Yo-Yo Ma plays Dvorak

Hey, gang, Christy found this video of Yo-Yo Ma playing the Dvorak Concerto. If you want to hear him perform it LIVE with the Oregon Symphony, order your tickets NOW!

Happy Birthday, Chopin

In honor of Chopin's birth 200 years ago, OrchEstraCada has been looking for Chopin pieces to play. This is harder than it sounds, because Chopin didn't write for orchestras. His pieces were written for piano (specifically for Chopin to play on the piano), and the transcriptions to orchestra are often quite frankly lame.
Chopin was born in Poland, to a Polish mother and French father. As a young man he escaped the oppression of Poland and spent his short life, often in ill health, in France, where he was able to teach and perform. Upon his death, he requested that his heart be buried in Poland, so there are two Chopin graves. One for the body of the performer and teacher who did his work in France, and one for the his Polish heart, which led him to compose Nationalistic Music on behalf of Poland. Follow this link to hear Van Cliburn playing Chopin's music on the piano.

Bobby McFerrin - Expectations

Bobby McFerrin illustrates the power of the pentatonic (5 tones with no half steps) scale:

World Science Festival 2009: Bobby McFerrin Demonstrates the Power of the Pentatonic Scale from World Science Festival on Vimeo.