The finalists have been announced for the 11th Cadaqués Orchestra International Conducting Competition and the bad news is that only one female contestant got past the prejudice barrier in the preliminary round. She’s Sinéad Hayes of Ireland and she’s up against 12 males. We’re rooting for Sinéad.

The competition will be streamed live, starting tomorrow Sun. at 10 a.m. here.

In an intimate, concentrated interview, the Tchaikovsky-winning young pianist shows Zsolt Bognar how it’s done. And how to play the piano while lying on your back. Watch and learn.

The world looks on aghast as the North Korea regime turns in on itself, ordering the state murder of a senior member of the ruling family.

It should be reminded that this current wave of state killing began last August when 12 musicians – including two concertmasters of the Unhasu Orchestra, Moon, Gyeong-Jin, Jung, Sun-Young, were taken out and shot on similar trumped up charges – treason, pornography and the like.

Although Pyongyang has half-denied the murders, the musicians have never been seen again.

We live in hope that Kim Jong-un will some day be brought to justice.

Dr Gerald Stein of Chicago has contributed several interesting posts to Slipped Disc. Few, however, will be more useful to musicians than his five tips on what to do when you hit the black wall. Yes, it happened to him, too. Read Dr Gerald here.

The tabloids are full of Taylor Swift’s 24th birthday. What they don’t mention is the little check she dropped in on the Nashville Symphony. What an artist.

This is José Ángel Salazar Marín. He has been taking lessons since he was 13 with Felipe Izacaray and is now getting to strut his stuff with sistema orchestras. One to watch.