Benjamin Britten visited North America in April 1939, and found more than he hoped for. He came from Britain to perform and present some of his compositions in Canada and the U.S. What was initially planned as a relatively short trip ended up lasting several years. War broke out in Europe while he was away, and he decided for a long time not to come back to England. Since he was 26 yo, he would have had to enlist in the military in some form (he ended up coming back to England in 1942 and claimed a "conch" --conscientious objector-- status). more ›

William Bolcom composed two third of the pieces in the program presented by the New Century Chamber Orchestra, in a run which opens tomorrow in Berkeley (and repeats Friday in Palo Alto, Saturday in San Francisco and Sunday in San Rafael). He is also penning a world premiere for another NCCO concert series next May. more ›