The life of maestro Keitaro Harada has been marked by fate. From his fairy tale marriage to the time he was asked to conduct the final opera performance at Tanglewood, it seems like destiny has always been guiding Harada, music and artistic director for the Savannah Philharmonic.

On Saturday, May 8, the world’s first piece of programmable classical music “Betty’s Notebook” by the Dallas, Texas choral ensemble Verdigris Ensemble went to auction at Async Art and shattered expectations of $150,000, bringing in over $375,000 in total sales for Verdigris Ensemble and breaking the Async Art monetary record for single NFT sale. Sam Brukhman, Founder and Artistic Director of Verdigris Ensemble, talks to Classical Post about “Betty’s Notebook” and the crypto-future of classical music.

When I studied with Philippe Leroux in Paris, he said to me once that he knows three Israeli young composers (who have been in his class), and he finds it weird that we do not have a common musical language. At this time his observation sounded very weird to me - why should we have a common musical language just because we are Israelis? Leroux’s question makes a lot of sense when one is looking at a French composer (or maybe any European composer), since the long tradition of the French culture can be easily observed in different schools throughout history and even with younger composers today. Since Israel is a new country, with immigrants coming from everywhere (mainly Europe and north Africa), the musical identity of composers is definitely less clear, and was completely obscure to me at the point Leroux mentioned his observation.

Having recently performed at the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil and Gustavo Dudamel, pianist David Fung joins us on the Classical Post Podcast for an intriguing conversation highlighting his design and style aesthetics. He speaks on the wabi-sabi approach to minimalism and a dream house of raw material. Plus, hear if he prefers to spend a day in Biden or Rhianna’s shoes.

American baritone Jarrett Logan Porter joins us on the Classical Post Podcast for a candid look at his inspiration from the worlds of design, interiors, fashion, and global travel. Speaking with a level of poignant depth beyond his years, he shares how minimalism, sentimentality, form, light, and a major nod to Japanese and Danish aesthetics influence him. Listen and subscribe on Apple Podcasts, Spotify, Google Podcasts, or other platforms.

iSing Silicon Valley, an elite and award-winning choir of 250 Bay Area girls ages 7-12 years old, announces its upcoming concert Choosing Harmony, premiering on YouTube on May 22 at 4:30 p.m. PT.

Decir—“to say”—is the debut seven-piece song cycle from Francisco del Pino, an award-winning Argentine composer who journeys the folds between classical and vernacular traditions. Imagined as the staging of a long poem, Decir was scored for voice, electric guitar, viola, and percussion, with lyrics by Argentine poet Victoria Cóccaro; Spanish to English translations were aided by Rebekah Smith. Cecilia Pastorino, a classically trained soprano—an acclaimed figure in South America’s folk scene—sings Cóccaro’s haunting lyrics of migration, displacement, and the rise of historically silenced voices.

More than the elite musicianship its contestants have already attained, more than note-perfect performance of difficult repertoire, a first-rate piano competition aims to deliver something a bit grittier than that capacity alone.

Since winning the BBC Young Musician Brass Final in 2016, Ben Goldscheider has become a leading proponent of the instrument. His new project continues this legacy and marks the centennial of the legendary horn player Dennis Brain.

Bass-baritone Dashon Burton joins us on the Classical Post Podcast to discuss style, wellness, and his successful career that won him Grammy Awards. Surprisingly, we actually recorded this interview two days before he won the second Grammy for his work on Smyth: The Prison.

In Tune with the Times: For the first time in its 19-year history, the Concours Musical International de Montréal (CMIM) moves its competition online in performances to be made available for streaming worldwide.

Brooklyn-based artist Nealy Hauschildt joins us on the Classical Post Podcast. We discuss how she finds inspiration from designers like Miles Redd and Mark Sikes, plus spending time on Nantucket. We also explore her keen sense of nature and how it’s integrated within her artwork.

Scott Wheeler composed the music for the opera Naga, setting a libretto by Cerise Lim Jacobs, and David Salsbery Fry sang one of the roles. On the occasion of the release of the recording of Naga by New World Records, Classical Post invited Wheeler and Fry to muse on the opera industry to which they hope to return. Their conversation includes spoilers for WandaVision.

Swedish composer Jacob Mühlrad joins us on the Classical Post Podcast as our first guest. He’s just released a major album on the Deutsche Grammophon label called Time, exploring themes of mortality, the supernatural, and creating a “sound for god” — if god could be contained to music. Jacob is a serious artist who’s making a big splash in the music world that’s underscored by the complexity of this new album, encompassing about 10 years worth of his compositional work.

Classical Post is launching a podcast! We’re thrilled to branch out in this new direction that compliments and augments the existing editorial direction of the platform. The Classical Post Podcast explores the intersection of classical music, style, and wellness, diving into meaningful conversations with leading artists from an array of different backgrounds. Based in New York City, Classical Post is a touchpoint for tastemakers.

When the world shut down in early 2020, Frank Horvat wanted to raise spirits and create music for those forced into self-isolation. In just 6 weeks he composed 31 short solo and duo works for a variety of instruments and voice. The musical community responded, with over 150 musicians worldwide sharing their experience of self-isolation and posting their performances online.

During the pandemic, the contemporary music ensemble Alarm Will Sound has commissioned a series of online works called Video Chat Variations that take advantage of the medium’s quirks and idiosyncrasies. John Fitz Rogers’s Respiration is a recent commission that will be available on Alarm Will Sound’s YouTube channel on March 30th at 11am EDT. The work was premiered on February 19, 2021 as part of a livestream broadcast on the University of South Carolina’s Southern Exposure New Music Series, directed by Michael Harley, who teaches at UofSC and is also Alarm Will Sound’s bassoonist. The work was performed and recorded in real time by the ensemble, conducted by the group’s artistic director Alan Pierson, using Jamulus (a software program that reduces latency) for audio and Zoom for video.

The Slovenian-born, Los Angeles–based guitarist Mak Grgic is an avid explorer of the guitar and all its possibilities. In addition to core repertoire, he performs Balkan music and flamenco. He plays new music, with Daniel Lippel, of the International Contemporary Ensemble (ICE), JACK Quartet, and others. He’s working on an homage to Ligeti using gamelan-inspired arrangements. He composes his own works.

Sophie Hutchings is an Australian composer who creates stunning piano-led work that is equally inspired by outside living and a mindful lifestyle. In the past, she has talked of an idyllic childhood, surrounded by nature and her family’s similar love for music. Sophie’s Father was obsessed with all things jazz, and her brothers heavily into the rock scene, it took Sophie a little while to understand her potential, and what her true sound could be.

The world of digital concerts is now a “thing”. Who would have ever thought that this form of consumption would be necessary. But about a year later, we all know why. Watching performances on a screen—no matter the size—might be something you’ve found taxing this past year. You’re not alone. However, just like other things in life, there are “blessings in disguise”. And likewise, in classical music, digital concerts have become the lifeblood of our time that has uniquely given access to “high art” unlike anytime in history.