Archive for the ‘Communicating with Your Audience’ Category

Playing by Heart

Thursday, April 3rd, 2014

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. Early one morning, a few weeks ago, I was listening to radio station WQXR, when I heard the following:  “All of the artists you hear on WQXR play with heart, but not all of them play by heart.” It was the intro to an announcement […]

Read the rest of this article »

An Enlightened Concert Experience

Thursday, February 21st, 2013

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. About a month ago, I attended a panel discussion at Chamber Music America’s 35th annual conference in New York during which one of the panelists, pianist Simone Dinnerstein, spoke of her quest to make her concerts as personal, intimate and warm as possible. Reinforced by […]

Read the rest of this article »

Hearing the Artist’s Voice

Thursday, November 15th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. One of the questions I am asked most frequently when I meet with students at music schools and conservatories is: How important is it to have a website? I increasingly tell them that it is very important. The challenge for a musician who is […]

Read the rest of this article »

Reaching Out During the Storm

Thursday, November 8th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. For those who live along the eastern seaboard of the United States, this past week was filled with overwhelming challenges, including displacement from homes, freezing temperatures, loss of electrical power, extensive property damage and financial loss. Many of us have read about the telethon […]

Read the rest of this article »

The Power of a Program

Thursday, November 1st, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. On Monday, October 15, while reading the Arts section of The New York Times, I was struck by the fact that more than half of one page was taken up by two reviews of concerts that had very small audiences and that were performed by […]

Read the rest of this article »

The Secret Ingredient for Success

Thursday, January 26th, 2012

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. I was recently honored to be asked to participate on a panel at the annual Astral Artists auditions, during which I listened to a substantial number of pianists and wind players. While all were on a rather high level, I was struck by the relatively […]

Read the rest of this article »

Do We Take Ourselves Too Seriously?

Thursday, November 10th, 2011

By: Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. A few nights ago, I attended a musical evening of sorts—not at Carnegie Hall or Lincoln Center but at Carolines Comedy Club in New York City. Intrigued by the advertisements I heard on radio station WQXR for its Classical Comedy Contest, I bought two tickets, […]

Read the rest of this article »

The “je ne sais quoi” of Great Talent

Wednesday, March 30th, 2011

By Edna Landau To ask a question, please write Ask Edna. This week, I am deviating slightly from my usual format and answering the one question I have been asked repeatedly throughout my career: How can you tell if someone has the potential to be great? Although there is no response that fits all situations, […]

Read the rest of this article »