Live at Classical 101

When you think of improvisation in music, you probably think of saxophone lines sailing through the smoke of a jazz club, not cello riffs frilling up a piece by Bach.

But Bach was a man of his times, a happenin’ kind of guy who set and also followed the musical trends of his day, which encouraged performers to ornament his and other composers’ works.

It’s a busy week for the Carpe Diem String Quartet. All packed into a series of concerts this week here in Columbus, they have the North American premiere of a new string quartet piece, film art, photographs and a bunch of music, new and iconic.

Between Thursday and Sunday, the Carpe Diem String Quartet will perform three concerts for all ages at the Columbus Museum of Art.

“I think of her as the Beyoncé of the Baroque.”

Two brand-new musical works – involving cutting-edge technology and offering commentary on subjects as diverse as a brassy night in Vegas and the wild and woolly world of social media – will receive their world premieres in Columbus this weekend, as Capital University’s Conservatory of Music celebrates its 100th anniversary. 

A classical string quartet covers a Guns N’ Roses hit.

Outlandish? Why, yes! But it happened right here in the Classical 101 studio yesterday afternoon, when Carpe Diem String Quartet stopped by on the eve of their first concert of the 2018-19 season – a season packed with a new concert series, a new performance home and a whole bunch of other new stuff to boot.

If music be the food of love, then you'll probably need something to drink with it. 

For many instrumentalists, the idea to "sing through your instrument" is just a figure of speech. But for Cleveland-based Ogni Suono saxophone duo, it's an actual way of life.

Earlier today in the Classical 101 studios, madness reigned supreme.

It's always a good time in the Classical 101 studios — but it was an especially good time recently when things here got a little jazzy.

Actually, more than a little.

Columbus is becoming a hotbed of new music activity, and flutist Lindsey Goodman is right in the thick of it.

Last Friday afternoon, Classical 101 really did go for Baroque.

Our crew went to Capital University’s Mees Auditorium for a rehearsal of acclaimed ensemble REBEL Baroque and two of the world’s foremost Baroque dancers, Paige Whitley-Bauguess and Thomas Baird.

This week, I had the pleasure of talking with JoAnn Falletta. Music director of both the Buffalo Philharmonic and the Virginia Symphony orchestras, Maestra Falletta is in Columbus to conduct the Columbus Symphony, 8 p.m. Friday, March 2 and Saturday, March 3 in the Ohio Theatre.

Think you know what a string quartet sounds like? Quartet Davis might have you thinking again.

Founded at the Oberlin Conservatory of Music, Quartet Davis blends a classical string quartet sound with influences from jazz, bluegrass, R&B and folk music to create a truly unique musical experience. This creative, young quartet joined me last week in the Classical 101 studios for an intimate interview and performance.