Singing a New Tune

"Professional musicians are not typically thought of as entrepreneurs. Given the difficulty of a career in the fine arts, however, most of them need to pick up the skills of one to survive and flourish.

In addition to performing, most musicians dabble in teaching, administration and business. Instead of leaving their graduates to cobble these skills together into a functional career, some music schools are now embedding entrepreneurship in their traditional curriculums in an effort to make their students more business savvy."

See Inside Higher Ed to read the full article.

Conspiracy of Silence: Could the release of secret documents shatter Felix Mendelssohn's reputation?

"Did Felix Mendelssohn's passion for the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind lead to his early death? If reports of a document buried in the bowels of the Royal Academy of Music are to be believed, a potentially devastating new light is waiting to be shed on the composer's life, his death and his music, on the eve of his bicentenary, which is sparking worldwide celebrations in 2009."

For the full article, follow the link to The Independent.

New Library Books, Scores and Recordings

The latest of materials added to the Music Library & Listening Center's collection has been posted. You may access the new items list at http://www/Music/Acquisitions/NewAcqDec08.html. You may also browse lists from the past six month on the "About the Music Library" section of our homepage.

Secret of the White Rose

"Carl Orff's famous Carmina Burana has an ugly history: it was a Nazi favourite. But a new film reveals that the composer's own story was even uglier."

To read the rest of Martin Kettle's article, please see The Guardian.


Photo by Amodiovalerio Verde

For many pianists, being left-handed is just right

"Considering that about 10 percent of the general population is left-handed, the number of celebrated southpaw classical pianists is wildly out of proportion... If you know your famous pianists, the list is a who’s who, from 20th-century legends Vladimir Horowitz, Arthur Rubinstein and Glenn Gould to today’s keyboard masters Daniel Barenboim, Radu Lupu, Leif Ove Andsnes, Steven Blier, Richard Goode, Helene Grimaud … and many more."

See The Atlanta Journal-Constitution to read the full article.


Photo by Zen.

Dr. Eric Offenbacher Dies

Dr. Eric Offenbacher passed away on Monday, January 5, 2009 in Seattle. Offenbacher is best known for his generous donation of the Offenbacher-Mozart Collection of 78 and LP recordings to the University of Washington's Music Library. For more information on Offenbacher's life, please see the Seattle Times. A copy of Offenbacher's obituary may also be found in the Seattle Times.

Study in Comfort at the Music Library

In response to the survey results from last Spring, the Music Library has established a group study area for our students. The new, comfy chairs are located in the downstairs reading area (Room 15). Please come by and check out the soft chairs and relaxed setting!