I’m…. back?

by | Sep 14, 2010 | Nuts and bolts

Actually, the title should read: “I am my back.” If it’s the knees that limit the careers of most football players, the chops that give out on many brass players and the wrists that often become a problem for pianists, it is the back that remains the most likely...

Al is not the problem

by | Sep 7, 2010 | A view from the podium

I have to confess that the annual orgy of complaints about the BBC Proms always strikes this American transplant as absurd and hard to comprehend. Say what you will, it is an extraordinary international feast of great music played by the world’s greatest orchestras,...

The old cello switcheroo

by | Sep 6, 2010 | A view from the podium

I am in Philadelphia this week for some work with my string trio, Ensemble Epomeo. I have to say, Philadelphia has become one of my favorite cities- I love the neighborhood feel in the part of town where I’m staying, with some lovely shops and restaurants as well as...

Don’t Beat

by | Aug 27, 2010 | Music and Media

I don’t know if I can say this definitively, but as far as I know, Vftp is the oldest conductor’s blog still going, and when I first started I couldn’t find any examples of other substantial blogging projects by any other conductors. While it’s nice to be first, we...