Anne Midgette
@classicalbeat.bsky.social
Writer, recovering music critic.
The cat actually smiled for the photo. #catsofbluesky
November 10, 2025 at 5:52 PM
The cat actually smiled for the photo. #catsofbluesky
I was looking for images of 18th-century silver online as reference for my book-in-progress, and now there's an excited eBay seller out there who thinks I'm about to make an offer on a mustard-pot.
October 31, 2025 at 9:59 AM
I was looking for images of 18th-century silver online as reference for my book-in-progress, and now there's an excited eBay seller out there who thinks I'm about to make an offer on a mustard-pot.
Well, Game 5 is off to a brisk start. #worldseries #ohcanada
October 30, 2025 at 12:17 AM
Well, Game 5 is off to a brisk start. #worldseries #ohcanada
Turns out I was right about the Kennedy Center trees (see last Skeet). It was the last administration that decided to take them down, because they were old and the root systems were affecting the structural integrity of the building. Let's see what the current administration does to replace them.
October 20, 2025 at 3:35 PM
Turns out I was right about the Kennedy Center trees (see last Skeet). It was the last administration that decided to take them down, because they were old and the root systems were affecting the structural integrity of the building. Let's see what the current administration does to replace them.
When I heard the @kennedycenter.bsky.social had cut down half the trees on the terrace, I was prepared to be upset - until I looked for myself after a concert on Saturday and saw how sickly the remaining trees are looking. 54 is old for a willow. Maybe it was just their time.
October 13, 2025 at 2:50 AM
When I heard the @kennedycenter.bsky.social had cut down half the trees on the terrace, I was prepared to be upset - until I looked for myself after a concert on Saturday and saw how sickly the remaining trees are looking. 54 is old for a willow. Maybe it was just their time.
I raised a windowblind that we usually keep closed, and the cat thinks I got him a new streaming service. #catsofbluesky #cats #easilyamused
October 3, 2025 at 2:53 PM
I raised a windowblind that we usually keep closed, and the cat thinks I got him a new streaming service. #catsofbluesky #cats #easilyamused
Tonight: check out this webinar Greg Sandow and I are leading about singing actors, acting singers, and the myth that today's opera performances are better acted than those of the past. Register here: jussibjorlingsociety.org/events/midge...
The Myth of "Park and Bark" with Anne Midgette & Greg Sandow — Jussi Bjorling Society
Thursday, September 18, 7pm - 8:30pm EST GUEST SPEAKER SERIES WEBINAR Members - FREE Non-Members - $35 Join former Washington Post chief classical music critic Anne Midgette and composer, vet...
jussibjorlingsociety.org
September 18, 2025 at 3:16 PM
Tonight: check out this webinar Greg Sandow and I are leading about singing actors, acting singers, and the myth that today's opera performances are better acted than those of the past. Register here: jussibjorlingsociety.org/events/midge...
Following up on the Met Opera and the Saudis - @voiceteachernyc.bsky.social wrote a great essay with plenty of outrage to spare. blog.liberatedvoice.studio/bondage/
Bondage
Artists are, by and large, progressives. We believe in equal rights for women, civil rights for LGBTQ individuals, and fair representation on our stages. Saudi Arabia’s rulers do not, and Metropolitan...
blog.liberatedvoice.studio
September 8, 2025 at 3:37 PM
Following up on the Met Opera and the Saudis - @voiceteachernyc.bsky.social wrote a great essay with plenty of outrage to spare. blog.liberatedvoice.studio/bondage/
Doug McLennan once said criticism should be like a watering-hole, where people with different opinions can gather. I quote that all the time. It's not about thumbs up/down, but sparking discussion. We know there's not one "right" opinion about art; why pretend that's what criticism should offer?
September 7, 2025 at 2:44 PM
Doug McLennan once said criticism should be like a watering-hole, where people with different opinions can gather. I quote that all the time. It's not about thumbs up/down, but sparking discussion. We know there's not one "right" opinion about art; why pretend that's what criticism should offer?
So the Metropolitan Opera can castigate Anna Netrebko and get on its high horse about Ukraine -- and then get in bed with the Saudis? And at this point it seems everyone is too punch-drunk even to be outraged.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...
The Met Opera Turns to Saudi Arabia to Help Solve Its Financial Woes
www.nytimes.com
September 4, 2025 at 9:27 PM
So the Metropolitan Opera can castigate Anna Netrebko and get on its high horse about Ukraine -- and then get in bed with the Saudis? And at this point it seems everyone is too punch-drunk even to be outraged.
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...
www.nytimes.com/2025/09/03/a...
Peak August, unlocked. (No, I didn't bake it, but I bought it at the local orchard, which has its own virtues.)
August 12, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Peak August, unlocked. (No, I didn't bake it, but I bought it at the local orchard, which has its own virtues.)
Possibly my favorite AI mis-call ever.
June 23, 2025 at 2:45 PM
Possibly my favorite AI mis-call ever.
