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Catch Waves with this Extreme Violinist

Nuno Santos surfs while playing violin.
Screenshot of "Canção do Mar / Song of the Sea" on YouTube
Nuno Santos surfs while playing violin.

Nuno Santos is taking his violin where no instrument has gone before. Also in this roundup, ancient instruments see a new day, the sounds of a 16th Century chapel rise again, and more!

1. Looking for a new ringtone? If your phone is made by Chinese smartphone maker Oppo, its sounds will all be composed by Grammy and Academy-Award winner Hans Zimmer

2. On December 23, 1943, Engelbert Humperdinck's "Hansel and Gretel" became the first opera to be shown in its entirety on television. But how did it happen? And why that opera? It was a story 60 years in the making.

3. A combination of gaming technology and groundbreaking recording techniques have allowed researchers to recreate the sound of 16th Century Scottish chapel.

4. In a little workshop in Chennai, India, craftsman Tharun Sekar is recreating ancient instruments like the yazh, heard in royal courts 2,000 years ago. Here's what a yazh sounds like:

5. If you've been listening to more music than usual throughout this pandemic, you're not alone. On April 15, three members of the Longwood Symphony Orchestra, Boston's orchestra made up of members of the medical community, are hosting a free Zoom event, focusing on how music can improve our wellbeing.

6. We know people who can surf, and we know people who can play violin, but we'd be hard pressed to name anyone who can play violin while surfing. Until now. Violinist Nuno Santos takes his violin to unlikely places, like in this video:

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Kendall Todd is the Content Manager for GBH Music.