Peter Ablinger died today. ‘Extraordinary’ is a much-used word in the arts but Peter really was extraordinary, fearless, thoughtful. He will be sorely missed.

Happy 50th birthday, Hat Hut Records!

Berlin tonight! Kate Ledger plays Linda C Smith, C Fox, Lauren Redhead and C Fox. KM28, 8pm!

A man in a suit.

From Private Eye’s contemporary music cartoonist:

Sunlight on snow. Happens about twice a year round here and it’s always beautiful!

2025 looks pretty good.

Today is my paternal grandmother’s 139th birthday. She was very modest, so perhaps it’s no surprise that when, earlier this year, I found her copy of the Mendelssohn Lieder ohne Worte, I discovered that in 1901 she was the best musician at York High School for Girls. Happy birthday, Granny!

Tonight! On these very stairs, with his beautiful 1819 horn, the great Samuel Stoll will premiere the piece I wrote for him, ‘The People’s Salute’! Akademie der Künste, Hanseatenweg, Berlin, 19:00.

Where’s my street?