. Step outside and soak in your own inspiration.  More...

Don’t Mess with Mathematical, Musical Millionaires
Hackers were stealing music from the web site of the Museum of Musical Instruments. They didn't realize that founder Hank Risan is a math and computer wizard as well as a wealthy benefactor and collector.  More...

Computer Upgrade - Normal Singing Voices Transformed
A new technology can convert everyday human voices into beautiful ones. Will this make karaoke more or less fun? And was Bart Simpson behind this?  More...

I’ve Got Something in My Ear
You're not supposed to put your digits into your ear, and now you may not want to have an all-digital hearing aid as well. New analog technologies inspired by biology sound good and use much less power.  More...