Born in 1947 into a musical family, Tony Osborne studied at the Royal Academy of Music (London) with John Walton (double bass) and Richard Stoker (composition), and divided a busy career between composing, teaching, and performing. A prolific composer and arranger, Tony’s original compositions include works in almost every genre, notably Chaconne Syncopations and Wainwright’s…
Double bassist Michael Montgomery, a student of Robert Rohe (Principal Bass, New Orleans Symphony) and Lucas Drew (Principal Bass, Miami Philharmonic), earned his Doctor of Musical Arts degree in double bass performance from the University of Miami, played full-time in the bass section of the Florida Philharmonic Orchestra for two decades. He now lives in…
Norman O’Neill (1875-1934) was the leading British theatrical composer in the 1920s and 30s. He composed music for more than 50 plays, notably by J.M. Barrie, Shakespeare, A.A. Milne, Ibsen, Walter Scott and Ashley Dukes, showing a remarkable aptitude for devising music which enhanced a situation and reflected the stage characters. He studied with Arthur…
Pietro Mascagni was an influential Italian composer born on December 7, 1863, in Livorno, Italy, and he passed away on August 2, 1945, in Rome, Italy. He is best known for his operas and is particularly celebrated for his 1890 masterpiece Cavalleria rusticana, which caused a sensation in opera history and initiated the Verismo movement…
Gustav Mahler was an Austro-Bohemian Romantic composer and one of the leading conductors of his generation. He was born on July 7, 1860, in Kaliště, Bohemia, then part of the Austrian Empire, and passed away on May 18, 1911, in Vienna, Austria1. Mahler’s compositions act as a bridge between the 19th-century Austro-German tradition and the…
Henry Purcell was an English composer of Baroque music, born around September 10, 1659, in Westminster, London, England. He passed away on November 21, 1695, in Marsham Street, London1. Purcell’s musical style was uniquely English, though it incorporated Italian and French elements. He is generally considered one of the greatest English opera composers and is…
Modest Mussorgsky was a significant Russian composer born on March 21, 1839, in Karevo, Russia, and he passed away on March 28, 1881, in St. Petersburg. He was a prominent figure in the Russian music scene during the Romantic period and was part of “The Five,” a group of composers dedicated to creating a distinctly…
Johann Pachelbel was a German composer, organist, and teacher who brought the south German organ tradition to its peak. He was baptized on September 1, 1653, in Nuremberg, Germany, and died before March 9, 1706, in the same city1. Pachelbel composed a large body of sacred and secular music, and his contributions to the development…
Sergei Vasilyevich Rachmaninov was a Russian composer, virtuoso pianist, and conductor, born on April 1, 1873, in Semyonovo, Russia, and he passed away on March 28, 1943, in Beverly Hills, California, USA. He is widely regarded as one of the finest pianists of his day and as a composer, one of the last great representatives…
Sarah Quartel is a Canadian composer, conductor, and educator known for her fresh and exciting approach to choral music. Her compositions are deeply inspired by the transformative relationships that can occur through making choral music, and she writes in a way that connects singer to singer, ensemble to conductor, and performer to audience. Her works…
