Philadelphia Music Makers

His own piano teacher told him he wouldn’t get into Curtis, but that he ought to audition anyway, for the experience. So, two weeks after traveling from…

The Guarneri Quartet looks down at them from a frame hanging on the wall. There’s that and an espresso machine in the practice room of the Aizuri Quartet,…

The door closed behind Jennifer Higdon. She was in the office of her college conducting professor, Robert Spano, seeking advice about what to do. She had…

“Kind of incredible, isn’t it?” says Jennifer Higdon. She has won a Pulitzer and a Grammy, her orchestral work blue cathedral has been performed more than…

When Alita Moses stepped onto the stage for the finals of the 2014 Shure Montreux Jazz Voice Competition in Switzerland last July, she had come a long way…

Growing up, Warren "Butch" Oree never had dreamed of becoming a musician. Though jazz was a constant presence in both his home life and social activities,…

Pianist Michelle Cann's musical evolution started early. Her father, the music teacher at the local parochial elementary school, made sure that she had…

Flutist Patrick Williams’ love of music started young. Classical music was omnipresent in his childhood home, with his parents encouraging him to pursue…

Daniel T. Peterson’s passion for music began early, but it took a long and winding path before it manifested as his career.As a young child, Peterson…

What David Hughes seems to love best about music is the journey. As an artist, he embraces the growth process of taking on difficult pieces. As a…