Playbill has asked me to write a new essay series for the magazine (not the website); a series they are calling Playbill’s Guide to the Classic Arts.

These short essays will serve as instant introductions to the essentials of…well…the classic arts. The first two are running this month in the Playbills being handed out at Carnegie Hall and Jazz at Lincoln Center.

For those of you who may not have either of those two destinations on your holiday itineraries, I thought I’d share the pieces here. One is called “Speaking of Symphonies” and the other, “Speaking of Jazz.”

Just click to read: