This is welcome news. Andrew was always one of my favorite critics to work with when he was reviewing for the Post. And whether he cared for a performance or not, he was always very thoughtful in his critiques, in a way that was at once smart and informed, and totally accessible. Hope to have him review a Washington National Opera performance soon!

Thanks, Anne and OperaLove! And I will continue to provide my comments here at the Classical Beat, because this blog is an invaluable source of info and opinion for me (and I will continue to comment under this name, because I have been using it for a long time).

- Andrew Lindemann Malone

Go Andrew -- you were always a terrific critic!

I just moseyed over to Andrew's blog and found it most enjoyable. I share his incredulity at the reactions of so many people to the presence of an unaccompanied young person in the audience. I fell in love with classical music toward the end of the Truman administration, while still in junior high, and we've been carrying on together ever since. Before marrying I attended many a concert solo -- and the things I was asked!

The blog is entertaining and informative. Everyone -- follow that link. You'll be glad you did.

Congratulations on your new blog!

I think the brief discussion here of attending concerts alone is positive because it counters the negative stereotype against concert attending alone advanced – whether intentionally or unintentionally -- by Alex Ross in his famous, and widely discussed, New Yorker article two years ago about the state of classical music in America and young people who attend classical music concerts