Like sex, music never goes smoothly if you concentrate too hard. Over-think it and it sets like a badly poached egg.

Beware of locking antlers in a tussle for artistic supremacy, lest you tumble into music’s icy sea and lie frozen for all eternity.

Children may not all have the voices of angels, but perhaps torturing the young is killing off the audiences of the future.

Credit to Trump for having the energy to run the US at 70, but musicians have always shown resilience in the face of age.

Or how a smart-thinking South Australian education initiative fell at the first fence thanks to small-minded union mentality.

Properly given, and equally well-received, a kind word can change a day from cloudy with scattered showers to full sun.

They’re hell to practise, but given a touch of magic by a genius composer, scales can take us on a beautiful journey.

For this ‘composer’, the act of operatic creation is a case of stitching together the mouldering body parts of the greats. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

One maestro pays tribute to another, recalling a friend, a mentor and one of the true giants of the Australian music scene. Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

When it comes to bel canto, might a microphone or two might help it come over a little more ‘con belto’? Continue reading Get unlimited digital access from $4 per month Subscribe Already a subscriber? Log in

Starving for your art is one thing, but what’s a wannabe Diva to do when life begins to dangerously imitate opera?

It may be many people’s favourite musical, but some duff plot points means West Side Story ain’t no Romeo and Juliet.