by Daniel Hathaway
HAPPENING TODAY:
12 Noon – Charlotte Beers Plank, organ (pictured). Church of the Covenant, University Circle, Cleveland. Free.
NEWS BRIEFS:
King’s College, Cambridge, to form first all-female choir
The Times of London reports that “More than five centuries after its foundation, the college known for its Christmas service sung by an all-male choir is to establish an all-female ensemble.” Read the article here.
TODAY’S ALMANAC:
by Mike Telin
On this day in 1770, Ludwig van Beethoven was born in Bonn, Germany. In response to a request for a comment, we received a text from the composer saying: “Enough with the celebrating, I’m 255 years old. Leave me alone already.”
However, if you still want to keep the party going, click here to read musicologist John Wilson’s 2021 essay on why we should change the way we program Beethoven’s music.
December 16 also saw the birth of American operatic tenor James McCracken in Gary, Indiana in 1926. Hailed by The New York Times as “the most successful dramatic tenor yet produced by the United States…” McCracken began singing in his church choir during childhood.
The tenor, who studied music at Columbia University, made his professional opera debut in 1952 in the role of Rodolfo in Puccini’s La bohème with Colorado’s Central City Opera.
While still a student, he sang minor roles at the Metropolitan Opera, and in 1957 made his debut at the Vienna State Opera. In 1963 he began his long association with The Met, and quickly became one of the company’s principal dramatic tenors.
Click here to listen to McCracken sing Nessun dorma with the Orchestra dell’Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia conducted by Lamberto Gardelli.
