THE MAGAZINE
What is Your Star Sign? “Tierkreis” by Karlheinz Stockhausen
Karlheinz Stockhausen (1928-2007) once said, “I want to live in the future.” His composition Tierkreis (Zodiac) is a vivid example of avant-garde music pushing the boundaries of what we traditionally consider music, much like abstract art, which challenges our perception of visual reality.
Why John Cage’s provocative ‘silent piece’ is still powerful today
A musical composition consisting of 4'33'' minutes of silence? Are you kidding me? Find out more about John Cage's provocative, iconic piece from someone who performed it.
Choosing the Right Variation for a Ballet Competition
Are you planning to compete at a ballet competition this school year? Choosing the right variation is a key condition for success. What principles should guide your choice? TWoA talked to Inna Bayer, artistic director of Bayer Ballet Academy, and one of her students, Crystal Huang, prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne 2024, the Youth America Grand Prix 2024, 2024 YoungArts (Dance/Ballet) and of the Grand Prix at the 2024 South Africa International Ballet Competition.
Crystal Huang, 15, Prix de Lausanne Prize Winner 2024: “The Love for Dance Comes First!”
Crystal Huang, 15, is having a remarkable year. Until about two years ago, Crystal was training in commercial dancing. In 2024, Crystal became a prize winner at the Prix de Lausanne, one of the most prestigious international ballet competitions. She is also a prize winner at the Youth America Grand Prix 2024, 2024 YoungArts (Dance/Ballet) and of the Grand Prix at the 2024 South Africa International Ballet Competition. TWoA talked to Crystal about her unusual dance journey, gathering some valuable tips on how to succeed at competitions.
Bayreuth, 13th August 1876
It is a sweltering hot August day in 1876, and a mass of keen Wagner fans are crammed into the small Bavarian town of Bayreuth, spilling over the sides of the streets. Traffic jams of horse and ox carriages block the roads. Find out what happened next!
“Sleeping Beauties:” Reawakening Fashion, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York
The Metropolitan Museum of Art’s fashion exhibition “Sleeping Beauties: Reawakening Fashion” wants to enable museum goers to have a full sensory experience of the fashions of the past. And yes: this includes trying to recapture the scent left behind by the items’ former owners.
Celebrating NYCB’s 75th Anniversary with a Round of Dancer Doppelgangers!
In ballet, the present recalls the past. Knowledge is passed down and repertoire is preserved through memory. Combine the past and the present in a game I’d like to call “New York City Ballet - Dancer Doppelgangers”!
The Secret to Playing like Horowitz: A Look Into Classical Improvisation
Legendary pianist Vladimir Horowitz once said: “I play the way I feel at that moment. The head – the intellect – is only the controlling factor of music making. It is not a guide. The guide is your feelings.” Hector Wolff makes the case for including classical improvisation in your music making.
Spencer Rubin’s Guide to New York
Spencer Rubin is an oboe student at The Juilliard School in New York. He has earned numerous grand prize and first place awards in national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist with orchestras. He grew up on Long Island, just outside Manhattan. TWoA talked to Spencer about his favourite things to do in the Big Apple.
Meet Taylor Swift’s Muse: Dancer and Innovator Loïe Fuller
A butterfly. A petal unfolding. A dazzling prism. A snowflake. American dancer and choreographer Loïe Fuller (1862-1928) was able to evoke each of those images during her swirling, spiraling Serpentine Dance. Meet Taylor Swift’s Muse.
Did Composers Wing It? Four Piano Pieces that Imitate Birdsong
Bird calls have been firmly nested in classical piano music even as far back as the Baroque era. Here are four more recent pieces giving the well-deserved spotlight onto our feathered friends.
Spencer Rubin, Oboe Student, The Juilliard School: On Oboe Reeds, Juilliard and Favourite Oboe Concertos
Spencer Rubin is an oboe student at The Juilliard School. He has earned numerous grand prize and first place awards in national and international competitions and has performed as a soloist with orchestras. Spencer is also a trailblazer on social media, making classical music and the oboe accessible through his channels on Instagram, YouTube and TikTok. TWoA talked to Spencer about his musical journey, the oboe and much else.
The Harlem Renaissance and Transatlantic Modernism, The Metropolitan Museum of Art, New York, through 28 July 2024
Who determines which artists take a central place in history, and which artists are marginalised or erased from our cultural memory? New York’s Metropolitan Museum of Art is currently showing a groundbreaking exhibition that seeks to reposition the Harlem Renaissance, the first African American-led movement of modern art, as a central moment in American art and international modernism.
The Dancing King: Ballet in Ancien Régime France
In the lavish world of the Ancien Régime (France before the 1789 Revolution), dance was considered to be just as important as music, literature and the visual arts. This was, in part, down to one man’s tastes. Beyond his role as the divinely ordained ruler of France—an “absolute” monarch—Louis XIV (1638-1713) was also a prolific dancer.
Considering Practice, Remembering Fun
Bravery requires fear: “I wish I could tell you whether the rest of the recital went well or not, but honestly I wasn’t even listening to myself, I was just thinking: Don’t fuck up. Don’t fuck up, or you’ll have wasted all of their time. Don’t fuck up, or they’ll all wonder why you were asked to play in the first place. Don’t fuck up, or they’ll find out that you’re the worst organist in Cambridge. “
Press A to Play: The Power of Video Game Music
The next time you are unwinding with a video game, see if you can notice how the music changes as you progress – and consider the challenging process the composer went through to make this possible!
Noa Kageyama, Performance Psychologist (The Juilliard School): Making Performers Bulletproof, Part II
This is part II of our interview with performance psychologist Noa Kageyama. Noa is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, teaching performing artists how to use principles of sport psychology to perform to their full abilities under pressure. TWoA talked to Noa about beating performance anxiety, building confidence, effective practice and building mental resilience.
Finding Unity Amidst Conflict: The Intersection of Art and Human Rights
Classic and contemporary artists have used compelling approaches to break down human rights issues so audiences can better understand them. Their work becomes a form of activism, embodying the potential for growth and change.
Noa Kageyama, Performance Psychologist (The Juilliard School): Making Performers Bulletproof, Part I
Performance psychologist Noa Kageyama is on the faculty of The Juilliard School, teaching performing artists how to use principles of sport psychology to perform to their full abilities under pressure. TWoA talked to Noa about beating performance anxiety, building confidence, effective practice and building mental resilience.
Yuka Iwai 岩井優花, Principal Soloist, K-Ballet Tokyo: How to Prepare for an Unexpected Debut
Yuka Iwai is a principal soloist with K-Ballet Tokyo. Two weeks before K-Ballet’s recent revival of Giselle, she found out that she would step in for an injured dancer and dance Giselle at the production’s opening night. TWoA talked to Yuka about the special challenge of learning a principal role in two weeks.