Author: Y Kendall

In Correspondence from San Francisco

Les Illuminations by Benjamin Britten and The Planets by Gustav Holst

(performed in Davies Symphony Hall, San Francisco, California, October 27, 2023. San Francisco Symphony, Elim Chan, conductor; Andrew Staples, tenor.) Greatness makes itself known, even to the least experienced musicRead More

From Clarksville

Stanley Yates, The Farewell Concert?

Years ago I was sitting in the flute section of a regional orchestra in California. The inventive Board had hired an up-and-coming acolyte of the Boston Symphony’s famed Seiji OzawaRead More

MCR Profiles:

Stanley Yates, Guitar

How did a working-class boy from a twelfth-century town, who survived an early life of personal and parental illness and foster homes, end up with stunning accolades for international performances,Read More

From Nashville Ballet

Ups and Downs: The Nashville Ballet Tackles Mourning, Rabbits, and Stravinsky

The filmed introductions provided an attractive opening to the Nashville Ballet program this past weekend (Sept 22–25). Each intro featured someone deeply engaged in each of the three works. InRead More

From the Nashville Ballet

Taking the First Leap Into the Future: Nashville’s Inaugural Dance Festival

On Friday, July 21, 2023, Nashville inaugurated its first annual Dance Festival. Sponsored by the Nashville Ballet (NB) under newly promoted artistic director Nick Mullikin, the performance was a boldRead More

The Nashville Symphony plays Copland, Slatkin, Elgar

A Celebration, An Elegy, A Majestic Ending

Fresh from their triumph in the world premiere of The Jonah People, an opera the symphony commissioned from composer Hannibal Lokumbé, the Nashville Symphony presented a solid program of moreRead More

From the Nashville Symphony

Reflections on The Jonah People: A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph

It was a madhouse. Half the crowd was shouting in delight; half the crowd was shouting in shock. The roar from these competing forces was so loud that the dancersRead More

The MCR Interview:

Interview with Karen Slack

The Nashville Symphony will present a world premiere of composer Hannibal Lokumbe’s The Jonah People:  A Legacy of Struggle and Triumph at Schermerhorn Symphony Center, 7 pm, April 13; 8Read More

Ides of March at Schermerhorn

Music City Review Goes to War (and Leaves the Funk in Peace)

The lights were already dimmed as I raced in after seeking my reserved parking space in an apparently nonexistent parking lot. The Latino singer was midway through the first verseRead More

Drumming from the Heart of Our Planet: 

Kodō Drummers’ “One Earth Tour”  at Schermerhorn Symphony Center

Kodō has a double meaning.  In Japanese, it means  both “heartbeat” and “children of the drum.” This latter also has a double meaning. It means children listening to the heartbeatRead More