When the world gets too crazy to bear, we bring you the news you want to read. This link roundup features water balloons, the King of Pop, and more!
1. The Diderot String Quartet plays Mozart... with a slow-mo summer twist:
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ocQZirrZBDo
2. Whether you're just dipping your toes into the waters of classical music, or you're a long-time fan looking for ways to expand your listening, Anne Midgette at the Washington Post has a guide for you. The only rule? No snobs allowed.
3. Deutsche Grammophon is curating a playlist of their very best recordings, just for Apple Music. Listen here.
4. We've talked about pop stars that sample classical music here before. But did you know that none other than Michael Jackson sampled Beethoven multiple times throughout his career? A new book explores Jackson's love for classical music -- and brings songs like "Will You Be There?" into a whole new light.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=jQY_QL_wvQU
5. It's never too late to start learning an instrument. In a lovely essay for Strings Magazine, writer Judy Pollard Smith explains the joys of later-in-life music lessons.
At age 63 I decided it was time to investigate the cello. I had run out of the excuse of not having time.
6. Fourty-seven years before Marian Anderson made history singing at the Lincoln Memorial, Sissieretta Jones sang at the White House. She made history as the first African-American woman to headline at Carnegie Hall. Read all about her in the New York Times' "Overlooked" series, which tells stories of remarkable people who never received an obituary in the paper.
7. It's dorm decor season, and these female composer posters are essential for any music student's walls:
