The Shorewood High School Orchestra, swinging since 1925, has blown up to amazing proportions. Today, roughly 25% of all students in the district play an instrument. The roster includes 520 musicians (grades

...Musical Holiday favorites coupled with Leonard's charming wit will ring through The Shops of Grand Avenue this holiday season.

Friday, Nov. 14, Symphony Style Fashion Show Gala @ Milwaukee Art Museum, 6:30 p.m. The Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s long-running Symphony Style, perhaps the most exclusive and decadent of Milwaukee’s fashion events, has previously showcased the designs of top names like Vera...

In 1969, the band Deep Purple made history by performing Jon Lord’s Concerto for Group and Orchestra with The Royal Philharmonic Orchestra in London. Since then, Metallica has performed live with the San Francisco Symphony, KISS has collaborated with the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra and indie groups like Belle & Sebastian and The Decemberists have joined the Los Angeles Philharmonic on stage. Milwaukee adds a new chapter to the history of symphony-rock this summer with a series of four free concerts featuring live performances by The Gufs and the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The beloved local band and world-renowned orchestra will join forces at Boerner Botanical Gardens at 7 p.m., June 25; the Lake Michigan . . .

Munich-born guest conductor Jun Markl oversees the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra’s latest program, From Germany to Russia, which features violinist Hilary Hahn. The program kicks off with a timely performance of Schumann’s Symphony No. 1 in B-flat major, “Spring,” and concludes with Tchaikovsky’s striking . . .

Describing a piece of music that combines Russian folk music and Asian-inflected themes as “the peace-loving songs of the conquered and their conquerors joined in harmony” may be an almost alien thought to our 21st-century ears, but such was the thinking of many composers during the 19th . . .

The Mass in B minor by Johann Sebastian Bach is one of the marvels of musical accomplishments. Its composer seemed to believe that God is, among other attributes, the ultimate intellect. This music achieves its exaltation through rigorous depth, exploring the expansion of every Baroque musical form and compositional device. The Mass in B Minor, performed by Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra last weekend, is a mountain Andreas Delfs obviously wanted to climb with the orchestra and chorus. It was an inspired journey. There are certain trade-offs that are givens when a traditional symphony orchestra and chorus present a major Baroque work such as this.

There aren’t many real stars among instrumentalists in classical music today. Cellist Yo-Yo Ma is at the top of the list. In a gala performance with Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra last Wednesday night Ma portrayed Cervantes’ demented hero in Richard Strauss’ Don Quixote as convincingly as any dramatized version. We expect beautiful tone and masterful phrasing from Ma. I wasn’t prepared for his depth of humanity in this piece and overwhelming musical acting, portraying the character’s swoons, groans and palpable longing. The Don’s aching idealism ended with a heartbreaking death scene from Ma.

One of Charlie Chaplin’s most overtly romantic films, City Lights not only starred and was written by Chaplin, but it was also scored by the enduring silent film actor. Particularly during the film’s storied final scene, the swelling musical accompaniment conveys grand emotions that the down-to-earth characters on . . .

One of Charlie Chaplin’s most overtly romantic films, City Lights not only starred and was written by Chaplin, but it was also scored by the enduring silent film actor. Particularly during the film’s storied final scene, the swelling musical accompaniment conveys grand emotions that the down-to-earth characters on . . .