THE MAGAZINE
Singing for Peace in Jerusalem?
Is it possible to keep singing for peace in the Middle East? Find out about a very unique youth chorus in Jerusalem - where Israeli and Palestinian teens sing together, openly discuss the conflicted realities of their city, and form lifelong friendships.
The Orchestra Does A Mic Drop: Examining Classical Pop
At the thirty second mark of the music video for “Berghain,” Catalan singer ROSALÍA throws open the window curtains to reveal the London Symphony Orchestra’s string section in her room. Read on to find out more about pop culture’s fascination with classical music.
Holy Cow! A Semi-Skimmed History of Milk in Visual Culture
Milk might seem like an ordinary item on the weekly grocery list, but over the course of ten thousand years, the legendary white liquid has been twisted into a rich and everchanging cultural symbol.
From London with Love: On Lee Miller and the End of Innocence
“From Vogue photoshoots to pictures taken in Hitler’s bathtub, Lee Miller’s exhibition at Tate Britain was not what I expected. Read on to discover the erotics, travels, and violence of photography–and find out how a woman’s work defined 20th-century photography.“
Conflict Resolution, Greenland Style
As geopolitical tensions once again draw global attention to Greenland, its cultural history offers a revealing counterpoint. For over four millennia, Greenlandic Inuit communities have used drum song and dance not only for ritual and social life, but also as a structured, non-violent way to resolve disputes. In a drum duel, restraint—not aggression—determined the outcome, leaving judgment to the community rather than to force.
Maestro Dudamel: A Venezuelan Saga
From Venezuela’s El Sistema to the podiums of the world’s leading orchestras, Gustavo Dudamel’s career has unfolded alongside profound political change. As he prepares to take on the leadership of the New York Philharmonic, questions about art, power, and responsibility follow close behind. This article traces Dudamel’s rise while examining the uneasy space where music, state influence, and public expectation meet.
Winter with Van Gogh, Monet and Stieglitz
Snow has long fascinated artists for its ability to transform the familiar into something fleeting and uncertain. In the nineteenth century, painters and photographers turned to winter cityscapes to explore the growing tension between industrial life and the natural world. Through works by Van Gogh, Monet, and Stieglitz, this article reflects on snow as both a poetic presence and a quiet reminder of nature’s endurance.
Piano Department Film Night
When orchestral projects took over music school, pianists were left with unexpected free time—and an unusual solution. Enter the Piano Department Film Night: documentaries, lectures, and YouTube deep dives watched on an ancient projector. From Cziffra to Glenn Gould to Juilliard practice rooms, this is a pianist’s guide to what’s worth watching.
On Artists and New Year Resolutions
Across time, artists have used painting to declare identity and ambition to the public. From Dürer to Picasso to Kehinde Wiley, TWoA follows how resolution and intention—once made visible—have reshaped the art-historical canon itself.
Ballet Across the Globe: George Balanchine
Often credited with shaping ballet in America, George Balanchine transformed classical tradition through musicality, abstraction, and athleticism. From his early training in Imperial Russia to his collaborations with the Ballets Russes and the founding of New York City Ballet, his career spans continents and artistic movements. This article explores how Balanchine’s neoclassical vision redefined what ballet could be.
Ode to Manipulation
Beethoven’s symphonies are often described as profound, moving, and universal—but history complicates that reverence. From Nazi Germany to Stalinist Russia to modern political institutions, his music has repeatedly been co-opted to serve conflicting ideologies. This article asks whether the feeling of being “moved” is as innocent as it seems, or whether its very emptiness makes it dangerously adaptable.
Letter from New York: Merry Christmas from the Queen of the Night
Join our New York correspondent on a crisp walk through Midtown Manhattan and greet Christmas with the Queen of the Night at the Metropolitan Opera.
Winter Solstice: Dancing into a Bright New Year
Across continents and centuries, dance becomes a shared language of hope as communities greet the winter solstice. TWoA traces the radiant lineage from Iranian Yalda nights and Nordic Lucia processions to Peru’s revived Incan Inti Raymi, revealing how movement carries light through the year’s darkest threshold.
The Art of Astrology, Pre Co-Star
Long before Co-Star, Europe’s wealthiest men were proudly inscribing their natal charts onto walls, ceilings, and frescoes. From Chigi’s astrologically coded villa in Rome to the Medici palaces of Florence—and later, the cosmic visions of Cocteau and Dalí—astrology has shaped art and architecture for centuries. TWoA traces how Renaissance elites and modern masters alike used the zodiac to script power, meaning, and identity across eras. Read on to find out how.
Stravinsky’s Score for “The Rite of Spring” Didn’t Cause a Riot
The myth insists that Stravinsky’s score ignited a riot in 1913—but the truth is far more layered. TWoA revisits the premiere of The Rite of Spring, tracing how Nijinsky’s “anti-ballet” choreography, shaky orchestral execution, and a restless Parisian audience collided to create one of modernism’s great origin stories. A deeper look at the night that changed music history, just not in the way we’re told.
Cambridge at Christmas: Quiet Streets, Hidden Traditions, and the Songs You Hear After Dark
Christmas in Cambridge isn’t only found in lights and market stalls—it lingers in quiet streets, late-night footsteps, and the echoes of song after dark. TWoA follows a winter wander through the city, tracing modern student rituals back to Josiah Chater’s 1840s diary and discovering how Christmas survives in the gentlest, most surprising sounds.
Nutcracker Stories
The Nutcracker may feel like an eternal Christmas fixture, but its history is full of doubt, crisis, and unexpected brilliance. TWoA traces the ballet’s journey from Tchaikovsky’s reluctance and Ivanov’s quiet ingenuity to Balanchine’s dazzling New York revival, revealing the hidden stories behind the world’s most beloved holiday ballet.
‘West Meets East’… ? Shankar, Menuhin, and Indian Classical Music in the West
In 1967, Ravi Shankar and Yehudi Menuhin created West Meets East, a groundbreaking collaboration that brought Indian classical music into Western mainstream consciousness. But beneath its Grammy-winning success lie deeper questions of influence, appropriation, and cultural power. TWoA explores the friendship between the two virtuosos, the shifting Western fascination with Indian music, and what true cross-cultural learning demands.
‘Tis the Season
Looking for gifts with a little artistic magic? TWoA’s writers curate their favourite festive picks—from art-history reads and museum memberships to dancer must-haves, musician treasures, and beautifully crafted objects. Consider it your guide to artsy presents with real holiday spark.
From Bruges with Love: Digital Surrealism in Medieval Bruges - “Dalí Cybernetics”
Bruges’s medieval streets welcome an immersive Dalí experience. Yet can a city defined by history support the next chapter of digital art? Melis Seven finds out.