Welcome to Shift, where Tom Allen takes you on a daily musical journey from the stalwarts of Classical music to the cutting edge of Contemporary tunes. Join us here on CBC music for a round-up of the stories of the day, some videos of music (or maybe just videos interesting to music fans) and a place to speak your voice.
Today, Katherine Duncan is sitting in for Tom Allen.
From now on you'll be able to stream SHIFT at your convenience in its entirety. Click on the AUDIO tab on this blog to listen.
Mitsuko Uchida is a woman of the world. The concert pianist was born in Japan, but took her musical studies to Germany early in her career. Eventually, she found herself based in London, England. When asked about her nationality, she generally responds "European". Take a listen to an interview the Financial Times conducted with Uchida.
(our on-air broadcast featured only the 3rd movement of this performance)
Here's a heartwarming Northern story. Yesterday was the Iditarod, the Alaskan endurance dog sled race. In the end, Mitch Seavey came through first. He's a former winner, and at 53 years old he is officially the oldest Iditarod champion. The kicker? His son became the YOUNGEST champion by winning the Iditarod last year.
Michael Kiwanuka plays intimate music. He sounds like he could be singing right into your ear, sitting on the same couch as you. His videos evoke the same feeling. Watch his video for "Home Again," and you'll be transported to Michael's house.
A Vancouver park may be in the midst of a name change. Mount Pleasant's Guelph Park is known for having a large lounging sculpture of a man. One night, on the sly, some folks put up an official-looking sign that read "Dude Chilling Park," to reflect the sculpture's lazy nature. City officials took it down, but the residents want it back. Even Google Maps has changed to read "Dude Chilling Park".
Today, Canadian astronaut Chris Hadfield is being handed the keys to the International Space Station. It's a big deal for the man that has aspired for this moment since 14 years old. Considering he's a musician from orbit in his free time, there is almost nothing he can't do.
You can contact us at Shift with your ideas, questions or anything else by sending us a message on our Facebook page. Through email, you can reach show producers Alison Howard alison.howard@cbc.ca, Alex Redekop alex.redekop@cbc.ca or Pete Morey peter.morey@cbc.ca