Tuesday , July 28 2026

Jon Sobel

Jon Sobel is Publisher and Executive Editor of Blogcritics as well as lead editor of the Culture & Society section. As a writer he contributes most often to our Music section, where he covers classical music (old and new) and other genres, and to Culture, where he reviews NYC theater. Through Oren Hope Marketing and Copywriting at http://www.orenhope.com/ you can hire him to write or edit whatever marketing or journalistic materials your heart desires. Jon also writes the blog Park Odyssey at http://parkodyssey.blogspot.com/ where he is on a mission to visit every park in New York City. He has also been a part-time working musician, including as lead singer, songwriter, and bass player for Whisperado.

Interview: Curtis New Music Ensemble Director Nick DiBerardino on Upcoming ‘We the Artists’ Concert at 92NY

Curtis New Music Ensemble (CNME)

In their 92NY debut on Nov. 21, 2025, the group will focus on music of the Americas with works by Brazilian composer Clarice Assad and American composers Carlos Simon and Valerie Coleman.

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Music Review: Erik Carlson and Ensemble Combinatoria – ‘Canone nel Nodo de Salamone’ by Pier Francesco Valentini

Erik Carlson and Ensemble Combinatoria – 'Canone nel Nodo de Salamone' by Pier Francesco Valentini album cover detail

With 1,024 parts, the individual lines blend into what we hear as one prolonged chord. Listening to it out of context you'd likely think it was a piece of avant-garde conceptual art.

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Music Review: Duo Gelland – ‘Antonio Lucio Vivaldi: Four Sonatas for Two Violins’

Duo Gelland - Vivaldi album cover detail

What accounts for the persistent popularity of Vivaldi's music after all these centuries? Cecilia and Martin Gelland, together known as Duo Gelland, capture one important reason on their new recording.

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Opera Review: ‘Orgy & Bess,’ This Year’s Drag Show from Heartbeat Opera, Soars on Campy Wings – Right into a Glam Gutter

L to R: John Taylor Ward, Angela Yam, Jamilyn Manning, Bernard Holcomb, Sishel Claverie (credit: Russ Rowland)

To "get" a parody, you have to be familiar with what's being parodied, right?Usually. The annual drag shows from Heartbeat Opera are exceptions – hilarious, harmonious, happy ones. This year's extravaganza will cruise on camp, costumes, and kookiness right into your crooked little heart.

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