One of the coolest things about having music scores in a digital format is the ability to turn pages hands-free! AirTurn has developed the AT-104, a wireless plug-and-play page turning transmitter that easily connects to foot switches and computers with USB ports.

Soprano Jacquelyn Familant and pianist Hugh Sung perform two songs by Sergei Rachmaninoff - "Oh, never sing to me again", Op. 4, No. 4, and "Spring waters", Op. 14, No. 11 - at the Great Auditorium in Ocean Grove, New Jersey, during a July 2008 Summer Stars recital.

In preparation for a concert with the Philadelphia Classical Symphony on Oct. 31, 8 pm at the First Unitarian Church in Philadelphia, Hugh Sung interviews the PCS's Artistic Director Karl Middleman. Karl is a master of thematic programs that bear the fruits of his amazing scholarly insights. The Oct. 31st recital will feature soloists Madeline Blood, harp, Hirono Oka, violin, and C.J. Chang on both viola and violin, and feature works by Mozart, Stamitz, Boieldieu, Beck, and the remarkable Afro-French Rennaisance composer Chevalier Saint-George.

Flutist Gary Schocker performs one of his compositions, "For Dad", during one of his masterclass sessions this past July. Gary is the most prolific living composer of works for flute and piano. Our first CD together is about to be released soon - stay tuned for news on that! In the meantime, enjoy this performance and watch out for more performance clips from a busy summer of music!

Cellist Mary Artmann performs "Bunraku" by Toshiro Mayuzumi at the Rocky Ridge Music Center in Estes Park, Colorado, with dynamic visualizations by Charmain Schuh and Hugh Sung. Hugh Sung (www.HughSung.com) has developed an audio-reactive engine using Pure Data to trigger visual effects within the presentation program Liquid Media. Please visit www.VisualRecital.com for more details on the techniques used to create this Visual Recital performance.

In this video, I presented a Visual Recital workshop at the Greenport School in New York, featuring movements from Modest Mussorgsky's "Pictures at an Exhibition" and artwork by 3rd, 4th, and 6th grade students under the supervision of art teacher Anne McDonald. The workshop and concert were made possible by the Greenport Music Festival.

Thanks to that crazy radio finance guy Dave Ramsey, we finally paid off almost $55,000 in debts within 9 months using his common-sense "debt snowball" system! To celebrate, the Sung family created a fun video "dramatization" depicting what our phonecall would be like to "The Dave Ramsey Show", talking about how we got out of debt and how we would scream "WE'RE DEBT FREEEEEEEE!!!" Kudos to my kids for being such good sports, and to my wonderful wife for allowing me to share the good news to the world! No more rice and beans for us, no more 'starving artist' mentality - if you want to have some inspiration and inertia to attack your own debts, then visit either www.DaveRamsey.com or www.MyTotalMoneyMakeover.com. Thanks Dave!!

In this episode, pianist Hugh Sung explores the piano simulation program Pianoteq, and compares it with the typical digital piano's capabilities. Two main components are explored: velocity range and damper pedal effects. This episode features stereo audio, and hopefully corrected metadata to enable scroll searching.

What defines the classical musician today? How does a conservatory graduate hone his or her artistic identity and find an career in the process? Hugh Sung explores some of those questions with soprano Jacquelyn Familant, a Curtis alumn who is currently enjoying an international career. The winner of several prestigious competitions, Ms. Familant has received worldwide acclaim for repertoire ranging from lyric opera to contemporary works. Not resting on her laurels, Ms. Familant also lends her expertise in publicity and marketing to other up-and-coming musicians (as well as to some well-established artists, such as composer Christopher Rouse).

Catch my interview with classical saxophonist and uber-blogger Brian Sacawa, taped immediately after our recital together in Ocean Grove, New Jersey. The fact that Brian is an extraordinary musician is a given - his prolific pursuits ranging from writing a cutting-edge blog on culture and literature (www.SoundsLikeNow.com) to competitive cycling and experimental collaborations gives a fascinating insight into the life of a 21st century renaissance artist.