Born and raised in Washington, D.C., I couldn't help but develop a keen interest in politics, but music, theater and visual art also proved great attractions. Music became my main focus after high school. I thought about being a cocktail pianist, but I hated taking requests, so I studied music history instead, earning a B.A. in that field from Eisenhower College (Seneca Falls, N.Y.) and an M.A. from Occidental College (Los Angeles). I then landed in journalism. After freelancing for the Washington Post and others, I was classical music critic for the Sun-Sentinel in South Florida, where I also contributed to NPR. I've written for the New York Times, BBC Music Magazine and other publications, and I'm a longtime contributor to Opera News. My book, The NPR Curious Listener's Guide to Classical Music (Perigee, 2002), can be found on the most discerning remainder racks.
I joined the Baltimore Sun as classical music critic in 2000 and, in 2009, also became theater critic, giving me the opportunity to annoy a whole new audience. In 2010, my original Clef Notes blog expanded to encompass a theatrical component -- how could I resist calling it Drama Queens? I hope you'll find both sides of this blog coin worth exploring and reacting to; your own comments are always welcome and valued (well, most of them, at least).
Think of this as your open-all-hours, cyber green room, where there's always a performer or performance to discuss, some news to digest, or maybe just a little good gossip to share.
Note: Tim Smith now writes about the fine arts at
baltimoresun.com/artsmash. This blog will be kept in place as an archive for an indefinite period. Please visit the new location to get the latest Mid-Atlantic arts coverage.
View the Artsmash blog
Comments
I appreciate what this website is trying to do (lighten up the classical music scene, right?), but I guess I just don't find Cereal List all that funny. More intelligent and always funnier would be OperaChic, Parterre or even the arts marketing blog Life's a Pitch.
What's wrong with the photo? I don't get it.
Well, it does kind of look like poor Marin just got stabbed with a baton clear through the neck. Funny, isn't it? TIM
Posted by: Michelle | September 10, 2009 4:24 PM
I hadn't noticed that the end of the baton _does_, in fact, appear to be jutting through the other side of Alsop's neck. (This requires a little suspension-of-disbelief, however, as we're accustomed to conductors flinging their wands all over the place.) Thanks to "Cereal List" for turning this into "The Happening." ;^)
Personally, I wasn't too fond of that particular photo in the first place; Maestra Alsop appears to be just a little _too_ intense and focused, as if something of a very personal nature is _really_ bothering her at the moment.
Whoever took this photo succeeded in getting one _very_ unflattering shot of her face, which -- thanks to makeup and lighting -- appears as if she had been either embalmed or turned into a diorama mannequin for the "London Dungeon."
Posted by: Doug Halfen | September 11, 2009 10:55 AM