Classical Notes: June 26, 2009 Archive

R I P Betty Allen

Posted at 4:45 PM on June 26, 2009 by Rex Levang (2 Comments)

Betty Allen was a noted mezzo-soprano who worked with the likes of Leonard Bernstein, Aaron Copland, and Virgil Thomson. She died at 82 earlier in the week.

Her obituary came out today--overshadowed, of course.

That was somewhat the story of her career--"I'm not a household name," as she admitted. But it was a fascinating career: from a grim childhood, to the inner circles of the Manhattan arts world. Check out this interview (unfortunately with mixed-up photos) and the New York Times obituary (registration required).

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Another Classical Baby

Posted at 7:48 PM on June 26, 2009 by Gillian Martin

Last month I posted about my joy when an internationally known artist is secure enough to include baby pictures on his/her website.

Well, here's another one to add to the gallery, courtesy of guitarist Eduardo Fernandez.