Click on Classical this weekend: lovely lullaby, talented teens and flying string players

[image]

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers (photo by Molina Visuals)

As you're settling in during this chilly weekend, here are some features to browse on our website as you listen to classical music.

A beautiful lullaby

Violinist Anne Akiko Meyers's album, The American Masters, is featured on this week's New Classical Tracks (incidentally, you can enter for a chance to win a copy of the CD). One of the pieces on the album is called "Lullaby for Natalie," a beautiful composition written specially for Anne's daughter, Natalie, by composer John Corigliano. Anne performs the work on the album, but she also reached out to filmmakers, asking them to create a video for the music. The winning entry is by Timo Henson — take a moment to watch Henson's fairy-tale video as Anne plays Corigliano's beautiful lullaby.

Well done, kids

For bigger kids, we have Minnesota Varsity, the statewide showcase of teen classical musicians, vocalists and composers. All the submissions are in, and they are now indexed at our site. You can listen to each participant's recorded submission and learn a little bit about him or her. There's even an interactive map that indicates the towns where the students live. You'll be impressed by these young talents!

Enjoy the flight

Meanwhile, for professional musicians, there's been an important development for those who fly with their musical instruments. Last week, we discussed the new U.S. Department of Transportation's ruling that standardizes rules for musicians traveling with instruments. This week, we get insights and reactions from three musicians: violist Sam Bergman, cellist Ed Moore and bassist Ranaan Meyer. See what they have to say about the new rules that go into effect in February.

Have a great weekend!