Ever wonder what the difference between a philharmonic and a symphony orchestra is? How about a chamber orchestra? Your questions answered.

Anyone with even a glancing knowledge of Western music history knows that Beethoven first rattled the cage of Classical form, then demolished it with oupourings of emotion using then-unconventional means. But so much of the Beethoven we hear on symphony stages sounds so tame. Is this really the music that shocked listeners 200 years ago?

Dr Patrick P.L. Lam, a member of the Toronto Mahler Society, offers an invitation to join the organization’s 10th anniversary celebration on May 8:

This is the first installment in an occasional, indefinite series of explanations on typical things one would find at a classical music concert for people who are new to its many, many codified forms.

A visit to Bob Shingleton’s excellent blog, On an Overgrown Path, has inspired a little ode to the charms of the string orchestra, a deceptively simple-seeming collection of violins, violas, cellos and double-basses.

There is such a fuss coming up over the next two weeks as people latch on to the Big International Brand that is Glenn Gould. In Toronto there will be concerts, lectures and all sorts of weirdness at Convocation Hall.

This little bit of interview conversation by Cate Blanchett contains what I think could possibly be the kernel of the whole artistic impulse.

With so many standard instruments included in the orchestra, where is the saxophone? The answer may surprise you.

Bastille Day is a fine excuse to spend a moment with underappreciated French composer Charles Koechlin (1867-1950), who is benefiting from some very fine new recordings, including an album by Toronto violist Steven Dann.

Castrati were world's first real superstars. But the history behind the men who could sing like women has an interesting twist. Brian Chang explains.