THE MAGAZINE
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.
Secret Ballet History: Agrippina Vaganova’s Narrow Escape From Arrest
Agrippina Vaganova, the woman behind the world-famous ballet method, almost faced arrest under Stalin’s regime. Read how she survived a political crackdown that targeted many artists of her time.
In League With the Devil? Violin Virtuoso Niccolò Paganini
Violin virtuoso Niccolò Paganini was both revered and reviled for his devilishly challenging compositions. But behind the myth of the demonic genius lay a man grappling with addiction and personal demons—read on to explore his complex life.
Uncanny Valley: The Art Behind TikTok’s Creepiest Trend
If TikTok’s fascination with the “uncanny valley” has caught your eye, you’ll find its roots deeply embedded in Eastern European Surrealism. Explore how this haunting art movement channels real trauma through unsettling, dreamlike imagery.
From London with Love: The King of Vogue
A new exhibition is up at London’s National Portrait Gallery: Cecil Beaton’s Fashionable World. Step inside the gallery to see how Beaton went from a war photographer to set and stage designer to the King of Vogue. Crisp, direct, and slightly cynical, this is your guide to the latest happenings in London.
Danae Venson, Composer and Graduate, The Juilliard School: “Words were failing to describe what I felt, so I began to teach myself how to write music.”
Danae Venson’s music begins where language fails—shaped by jazz, gospel, classical tradition, and the vivid colours of her synesthesia. In this conversation with TWoA, the Juilliard-trained composer reflects on her artistic beginnings, composing through trauma, and discovering a musical vocabulary entirely her own. Read on to discover how she’s shaping the music she always longed to hear.
A Tale of Autumn
Ever felt inspired by autumn? Good. So were Osslund, Tchaikovsky, and Rohmer, among many others. Read this article to find out how the season appears in art, music, and film, and why its briefness makes artists notice things they ignore the rest of the year.
Furnishing a Woman’s Mind: Isamu Noguchi’s Vision for Martha Graham’s Stage Worlds
It was in the artistic milieu of Greenwich Village that Modern Dance icon Martha Graham met Isamu Noguchi (1904-1988), the Japanese-American sculptor who would become her longtime collaborator. Read on to find out more.
From New York with Love: Halloween
Halloween in New York carries its own kind of theatre—costumes, orchestras, and a city that refuses to do anything halfway. This letter moves from childhood memories to a live screening of Psycho, where Herrmann’s strings cut through the hall as sharply as Hitchcock’s edits. Read it now and enjoy some Halloween vibes from NYC.
From New York with Love: Connecting With People
Autumn shows up in New York not on the sidewalks, but in the seats of City Center, where Fall for Dance turns a single evening into a study in how people meet. TWoA follows the night from a pre-show class to the final curtain, watching dancers and audiences negotiate rhythm, effort, and each other. Read this article for a City Letter about connection in its simplest, most unguarded forms.
The Killer History Can’t Escape: How a 300-year-old Outlaw Became an Internet Meme
History doesn’t always retire its characters. Sometimes it just changes their stage. This piece follows a 300-year-old outlaw as he slips from London’s theatres to Berlin’s cabarets, Broadway’s brass, late-night advertising, and finally the strange churn of internet culture. Read this article to see how Macheath survived each era—and why his grin keeps returning.
What a Farm Wife Painted: On Grandma Moses, the Pioneer of American Primitivism
Seventy-eight may seem like a late start. But for Grandma Moses, it was the beginning of a prolific career as an artist. Read the article to find out how she went from a farm wife to one of Americas most prolific primitive painters.