KatFin Does Music

  The Fiddler on the Roof is a musical produced in 1964. The musical is based on a set of stories written by Sholem Aleichem. The music was composed by Jerry Bock, the lyrics were written by Sheldon Harnick, and the book was written by Joseph Stein. The story depicts the life of a Jewish family and community in a small, poor Russian village named Anatevka. The story is set at the turn of the 20th century at a time when Russia was still ruled by a tsar. Aleichem, a Jew himself, was born in 1859 and grew up in Kiev, Ukraine. His story tells about the oppression and poverty of the Jewish culture in Russia at the time, much inspired by his own experience. While the political landscape sets the scene and is a theme in the musical, it primarily focuses on the Jewish traditions held to by the main character, Tevye. Over the course of the story, Tevye's three oldest daughters get married to men whom they love rather than having arranged marriages, as is the tradition. Tevye struggles to r

  When searching for music on a favorite streaming platform, I think we most often search for the piece rather than a particular band, orchestra, or soloist. When we do search for the performer, what are we looking for exactly? In this blog, I will be discussing the role of performers, using Hilary Hahn, an American classical violin performer, as the example.  Hilary Hahn (1979 - present), born in Virginia, began learning to play the violin at age 4 through a Suzuki-method program, quickly moving into private lessons and performed with an orchestra as early as 11 years old. She debuted internationally in Germany at 16 years old and at 20, she obtained a bachelor's degree from the Curtis Institute of Music where she had been admitted at 10 years old. Hahn's professional life has included international performances, recording contracts with big names such as Sony, receiving three Grammy Awards, and so much more. Hahn is known for her lively and interpretive style and I have come