In Brief: Is It Summer Yet Edition

Here is your regular Sunday selection of links to good things in Blogville and Beyond.

• In an interview, Nicole Cabell spoke of jazz and music theater as where she started singing before winding up in opera. Of a performance this week in California, Tim Mangan says that Cabell "takes on an American Songbook program and makes it look difficult." [Orange County Register]


• Hee hee. The best use for a Wagner tuba. [Charles Noble]


• I am lucky to teach with such brilliant people. My colleague Jane Brinley had an editorial published in the Washington Post this week, about how the College Board's decision to discontinue an Advanced Placement Latin exam is affecting the way that Latin is taught throughout the United States. I am also proud to teach at one of the few schools in the country that still REQUIRES Latin of all students and where many also study Greek. [Et Tu, College Board?]


• Sometimes a concert you might not think much about attending could turn out to be quite worthwhile. Anne Midgette has a nice little feature on Spanish pianist Joaquín Achúcarro, who will be playing a recital later today at the Phillips Collection (May 17, 4 pm). Unfortunately, I cannot attend. [The Classical Beat]


• Why was the universe invented? So that one day people could put the most (intentionally) horrible rendition of La donna e mobile in synch with a video of Juan Diego Florez singing it. Happy Birthday, La Cieca! [Parterre Box]

Samuel Ramey "sings" Deh vieni all finestra in Swedish Chef voice