Joshua Bell News

Some celebrate spring's arrival with a little cleaning or perhaps some gardening. In Charleston, the season gets a more artistic start with the annual Spoleto Festival, taking place May 24th through June 9th just steps from this downtown Charleston hotel.

The international megastar pianist Lang Lang will give a special one-night only concert, hosted by Emmy, Golden Globe and SAG Award-winning entertainer Alec Baldwin, at Carnegie Hall in Stern Auditorium / Perelman Stage on Monday, June 3 at 6:30PM. Lang Lang and Friends in Concert, rescheduled from its original date because of Hurricane Sandy, will benefit The Lang Lang International Music Foundation. Presented by CAMI Music, the event will feature Grammy Award-winning violinist Joshua Bell, Grammy Award-winning soprano Renée Fleming, nine-time Grammy Award winning recording artist John Legend, and Danish singer-songwriter Oh Land in special guest appearances.

For Rhapsody in Blue (June 1 & 2), one of the most popular American concert works, conductor Bramwell Tovey will take to the piano to play Gershwin's beloved jazz-infused Piano Concerto. Before leading the orchestra in Elgar's Enigma Variations- a series of charming musical sketches about the composer's closest friends -Tovey, an eloquent host, will share some of the unsolved mysteries of the work's "secret" contents. The June 2nd performance is at the George Weston Recital Hall, Toronto Centre for the Arts and also features Bernstein's "Overture" to Candide.

Today, May 14 at 2:00 p.m., EDT, medici.tv (www.medici.tv) will present a free live Webcast of the New York Philharmonic's concert of 20th- and 21st-century music at Volkswagen's Die Glaserne Manufaktur, or Transparent Factory, in Dresden, Germany, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert.

Songwriters/performing artists Ashford & Simpson, GRAMMY-winning violinist Joshua Bell, , GRAMMY-winning creators of 'Les Misérables' — Alain Boublil, Herbert Kretzmer and Claude-Michel Schönberg — and R&B singer/songwriter Trey Songz are recipients of the New York Chapter Recording Academy Honors 2013.

Over the weekend Alan Gilbert and the New York Philharmonic performed in Istanbul, Turkey. The Orchestra's first appearance there in 18 years also offered an opportunity to catch some of the colorful capital's local flavor. Then the New York Philharmonic Principal Brass Quintet launched the return to Zurich - home of Credit Suisse, the Orchestra's Global Sponsor - with a free performance. Scroll down for photos from the philharmonic's trip overseas!

Sony Masterworks releases Gloria Estefan's The Standards on September 10, 2013. Celebrating great tunes from the American Songbook, The Standards reaches out to Estefan's global fan base via international song classics sung in English, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese and French, some with new lyrics written by Estefan herself. The album also features collaborations with world class, award-winning artists like singer songwriter Laura Pausini, violinist Joshua Bell and saxophonist Dave Koz.

On Tuesday, May 14 at 2:00 p.m., EDT, medici.tv (www.medici.tv) will present a free live Webcast of the New York Philharmonic's concert of 20th- and 21st-century music at Volkswagen's Die Glaserne Manufaktur, or Transparent Factory, in Dresden, Germany, conducted by Music Director Alan Gilbert.

CHASING ICE premieres on the National Geographic Channel tonight, April 19, 2013, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, just three days before Earth Day. The film's song, 'Before My Time,' written by J. Ralph and performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell, was nominated for an Academy Award(R) for Best Original Song.

Carnegie Hall today announced details for the inaugural July 2013 tour by the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, a remarkable new ensemble, which, beginning this summer, annually brings together some of the most talented young orchestral players from across the United States, ages 16-19. The NYO-USA's 2013 summer schedule includes five performances in the US and abroad from July 11-21.

Nashville Symphony announced Monique Lhuillier as the featured designer for the Symphony Spring Fashion Show, taking place tonight, April 9, 2013, at Schermerhorn Symphony Center.

Stephen Sondheim, Liza Minnelli, Angela Lansbury, Christine Ebersole and other great stars of American music and musical theatre share the spotlight with the country's most passionate music preservationist as Michael Feinstein'S AMERICAN SONGBOOK returns to PBS for a new star-studded, three-part season tonight, April 5, 2013, 9:00 p.m. ET.

Sony Music Entertainment is proud to announce the return of international superstar Gloria Estefan to her longtime label home.

CHASING ICE premieres on the National Geographic Channel on April 19, 2013, at 8 p.m. ET/PT, just three days before Earth Day. The film's song, 'Before My Time,' written by J. Ralph and performed by Scarlett Johansson and Joshua Bell, was nominated for an Academy Award(R) for Best Original Song.

On March 30, the Houston Symphony will present a one-night-only performance of favorite Disney music. Four talented vocalists will join the orchestra as musical memories jump to life with Disney animation, film clips and original storyboard art projected on the big screen above the stage. While every generation has a favorite Disney movie, this concert is perfect for audiences of all ages who share a common love for the songs accompanying the iconic films. Houston Symphony Associate Conductor Robert Franz will lead the orchestra and soloists in songs from Disney movies such as The Little Mermaid, Beauty and the Beast, Pocahontas, Aladdin, The Lion King and more. The enchanting music and stunning visuals of these masterpieces are sure to be an unforgettable night for Disney fans of all ages!

The Adrienne Arsht Center for the Performing Arts of Miami-Dade County announces the extraordinary lineup for the 2013-2014 JOHN S. AND JAMES L. KNIGHT MASTERWORKS SEASON - SANFORD AND BEATRICE ZIFF CLASSICAL MUSIC SERIES.

Karen Elson and LEAGUES will perform at the Symphony Spring Fashion Show, presented by Lexus of Nashville on April 9 at Schermerhorn Symphony Center. Music City's biggest annual runway show, the event will be emceed by CMT personality Allison DeMarcus and will feature Monique Lhuillier's Fall 2013 Collection. All funds raised will go to support the educational and artistic programs of the Nashville Symphony.

Violinist Laurie Carney and pianist David Friend will give the world premiere of Robert Sirota's Violin Sonata No. 2 as part of a free concert at the Manhattan School of Music's Greenfield Hall (120 Claremont Ave.) on Tuesday, April 2 at 7:30pm. Sirota wrote the sonata for Carney, a founding member of the American String Quartet (ASQ), and dedicated it to their mothers who both passed away recently. The concert will also include Brahms' Sonata for Violin and Piano No. 2 in A Major; Messiaen's Theme and Variations; and Faure's Piano Quartet in C Minor with violist Daniel Avshalomov (also of the ASQ) and cellist William Grubb (Carney's husband).

Carnegie Hall today announced the names of the 120 exceptional young musicians from across America who have been specially selected to come together from June 30 through July 23, 2013 to create the first-ever National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America.

The Colorado Symphony today unveiled their 2013/14 season featuring a full nine months of Pops, the Inside the Score series, Family and Holiday concerts as well as 16 weeks of Masterworks programs. A Spotlight Series features the return engagements of Itzhak Perlman, Chris Botti and Joshua Bell and the newly added Classic Rock Series finds the orchestra at the Paramount Theatre presenting the music from Tommy, post-Beatle music of John, Paul, George and Ringo, and a tribute to Woodstock.