My 13-year-old just told me he found a great way for a kid to earn money: you can get paid to write reviews about things on Netflix. I pointed out that he was sitting at the table with two parents who had supported themselves for years by writing reviews. He was unimpressed. 🤣🤣🤣
May 28, 2025 at 12:20 AM
My 13-year-old just told me he found a great way for a kid to earn money: you can get paid to write reviews about things on Netflix. I pointed out that he was sitting at the table with two parents who had supported themselves for years by writing reviews. He was unimpressed. 🤣🤣🤣
Wordle 1,434 3/6*
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I don't usually share Wordle results, but this one made me cackle.
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I don't usually share Wordle results, but this one made me cackle.
May 23, 2025 at 10:57 AM
Wordle 1,434 3/6*
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I don't usually share Wordle results, but this one made me cackle.
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
⬛⬛⬛⬛⬛
🟩🟩🟩🟩🟩
I don't usually share Wordle results, but this one made me cackle.
"What have you done with the sun?!"
May 21, 2025 at 3:38 PM
"What have you done with the sun?!"
I fly a lot, and I've learned the drill: take off shoes, computer out of bag. So this morning I took off a shoe - and noticed no one else was. Then the TSA lady yelled at me - "Did you hear anyone tell you to take off your shoes?" as if, where would I have gotten such an odd idea. 🤣 #timeschange
May 8, 2025 at 11:16 AM
I fly a lot, and I've learned the drill: take off shoes, computer out of bag. So this morning I took off a shoe - and noticed no one else was. Then the TSA lady yelled at me - "Did you hear anyone tell you to take off your shoes?" as if, where would I have gotten such an odd idea. 🤣 #timeschange
TFW you are searching online for a cheap household item you once bought at IKEA, and you find it listed as "Vintage IKEA item from the second half of the 20th century" for $60 #ifeelold #notselling 🤣🤣
April 18, 2025 at 1:28 PM
TFW you are searching online for a cheap household item you once bought at IKEA, and you find it listed as "Vintage IKEA item from the second half of the 20th century" for $60 #ifeelold #notselling 🤣🤣
Is anyone else finding that various GPS apps are having more trouble locating their house? I live directly on a fairly main street in DC, and increasingly people are being directed to the alley behind my house, or spots a block or more up or down the street. Just me?
April 13, 2025 at 4:32 PM
Is anyone else finding that various GPS apps are having more trouble locating their house? I live directly on a fairly main street in DC, and increasingly people are being directed to the alley behind my house, or spots a block or more up or down the street. Just me?
Reposted by Anne Midgette
Today, March 24, at 1:30 AM, silent film star Don Lockwood and his friends Kathy Selden and Cosmo Brown realize they can save flop film The Duelling Cavalier by turning it into a musical (🎥 Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
March 24, 2025 at 10:04 PM
Today, March 24, at 1:30 AM, silent film star Don Lockwood and his friends Kathy Selden and Cosmo Brown realize they can save flop film The Duelling Cavalier by turning it into a musical (🎥 Singin’ in the Rain, 1952)
Reposted by Anne Midgette
It’s worth it to read the whole thing but here’s how it begins, and for something so connected to the time Chaplin made it, boy it also seems prophetical
March 20, 2025 at 5:31 PM
It’s worth it to read the whole thing but here’s how it begins, and for something so connected to the time Chaplin made it, boy it also seems prophetical
Reposted by Anne Midgette
story is here: www.cbsnews.com/news/concert...
What musicians did after an executive order on DEI led to the cancellation of U.S. Marine Band collaboration
After an executive order ending DEI initiatives, the U.S. Marine Band canceled a concert featuring young musicians of color. Veterans stepped in to mentor the aspiring musicians.
www.cbsnews.com
March 17, 2025 at 1:42 AM
story is here: www.cbsnews.com/news/concert...
For all you German speakers: I talked to NDR (North German Radio) this morning about Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center www.ndr.de/kultur/musik...
Musikjournalistin Anne Midgette berichtet von massiven ideologischen Eingriffen Trumps in die Kulturförderung
Das Kennedy Center in Washington ist eine der wenigen staatlichen Kultureinrichtungen in Amerika. Nun hat es Donald Trump nach eigener Aussage "übernommen". Die amerikanische Musikjournalistin Anne Mi...
www.ndr.de
March 11, 2025 at 3:14 PM
For all you German speakers: I talked to NDR (North German Radio) this morning about Trump's takeover of the Kennedy Center www.ndr.de/kultur/musik...
Channeling the movie FLOW
March 10, 2025 at 1:15 PM
Channeling the movie FLOW
Resolution: put on workout clothes when you get up so you'll be all ready to work out, no excuses!
Reality: put on workout clothes when you get up so you can be very comfortable and energized when sitting at your desk all day.
Reality: put on workout clothes when you get up so you can be very comfortable and energized when sitting at your desk all day.
March 5, 2025 at 12:58 PM
Resolution: put on workout clothes when you get up so you'll be all ready to work out, no excuses!
Reality: put on workout clothes when you get up so you can be very comfortable and energized when sitting at your desk all day.
Reality: put on workout clothes when you get up so you can be very comfortable and energized when sitting at your desk all day.
Good morning from the windowcats.
March 4, 2025 at 11:57 AM
Good morning from the windowcats.