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In 2023, Marlyn took home the first-place trophy in the Belize National Song Competition.

Her Award Winning Song . . . B-E-L-I-Z-E

Marlyn Vansen is a singer, dancer, performer, and entertainer who has earned recognition in her home country, Belize, for her outstanding talent. She took home the second-place trophy in several well-known singing competitions, including the National Belize Song Competition Jr. in 2012, "Be the Next Superstar" in 2013, and "If You Can Sing It, Bring It" in 2014

Learn M

SVT/EBU

Swedish star Loreen having taken the top spot last year (and for the second time), Sweden tapped its handsome,  third-biggest city to again host the world’s largest, longest, and perhaps most anticipated/beloved music competition – this year´s 68th edition pulling in a worldwide television audience of some 200 million. And of course like its predecessors, this one got thousands of fans from some 90 countries to flock to Malmö and enjoy its myriad offerings. (I´m just not sure why they k

Eurovision.tv

It’s baaaack! The 67th edition of the world’s largest, longest, and perhaps most anticipated/beloved music competition, pulling in a worldwide television audience of some 160 million and inspiring tens of thousands of fans to travel

On a personal note, although I haven't yet attended the Eurovision song contest in person, ever since I started traveling more extensively to Europe in 1977 – well before American Idol, The Voice, or The X Factor – it's always been a big deal for mor

Surely this is paradise, listening to a cool band while the sun sets over the pristine Carlsbad beach with cocktail in hand. Cape Rey Resort’s summer concert series is in full swing and the last Thursday of each month good vibes are belted out around the pool.  The upbeat essence of my staycation was just beginning to unfold.

I listened to my favorite hits performed by Steal Dawn and munched on Capeside poke (made with sushi grade ahi) and an artisan cheese platter delightfully paired with fig

Article by Shannon Farley

You can’t visit Guanacaste, Costa Rica without listening at least once to the distinct resonant sounds of a traditional marimba.

Considered a symbol of culture and tradition, especially in the province of Guanacaste, the marimba was declared the national musical instrument of Costa Rica by President José María Figueres in 1996.

At award-winning eco-hotel Hacienda Guachipelin in Guanacaste, Costa Rica, you can listen to colorful marimba music every night. The living legend

 Who "invented" music   St. Yared or Mozart? 

Born and raised in Ethiopia, Saint Yared is the foremost composer of Ethiopian Orthodox Church song melodies. Yared was born on April 25, 505 A.D. in the city of Aksum (Axum). His father was named Adam and his mother Tauklia.Qine. A very high, elaborate, cryptic, complex form of Ge’ez poetry is credited to Saint Yared of Ethiopia.  It is usually rich in religious,historical and legendary allusions. Nevertheless, Yared’s place in Ethiopian culture is

Jazz lovers from Southern California and all over the Western United States have been coming to Thornton Winery in Temecula (north of San Diego) for an amazing twenty six seasons. And amazingly, both the talent line up and the concert experience continue to get better. I’ve been fortunate to have seen some of the true giants of contemporary jazz, including Lee Ritenour, David Sanborn, Bob James, Brian Culbertson, and Keiko Matsui at this intimate and acoustically excellent venue. But Saturday’s

Britain is acknowledged as the musical capital of Europe.  It is famed for being home to the The Beatles, The Rolling Stones, Led Zeppelin, David Bowie, Elton John, Rod Stewart, the Sex Pistols, The Clash, Elvis Costello, Coldplay, Adele, Florence+The Machine, One Direction – legendary figures  across the world.

VisitBritain and UK Music have joined forces to exploit this worldwide interest in British music to boost tourism. A report – Wish You Were Here - suggests that with the right backing th

Tourism has many forms, and the niche tourism market is not only a growing market, but also understanding one niche helps tourism and travel professionals to apply the same principles to other niche markets.  One such market is the music and music festivals as a travel and tourism motivator. 

Although often overlooked, both music and tourism share a great deal in common.  Both are good for the soul, both attempt to lift a person's spirits and both help the person leave the doldrums of everyday li

German-born Tarkan Tevetoğlu, 37, has been compared to a cross between Turkey's Elvis and Michael Jackson in terms of his impact on his country’s pop music scene, and he’s achieved a measure of fame abroad, as well, particularly in Europe. The dude garners A-list coverage from Turkish media, of course, for almost everything he does, whether it’s verbal gaffes; groundbreakingly racy video scenes; temporary military draft-dodging; shilling for Pepsi-Cola; scary run-ins with the paparazzi; a tiff w

In the summertime, especially, whole Europe vibrates with the rhythm of the music events sic this summer with more festivals than ever. Many are huge, other still small and intimate with green grass instead of mud. Check out our list and hurry to plan trips! 

