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A grand piano on a dramatically lit concert stage
News February 2026 6 min read

Press Release: Michael Rainwater's Classical Not Classical Announces World Premiere — Fall 2026

Carnegie Hall pianist Michael Rainwater announces Michael Rainwater's Classical Not Classical, a first-of-its-kind symphonic concert experience premiering Fall 2026 at Byers Theatre at City Springs in Sandy Springs, Georgia.

A large auditorium filled with an audience
News February 2026 2 min read

Looking Back: From Carnegie Hall to Classical Not Classical

How a Carnegie Hall debut and a viral arrangement of 'Great Balls of Fire' set the stage for a reimagined symphonic experience.

Orchestra performing on a concert stage
Article February 2026 2 min read

Reimagining the Symphony: Why the Piano Deserves Center Stage

The symphony orchestra is one of humanity's greatest inventions. But somewhere along the way, it lost its connection to popular culture. Classical Not Classical is an attempt to restore that bond.

A dark movie theater with light from the screen
Article November 2025 4 min read

Why Film Composers Are the New Beethovens

The most important orchestral music of the last fifty years wasn't written for the concert hall. It was written for the movies. And that should tell us something.

Why Pop Music Belongs in the Concert Hall
Article September 2025 · 2 min read

Why Pop Music Belongs in the Concert Hall

Pop and rock anthems weren't born in the orchestra pit — but they carry the same emotional DNA as the great symphonic works. Here's why bringing them into the concert hall isn't dumbing down classical music. It's completing it.

"The Orchestra Is Dying" — What If It's Not?
Article August 2025 · 4 min read

"The Orchestra Is Dying" — What If It's Not?

Every decade produces another wave of obituaries for the symphony orchestra. But the data tells a more complicated story — and the real crisis might not be what we think it is.