10 Somber Classical Tunes for a Pandemic

In my last blog I offered you, dear reader, 10 Happy Classical Tunes for a Pandemic. But what if you don’t feeling like listening to “happy” music right about now? You’re in too much pain. Understandable. Been there. It’s that weird state that commonly follows the death of a loved one, or something huge like … Read more

10 Happy Classical Tunes for a Pandemic

It’s a tall order these days to command oneself to be happy and productive. I myself have started and stopped this blog over a dozen times in the past few weeks. Something in me is frozen, distraught, in shock over the same thing everyone else is feeling discomfort and/or trauma over, and even though that … Read more

COVID-19 presents: Worldwide Ballet Class

The world of COVID-19 restrictions introduced itself to me in a rather heavy-handed fashion. On March 6th, San Francisco Ballet opened a new production, Balanchine’s glorious A Midsummer Night’s Dream. I rose the next morning, eagerly anticipating my trip to San Francisco for the weekend to attend two performances. Turning on my computer, I opened … Read more

Escape into SF Ballet’s magical “A Midsummer Night’s Dream”

We are living in a time rife with uncertainty, upheaval and high tension, for which, I’ve decided, Balanchine’s  A Midsummer Night’s Dream is the perfect antidote. Created in 1962 to music by Felix Mendelssohn, it was George Balanchine’s first original full-length ballet, and quickly hailed as a masterpiece. San Francisco Ballet audiences haven’t seen it since 1986, … Read more

The Classical Girl celebrates 7 years!

   It’s February 2020, and you know what that means? The Classical Girl has turned seven! The Classical Girl, as longtime readers might know, was a concept I’d created on the eve of 2013. A New Year’s resolution of sorts. My ballet novels were long completed, out being shopped (or already killed on the editorial-board table), … Read more