Rock, pop & r’n'b

June 22-26: Glastonbury.

Incredibly large. Sold out in four hours when tickets were released in October, although no names booked yet been presented. Reported to 177 500 visitors. Among the top names include U2, Coldplay, Bey

           Celia featured in a wall mural in Miami's Little Havana

“Ay, no hay que llorar
Que la vida es un carnaval
y es más bello vivir cantando…”

Today marks exactly a decade since the world lost one of its most memorable pop music giants. In the lines above, from one of her signature songs, Carnaval, the late Celia Cruz sang, “No need to cry – life is a carnival, and it’s more beautiful to live singing” (hear it in the video below).  It's this positive philosophy in life that won her milli

The Thornton Winery in Temecula, CA is home to one of California’s longest running concert series. In fact, this year is the 25th anniversary of the Champagne Jazz Series. As you would expect, this summer’s lineup features some of the biggest and most popular of today’s Jazz performers (Dave Koz, Spyro Gyra, Kenny G, George Benson, Chris Botti, Boz Scaggs, etc.) I’ve enjoyed at least one concert at this intimate venue each of the last three summers and have been inspired by guitar god Lee Rite

Acclaimed Latin Rock band Del Castillo will perform at Party on the Pier on Sat., July 20.  Mitchell Historic Properties and the restaurants and attractions at Pier 21® present this new free, family-friendly gathering, which takes place on the third Saturday of the month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through October and features live music and entertainment including performances by award winning Austin musicians. 

Del Castillo has won upwards of 18 awards for their eclectic blend of Flamenco, Rock, Lati

GALVESTON ISLAND, Texas (May 10, 2013) –   Galveston has long been home to a thriving art and live music scene.  This year, Mitchell Historic Properties and the restaurants and attractions at Pier 21® are raising the bar with a new monthly event called Party on the Pier.  The free, family-friendly gathering takes place on the third Saturday of the month from 6 p.m. to 9 p.m. through October and features live music and entertainment including performances by award winning Austin musicians. 

Acclai

Call me a masochist (or whatever), but even after sitting through the often cheesy but extremely popular annual song festival that is Eurovision and even penning a blow-by-blow review in May 2012, I’m back again this year.  What is it about this spectacle that has captivated many in Europe and beyond ever since its inception in 1956? Several reasons, perhaps. Big pop-music spectaculars seem to do reliably well among the public, and many folks do of course tune in because they want to hear good

Primero, Segundo, Tercero, Cuarto, Quinto, and… and… Sixto, ahhhh…  And the sixth time was a charm (not that the first five weren’t), and Sixto Diaz (Jesus) Rodriguez came into this world on July 10, 1942, the sixth son of Mexican immigrants working in war-time Detroit, more than three years before atomic bombs would fall on Japan and twenty-five years before rockets would land men on the moon.  No one would have predicted that his life would have been easy, but no one would have predicted that

It all started as a bit of an accident. A big fan of Cuban music, American guitarist Ry Cooder had been invited to Cuba to work on a collaboration with local musicians and two well-known musical stars from Mali. When the Africans were denied entry visas to Cuba, Cooder set about creating his Plan B: A recording of Cuban son music with local musicians.

A Star is Born

The resulting album, recorded in only six days, included the title track Buena Vista Social Club and was released to critical acclaim

You may have heard about the current Thornton Winery Champagne Jazz series in Temecula wine country, and there’s lots of excitement about this year’s lineup.  Kenny G & Earl Klugh perform July 22nd, and such luminaries as Rick Braun & Richard Elliott, Dave Koz, and George Benson are also scheduled for this 24th season.

While these shows are sure to be great, the bar for sheer entertainment value has been set quite high at the sold-out “Dream Tour” show featuring David Sanborn & Brian Culbertson

by Nellie Huang


“Tê tê te, Tetetê tetê! Samba de Bahia, Samba de Bahia…”

You don’t have to be a samba lover to know this song. The catchy tune of “Maria Caipirinha” (video below) has won the world over with its infectious samba beats and Bahia feel. The creator of this and many other Bahia-inspired tunes is none other than Carlinhos Brown, a six-time Grammy Award winner and a native of Salvador da Bahia, Brazil.

Carlinhos Brown’s Love for Salvador

Born and raised in Candeal Pequenho, a sma