The Second Street Dreams Audio Network

We are just days away from the actual 250th birthday of America. The music developed for this event just keeps coming. Perhaps none as expansive as the Declaration Project from pianist Lara Downes. She created it to get various takes from anyone about life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. This national program will end with a concert at Lincoln Center in New York.

As any musician, classical or otherwise, knows, it’s a difficult climb to success. It took Sarah Kirkland Snider almost 20 years to find it with her composing career. She’s out with a new album of ethereal, spiritual music called Forward Into Light. Black History Month soars with hundreds of events this month. Go to the Classical Music In Colors page on secondstreetdreams.com for links to some of the most interesting events.

So many events are happening this month and early in February. Some of them require the attention of the classical music community. There’s the Grammys, a new album of choral works from the composer of Baba Yetu, Christopher Tin, a fresh take on Bach, another cancellation at the Kennedy Center and the March broadcast of the Oscars with a nomination about Verdi. There’s also a sad story about a violinist whose violin case was too big for the overhead bin.

Sometimes things happen that let you know that you are on the right path. This is the experience of the Zara Hudson Kozdoj of the UK. This 29-year-old Polish-Jamaican cellist, composer and conductor isn’t all about classical music but has surrendered herself to it in bits and pieces. She released her first album in October called Remember Who You Are. She found out while making the album that there were items about business that she wasn’t taught during her years at the Royal College of Music in London. Then the fates stepped in again.

While we still might be recovering from Thanksgiving, there’s the rest of the holidays to consider. Shopping for gifts, decorating the house while listening to music. Gifts have already come to Kyle Rivera, who won the Michael Morgan Prize for Black composers. The Pegasus Opera Company in the UK is looking for partners to produce an opera about the Windrush generation. The Detroit opera presents two little known and rarely staged operas.

As the holiday season officially makes its debut this Thanksgiving week, there’s money and music to behold. First up, in these times, the Palm Beach Symphony has hired its first ever Development Director in its 41-year history. Then there’s Chloe Flower who’s released an album of holiday music composed by women. It’s called She Composed – The Holidays. Finally we ask the question: How does your concert outfit affect perceptions of your performance?