1. Local concert-goers, take note: the Boston Symphony Orchestra recently released their COVID-19 protocols for the upcoming season.
2. Ever thought that, in another life, you'd be a jazz pianist? Well, if you're not a musician, don't let that stop you — this new tool turns each stroke you type into a note or a chord, so you end up with your own custom improvisation.
3. A headline that stopped us in our tracks this week: "You might like Stradivarius violins because worms hate them." What? As it turns out, one secret to the uniquely beautiful sounds of Stradivari and Guarneri violins might be the treatment those famous makers used to prevent worms from eating the wood.
4. If you, like many others, find yourself with a case of pandemic-induced insomnia, listening to nocturnes might be able to help.
5. A tragic moment in a performance of Tosca turned into an all-out celebration, when bass Solomon Howard proposed onstage to soprano Ailyn Pérez!
6. Being a nurse, especially during times like these, is already pretty heroic. But what if your nurse was also a musician — and also a Paralympian? Meet Manami Ito, who stole the show at the opening to the Paralympic Games this summer in Tokyo.
7. At the University of Utah Hospital, waiting room visitors were treated to a moment of pure joy when healthcare worker Teva Martinson gave an impromptu ballet performance.
A moment of pure joy at University of Utah Hospital❤️#uofuhealth #universityofutahhealth pic.twitter.com/kiuBPs6cbA
— University of Utah Health (@UofUHealth) August 31, 2021