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Writing about music:
For the Love of Layla
Sunday, March 1, 2009
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
Yo-Yo Ma's Silk Road Ensemble revisits Azerbaijan's first homegrown opera, integrating maqam styles and an ancient epic tale with Western motifs.
Songs Lifted In Praise of Gomidas
Sunday, October 17, 2008
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A husband and wife duo bring the music of Armenia's national hero to a wider audience.
A Mass By Committee, And a Test of Belief
Sunday, April 22, 2007
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
Can a Latin mass speak to all religions without sacrificing its meaning?
Sarband and Concerto Köln Bridge a Cultural Ravine
Sunday, August 6, 2006
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A pair of German ensembles examine the relationship between Turkey and Europe in terms of music history.
The Gospel of New Music, According to Midori
Sunday, April 23, 2006
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
The world-class violinist explains the mysteries of new music, running a day-long workshop for curious ticket-holders in San Francisco.
Get Them in the Seats, and Their Hearts Will Follow
Sunday, February 26, 2006
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A group of New York City high-school students who spend their Friday nights at chamber music concerts, and try to get their friends to come along.
Hoping Music Is the Food of Peace, an Orchestra Plays On
Wednesday, August 24, 2005
The New York Times (Arts)
The Caucasian Chamber Orchestra made its debut at the Batumi Music Festival in the newly-reintegrated region of Ajaria, Georgia.
Flamenco Lessons With a Difference
Saturday, July 16, 2005
The New York Times (Arts)
At Lincoln Center, public school teachers turn to flamenco for inspiration in teaching English language learners.
The 60-Day Course in Perfect Fake Piano Playing
Sunday, July 10, 2005
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
How actors who have never played a note bluff their way through the toughest sonatas and nocturnes.
A Silk Road That Leads Somewhere Truly New
Sunday, April 10, 2005
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A conversation with Yo-Yo Ma about how deliberate experimentation can lead to new musical traditions.
Bending Folk to Fit a 12-Tone Style and Vice Versa
Sunday, January 23, 2005
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A review of two new recordings: Monodia, compositions by Tigran Mansurian featuring Kim Kashkashian, Leonidas Kavakos, the Hilliard Ensemble, and the Munich Chamber Orchestra; and Mugam Sayagi, compositions by Franghiz Ali-Zadeh performed by the Kronos Quartet and Ali-Zadeh.
Graduating From High School For Their Annual King Day Show
Saturday, January 15, 2004
The New York Times (Arts)
Reflections on identity, music, and change from Ysaye Barnwell, the new director of the venerable vocal ensemble Sweet Honey In The Rock. Culturally Worlds Apart, Children Touch Musically
Wednesday, December 8, 2004
The New York Times (Arts)
A report from an extraordinary high-tech concert at Carnegie Hall in which New York City students communicate with students in New Delhi, India. A Cultural Jam Session of Timbres and Tongues
Tuesday, October 19, 2004
The New York Times (Arts)
A piece examining how Mongolian throat-singing reflects not only different vocal traditions in the East and West, but also radically different ways of studying music.
Timely Hymns to a Timeless City
Sunday, March 7, 2004
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
A review of a new CD by vocalist and songwriter Lilit Pipoyan.
Ambassador for a Silenced Music
Sunday, May 25, 2003
The New York Times (Arts & Leisure)
An exploration of the fate of music in the Islamic Republic of Iran after the 1979 Revolution that brought strict limitations on musical performance.
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Essays, book reviews, and narrative nonfiction:
Internal Affairs [PDF]
January 23, 2009
The National
Reflections on Azar Nafisi's second memoir, "Things I've Been Silent About".
For Which It Stands
January 8, 2009
GlobalPost
A dispatch from Turkey for a GlobalPost series on worldwide reactions to President Obama's inauguration.
Minority Rules
Sunday, February 17, 2008
The New York Times Magazine
A report from Turkey's southeast, where local Kurdish mayors face dozens of lawsuits for using the language their constituents speak.
The Year in Ideas: Literary Spam
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The New York Times Magazine
The Year in Ideas: Yodeling is Universal
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The New York Times Magazine
The Year in Ideas: Shipping Containers Explain Everything
Sunday, December 10, 2006
The New York Times Magazine
Destination: Armenia
July 12, 2006
Salon.com
An essay about Armenian literature for Salon.com's Literary Guide to the World.
Why Repeat These Sad Things?
Spring 2006
n+1 (Number 4: Reconstruction)
Another Country
May 2, 2005
The Nation (Books & the Arts)
Thoughts on exile, "Iran chic," and the limitations of nostalgia, with reviews of "Lipstick Jihad" by Azadeh Moaveni, and "In the Rose Garden of the Martyrs" by Christopher de Bellaigue.
Common Ground
Sunday, April 24, 2005
Boston Globe (Ideas)
A group of Turkish and Armenian historians who work together against the long-standing enmity that divides their communities.
The Burden of Memory
September 20, 2004
The Nation (Books & the Arts)
A critical look at the clashing needs and motivations of diasporas and their homelands, including reviews of "The Burning Tigris" by Peter Balakian and "Modern Armenia: People, Nation, State" by Gerard Libaridian.
The Truth About Our Good Intentions
Monday, October 13, 2003
Alternet.org
An essay about how American development projects in other countries might look to those on the receiving end of charity. |
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