Wilhelm Stenhammar

ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

If you love musical discoveries made-easy to discover check out https://www.gso.se/en/gsoplay and listen to the music – new to me – of Wilhelm Stenhammar (1871 –1927). A Swedish composer, conductor and pianist little known outside his country, he does not merit neglect, as his music is simply beautiful – purely Romantic, perhaps influenced by Sibelius but very much unique. The Gothenburg Symphony Orchestra (of which I am a big fan) has posted several of his compositions on the occasion of his 150th anniversary. The American-born Swedish maestro Herbert Blomsted guests, leading the Gothenburg musicians in several performances of Stenhammar’s music, among them the gorgeous Serenade for Orchestra.

Rafael de Acha ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Published by ALL ABOUT THE ARTS

Rafael de Acha has enjoyed a distinguished career in the arts as a performer, stage director, producer, and educator. He was born and grew up in Cuba. At the age of 17 he moved to the United States to study Drama at the University of Minnesota, and later Languages at L.A. City College, Music at the Juilliard School of Music, at the University of Cincinnati’s College Conservatory of Music, and at the New England Conservatory of Music, from which he received the Master's degree. He has taught courses on the History of Music at the University of Miami’s Frost School of Music and at Florida International University, and contributed writings and reviews to Seen and Heard International (www.seenandheard-international.com ) and to this blog. He co-founded the award-winning New Theatre in Coral Gables, Florida, where he produced and staged twenty seasons of classical and contemporary theater, including fifty world premieres of plays that went on to have international and national productions on and off Broadway, including Ana in the Tropics by Nilo Cruz (Pulitzer Prize for Drama 2002 and Tony Nomination 2003.) In 2006 he was presented with a citation from The Dade County Cultural Affairs Council for “trailblazing contributions to the arts in South Florida.”