You can tell from the photograph of the three-year-old boy engrossed in a musical score as he waves a baton in his right hand that Mariss Jansons was no ordinary kid. You might have heard any number of recordings by Jansons, chief conductor of Amsterdam's Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra and one of the most acclaimed conductors of our day, on Classical 101. Now you can step into the mind - and see that prescient youthful photograph - of one of the century's great conductors in this profile of Jansons in The Guardian. Jansons' early years as the son of musician parents in Nazi-occupied Latvia, his difficult student years at the Leningrad Conservatory and his skyrocketing career of steady gigs with four of Europe's most distinguished orchestras coalesce into one of the most extraordinary musical lives of our time. A fascinating read about a compelling figure in classical music. Read more: "Mariss Jansons: 'The Notes Are Just Signs. You Have to Go Behind Them' (Guardian)
Jennifer Hambrick unites her extensive backgrounds in the arts and media and her deep roots in Columbus to bring inspiring music to central Ohio as Classical 101’s midday host. Jennifer performed with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and the Civic Orchestra of Chicago before earning a Ph.D. in musicology from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.