UMS is presenting the Chamber Ensemble of the Shanghai Chinese Orchestra on February 10. They perform on the zheng, dizi, erhu, pipa, and other Chinese instruments seldom featured in the West. Learn about and listen to these instruments below the fold.

Dr. Justin O’Dell, Assistant Professor of Clarinet at Michigan State University, writes about his experiences having Trio di Clarone member Wolfgang Meyer as his post-graduate teacher.

Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars), commissioned to commemorate America’s bicentennial, was inspired the by the American West. Conductor Jeffrey Tate and the Hamburg Symphony, in collaboration with Israeli filmmaker Daniel Landau, bring the piece alive in a new cinematic installation, where images of man’s impact on the environment create a counterpoint to sounds of untouched nature. UMS’s video producer and filmmaker Sophia Kruz interviewed Daniel Landau over Skype.

On January 29, UMS will present the Hamburg Symphony Orchestra who will perform French composer Olivier Messiaen’s Des canyons aux étoiles (From the Canyons to the Stars). From the Canyons to the Stars was inspired by the natural wonder Messiaen found in the landscapes of the American West. We put together a playlist of other music we love which was inspired by nature. Take a listen.

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