The biennial Cardiff Singer of the World competition has become a great springboard for those on the cusp of their professional careers.
Established in 1983, it is regarded as one of the most important operatic competitions in the world, reflected both in the stellar nature of the judging panel, which has included Sir Geraint Evans, Dame Joan Sutherland, Galina Vishnevskaya and Christoph Prégardien, and in some its iconic finalists.
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The 95th Academy Awards were announced in typically glitzy fashion on Sunday night.
Actors Brendan Fraser (in ‘The Whale’) Ke Huy Quan and Michelle Yeo (both in ‘Everything All at Once’) took home trophies for their acting, with’ Everything All at Once’ picking up best film and best director for Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert.
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![King Charles III and commissioned composer Andrew Lloyd Webber [Source: Wikipedia]](/discover/charles_webber.jpg)
Buckingham Palace has revealed the names of the composers commissioned to write new pieces for the coronation of King Charles III.
The diverse list includes music from legendary theatre composer Andrew Lloyd Webber, who will write a new Coronation Anthem, and a new Coronation March from Patrick Doyle, best known for his works for film, including a number of collaborations with Kenneth Branagh (Henry V, Sense and Sensibility, Hamlet, Carlito's Way and Gosford Park).
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![Code breaker Alan Turing at the age of 16 and 1748 portrait of code maker J.S. Bach [Source:Wikipedia]](/discover/turing_bach.jpg)
Alan Turing played an important role in the breaking the the Nazi Enigma codes during World War 2. His life was made into the 2014 film, ‘The Imitation Game.’
It has now also been turned into an opera, ‘The Life and Death(s) of Alan Turing’ by Justine F Chen to a libretto by David Simpatico, which will premiere on 23rd March in Chicago's Harris Theater for Music and Dance.
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![Beyoncé alongside the classical artist she beat to become the greatest ever Grammy winner [Source: Wikipedia]](/discover/beyonce_solti.jpg)
On 5th February the music industry’s 65th Grammy Awards were announced in a glitzy ceremony in Los Angeles. Amongst the categories, the most distinguished include best record, which went to Lizzo’s, ‘About Damn Time’; best Album, won by Harry Styles’ ‘Harry’s House’; and best song, which went to to Bonnie Raitt’s ‘Just Like That.’
But it was Beyoncé that made all the post-awards headlines. Her four wins, for Best Dance Recording (‘Break My Soul’), Best Dance/Electronica Album (‘Renaissance’), Best Traditional R&B Vocal Performance (‘Plastic off the Sofa’) and Best R&B Song (‘Cuff It’), makes her career Grammy Awards haul, with 32 wins and 88 nominations, the largest of all time.
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![Conductor Marin Alsop, who criticised the film [Source: Wikipedia]](/discover/Marin_Alsop.jpg)
Todd Field’s film about an abusive and predatory female conductor, Lydia Tár (played by Cate Blanchett), has earned a string of awards and nominations, including from the British FIlm Academy, New York Film Critics Circle, Golden Globes and London Critics Circle Film Awards. Yet the film continues to provoke a range of reactions from audiences.
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It is nearly a year since Vladimir Putin invaded Ukraine. The progress of events during that tragic conflict has been remarkable, with the Ukrainian side, inspired by Vladimir Zelensky, achieving some notable victories over the last 12 months.
Despite the disruption the war is causing, support for Ukraine remains strong. A recent Eurobarometer poll found that, even amidst the cost of living crisis, 74 percent of European citizens continue to favour supporting Ukraine.
One of the remarkable ways in which Ukraine has built and maintained its support has been the way the country has projected its culture to the rest of the world. And in this music has played an important role.
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Encouraging news about gender equality in classical music comes this week from Bachtrack's newly released report Classical Music in 2022.
Analysing data from 27,124 musical performances worldwide, the report highlights a number of interesting trends.
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![Portrait of Elizabeth I of England playing the lute, portrait miniature by Nicholas Hilliard, c. 1580 [source: wikipedia]](/discover/Elizabeth_I_Playing_the_Lute.jpg)