YouTube Pianist Plays Her Way to Royal Albert Hall

If you've ever trawled YouTube for Beethoven’s Moonlight Sonata, Liszt’s Totentanz or Bach's Toccata and Fugue in D minor, chances are you've encountered a clip of Valentina Lisitsa. The Ukrainian pianist with the flaxen hair and powerful technique has become one of the most popular classical performers of the viral video era, with her YouTube channel receiving 44 million views since it was set up in 2007.  Read more

Vote for the Redwood String Ensemble!!

Vote for the Redwood String Ensemble!! In April, the White House Office of Public Engagement launched the LGBT Pride Month Champions of Change Video Challenge to explore the stories of unsung heroes. Congrats to the Redwood String Ensemble and a shout out to McKenzie Bauer, violinist, who also works in the Conservatory Library!!

http://www.whitehouse.gov/LGBTVideoChallenge

London Symphony is Told to Fake it at the Olympics

Musicians in the London Symphony Orchestra are reportedly going to join the ranks of Milli Vanilli and mime their performance at the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics.

Reports from London state that organizers are concerned that bad weather and poor acoustics of the Olympic Stadium — a bowl-shaped facility with seating for 80,000 — could make a live performance too risky. The performance is set to take place as athletes from competing nations parade around the arena on July 27.  Read More