john muir featured

Letter to a Friend

In 1868, JOHN MUIR, then a University of Wisconsin student, wrote to his 'spiritual mother' to tell her of his recent travels and his growing devotion to a joyous and reverent communion with Nature.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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On ‘The Hidden Cost of Wildlife Tourism’

DUNCAN STRAUSS interviews NATASHA DALY, Wildlife Crime reporter for National Geographic, about her blockbuster cover story, 'The Hidden Cost of Wildlife Tourism'
by David McGee
 

 

 
surf in vesre featured

Surf in Verse, 2019 Edition

Our HERE COMES SUMMER celebration continues with the perennially popular SURF IN VERSE feature. Five surfing-inspired poems written by surfers (three of them females) are enhanced by classic surf music courtesy THE BEL AIRS and...
by David McGee
 

 
 
snafu featured

Remembering Private Snafu

A true historical obscurity, PRIVATE SNAFU was the title character in a series of animated instructional shorts filmed for and shown only to WWII soldiers to instruct them in security, personal hygiene and other issues.
by David McGee
 

 

 
le clavecin francais adam pearl

France’s Ever-Visceral Harpsichord Legacy

'These are not performances that conjure ghosts of the past: harpsichordist ADAM PEARL reveals that this music lives as viscerally today as it did two-and-a-half centuries ago.
by David McGee
 

 
 
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Timeless Topics: Home and Spring

A double-shot of 7 Imp this time around: in 'A NEW HOME,' we see 'the common humanity in two cultures on two different spots in the map'; and in BLOOM BOOM! we celebrate the flowering, if you will, of spring!
by David McGee
 

 

 
mama featured

Frans de Waal’s Case for Animal Emotions

In his new book, MAMA'S LAST HUG, Primatologist FRANS DE WAAL makes a credible case for animals experiencing emotions much as humans do. Suddenly, his ideas are gaining traction. DUNCAN STRAUSS, explores those ideas with de Waa...
by David McGee
 

 
 
swan lake featured

Magnificent Original

Conductor VLADIMIR JUROWSKI leads the State Academic Orchestra of Russia through a memorable performance of TCHAIKOVSKY's 1877 version of SWAN LAKE.
by David McGee
 

 

 
tartit amankour

Tartit: Tuareg Life Through a Woman’s Eyes

TARTIT, the female ambassadors of Tuareg traditional culture, return from a prolonged absence with messages of peace and social cohesion for all cultures on Amankour/The Exile
by David McGee
 

 
 
stromme dynalyd featured

Pushing the Envelope of Nordic Jazz

The Karl Strømme Quintet is opening up new frontiers in Nordic jazz. The group's new album, DYNALYD, furthers the musicians' integration of other styles into the modern jazz tradition. A most pleasing sound it is.
by David McGee
 

 

 
ucd scholars perpetual twilight

‘Song is Central to the Irish Imagination’

Their 2016 debut album was an international hit, and the CHORAL SCHOLARS OF UNIVERSITY COLLEGE DUBLIN are back with another stellar rendering of Irish song in PERPETUAL TWILIGHT
by David McGee
 

 
 
anandi joys featured

‘Knowing Happiness Without Restraints’

Descended from Hindustani musical royalty, ANANDI BHATTACHARYA makes an impressive international debut on JOYS ABOUND, a celebration of 'knowing happiness without restraints.'
by David McGee