Crystal A. Frost is a writer, researcher, and composer who holds a PhD in music composition for visual media from UCLA. Crystal takes pride in writing objectively and researching heavily, viewing research as an opportunity to open eyes and doors without forcing people through them. Crystal can also be found scoring films, hiking with her partner Bram, or blowing bubbles in the park in Los Angeles. She can also be found on her website, www.crystalfrostmusic.com.
This week, Americans will decide on the next president of the United States, and musicians across the country are among the hundreds of millions of lives that will be impacted by the outcome. In a recent article, which cited industry executives on both sides of the aisle, Billboard broke down what's at stake for musicians in this upcoming election cycle,…
Over the course of her illustrious career, Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg has become an icon in both history and popular culture. The second female to serve on the U.S. Supreme Court, RBG was known for her gumption, her tenacity and her ability to turn both hearts and minds in the direction of compassion. Lovingly nicknamed "Notorious RBG" after rap artist Notorious…
Optimistic, bold and authentic—who better to take on the Goldberg Variations than 38-year-old piano virtuoso, Lang Lang? The GRAMMY-nominated concert pianist and philanthropist released his 10th studio album on Sept. 4, fulfilling one of his lifelong dreams of recording Johann Sebastian Bach’s most challenging solo keyboard work, the Goldberg Variations. First published in 1741, the work consists of a theme…
Beginning in March of 2020, as the COVID-19 pandemic placed the U.S. in lockdown, the lives of musicians all around the world drastically changed. International tours were postponed, longstanding music festivals were canceled, and the era of the virtual concert began as indie and Top 40 artists alike took to Instagram Live and YouTube to continue bringing live music to the ears of…
Classical music has been proven to ease anxiety. Several studies can attest to the genre's ability to lower blood pressure and stress, both of which are on the rise as society tries to adapt to the uncertainty and isolation brought on by the coronavirus pandemic. Thankfully, the classical community is hard at work trying to combat the negative effects of…
Throughout music history's illustrious, centuries-long repertoire of eclectic creations and multicultural musical endeavors, women composers have been continuously silenced. Plagued by the harrowing struggle to have their voices heard, only a handful of pre-20th century women who dared to compose actually won the battle to be performed, recorded, and remembered. Any scholar of Western classical music can attest to the…
Nearly a quarter of a century in the making, the Mr. Holland’s Opus Foundation (MHOF) has become much more than founding member and film composer Michael Kamen ever imagined. Since 1996 when the non-profit organization began, upwards of 30,000 instruments have been donated to schools and more than two million students have been impacted by improvements to their music programs. What…
"Time is so valuable. One of the most amazing things that somebody can give you is their time." The wise words of 25-year-old pop artist Fletcher resonated throughout the Clive Davis Theater on Saturday morning where the GRAMMY Museum's 5th Annual Bulova Brunch began. The exclusive event, which honors the official partnership between The Recording Academy and Bulova, began with…
This month, GRAMMY-winning rock icon Tina Turner turns 80, and though retired, her voice is still resonating as loud as ever. In 2018 alone, Turner earned the GRAMMY Lifetime Achievement Award and released her second memoir, My Love Story. Turner’s legendary impact on music history has also risen to the surface yet again in the form of a musical, "Tina:…
Be resilient and persevere. These are the messages that transgender singer-songwriter Ryan Cassata resonates, not only through the lense of his storytelling alternative folk/rock songs, which span four LPs and six EPs, but also in the way he lives his life. Five years sober and just a few months shy of 26, Cassata understands perseverance like no other; his entire life…
