( Followup blog on this topic) Photo by Jacob W. Frank, from the National Park Service website of the recent hydrothermal explosion in...

My body betrayed me a few years ago during lessons with two piano teachers. One was my third teacher since taking up piano lessons after...

Thanks to my neighbor and friend Jeff Harris, President of the San Francisco Orchid Society, for showing me this treasured Masdevallia...

There is pain in learning the piano. And there are solutions to reduce the hurt. I'm not talking about tendinitis pain which I battled...

The evening of June 27 I received a stunning and wonderful gift by attending my eighth Groupmuse* performance in San Francisco at the...

Amy Ahn is a remarkable, talented, enthusiastic young Bay Area (CA) performing harpist from a roster of thousands of musicians located...

We've all heard the old adage that "familiarity breeds contempt." That's a heckava lot less harmful than what really can be bred if we...

(Listen to the Unfinished Symphony No. 8 here, conducted by Abbado) Ji-Yong Kim is a remarkable Korean pianist who gives me much hope for...

About three weeks ago I started thinking about lucid dreaming and keeping a record of my dreams. I first wanted to understand what it was...

View of the aurora borealis on May 10, 2024 across Mono Lake. Photo: Samantha Lindberg from the Mono County Newsletter. Listen to...

"Wave of Emotion" (Photo (c) Jeanette (Stringham) Vonier 2022) ("Ein Traum" by Grieg (orchestral version)) "Music is like a dream. One...

This gorgeous photo was taken not long ago by my long-time friend Allison Jung when she was standing on deck of a cruise ship leaving the...

Sky blue and wheat yellow, colors of the Ukrainian flag. Here's a great article from the League of American Orchestras about how musical...

Music and medicine - an unlikely combination - seem to be mixing in my recent life. Lauren Rissman, MD, works at the Division of...

"The recognition, pursuit, and desire to explore novel, complex, uncertain, and ambiguous events" is as good a definition of "curiosity"...

Bandola guitar maestro Alejo Cordero, new to the Bay Area just over two years ago from Colombia, South America, presented his first-ever...

My three kitties (Prince, our 20-lb. "linebacker" pictured here) might not appreciate the above saying, but it perfectly encapsulates...

In the waning days of Women's History Month, Madam Ruth Slenczynska is a worthy topic. If you don't know her, please take a moment to...

I dare you to watch this video "La Maestra" all the way through, and not smile. You have a special treat in store! You will likely...

In case you, like me, want relief from weeping in despair about the non-status of musical women in 2024, check out this beyond-hilarious...