Musical America is the oldest American magazine on classical music. Presently it is a website (musicalamerica.com) with a weekly online magazine. It is currently published by UBM Global Trade.

Musical America's first issue was on October 8, 1898. Its founder was John Christian Freund (1848–1924), who with Milton Weil, also founded The Music Trades magazine in 1893. Thirty-six issues appeared until June 24, 1899, covering music, drama, and the arts. In 1899 the publication was discontinued for six years due to a lack of financial resources. It reappeared as a weekly from November 18, 1905 until 1929, solely focusing on classical music. In 1921 Musical America published the first "Guide", that later evolved into the International Directory of the Performing Arts, now the Musical America Directory.

After John Freund died in 1924, Milton Well who had been Freund's business partner continued the publication. In 1926 Trade Publications Corporation took over Musical America. The publication diversified with articles about jazz, dance, radio, and records. It filed for bankruptcy in 1929, after which Weil's former assistant John Majeski bought the magazine. After some 30 years of relative stability, it was sold to staff member Theodate Johnson (1907–2002), sister of the architect, Philip Johnson. The publication was then owned by High Fidelity, Billboard, Capital Cities/ABC, Gerry M. Ritterman,Primedia Information, and Commonwealth Business Media. During these years it was published in various formats. Shirley Fleming served as the magazine's editor from 1967-1991.

Celia Cruz (October 21, 1925 – July 16, 2003) was a Cuban-American and was one of the most successful salsa performers of the 20th century, having earned twenty-three gold albums. She was renowned internationally as the "Queen of Salsa" as well as "La Guarachera de Cuba."

She spent much of her career living in New Jersey, and working in the United States and several Latin American countries. Leila Cobo of Billboard Magazine once said "Cruz is indisputably the best known and most influential female figure in the history of Cuban music."

Úrsula Hilaria Celia de la Caridad Cruz Alfonso was born on October 21, 1925 in the diverse, working-class neighborhood of Santos Suárez in Havana, Cuba. She was the second eldest of fourteen children born to Catalina Alfonso and Simón Cruz. Simón Cruz worked in the railroads as a stoker, and his wife took care of the extended family.^{[citation needed]}

While growing up in Cuba's diverse 1930s musical climate, Cruz listened to many musicians who influenced her adult career, including Fernando Collazo, Abelardo Barroso, Pablo Quevedo and Arsenio Rodríguez. Cruz also studied the words to Yoruba songs with colleague Mercedita Valdes (an Akpwon santeria singer) from Cuba and Celia made various recordings of this religious genre singing even back up for other female akpwons like Candita Batista.

Nicholas Scott "Nick" Cannon (born October 8, 1980) is an American actor, and television personality. On television, Cannon began as a teenager on All That before going on to host The Nick Cannon Show, Wild 'N Out, and America's Got Talent. He acted in the films Drumline, Love Don't Cost a Thing, and Roll Bounce. As a "rapper," he released his debut self-titled album in 2003 with the hit single "Gigolo", a collaboration with singer R. Kelly. In 2006, Cannon recorded singles "Dime Piece" and "My Wife" for a planned album Stages, which was never released. Cannon married American R&B/pop singer Mariah Carey on April 30, 2008.

Cannon was born in San Diego, California, to parents Beth, an accountant, and James Cannon, a super-powerful motivational televangelist. Growing up, he divided his time between San Diego, where his mother lived, and Charlotte, North Carolina, where his father had worked. At age 11, Cannon received his first break doing stand-up comedy on his father's local cable access program.

David Finckel (born December 6, 1951) is an American cellist and influential figure in the classical music world. He is currently the cellist of the Emerson String Quartet, co-Artistic Director of The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center, founder and co-Artistic Director of Music@Menlo, and Visiting Professor of Music at Stony Brook University.

Born into a family of cellists, David Finckel began his musical studies with his father, Edwin Finckel. At the age of 15 he made his debut with the Philadelphia Orchestra in Tchaikovsky's Rococo Variations as winner of the orchestra's junior competition, and two years later returned to capture the senior division prize and another appearance with the orchestra, playing the Schumann Concerto. At 17, David played for Mstislav Rostropovich, and soon after became the great cellist's first American pupil. His studies spanned a nine-year period, culminating in a performance of Prokofiev's Sinfonia Concertante with the Basel Symphony under Rostropovich's direction. He was the first winner of the New England Conservatory Piatigorsky Artist Award, chosen from an international field for his excellence as soloist, chamber musician, and teacher. Since 1979, David has been a member of the award-winning Emerson String Quartet.

Bonnie Leigh McKee (born January 20, 1984) is an American singer-songwriter, formerly signed to Reprise Records. She released her debut album Trouble in 2004, which was a minor success. The single "Somebody" was included in the soundtrack to the 2004 comedy film Win a Date with Tad Hamilton!. As a songwriter McKee has enjoyed success writing international hit singles for Katy Perry ("California Gurls", "Teenage Dream", "Last Friday Night (T.G.I.F.)" and "Part of Me"), Taio Cruz ("Dynamite") as well as Britney Spears ("Hold It Against Me").

McKee was born in Vacaville, California, and spent her formative years in the Seattle area. Upon moving to Seattle, she joined the Seattle Girls Choir. She toured Europe in 2000 as a member of its top Prime Voci choir, including a concert in Rome at the request of Pope John Paul II. She recorded two albums with the choir, including "Jackson Berkey Meets The Seattle Girls' Choir" and "Cantate 2000".

McKee's youth was somewhat unconventional. She attended the private high school, The Bush School, but amid failing most of her classes, and at the requests of parents concerned with the influence McKee would have on her classmates, she was kicked out before she could finish her freshman year. However, the week after her expulsion, The Bush School did allow her to participate in a program in which she spent a week in a recording studio with her classmates. This demo contained several songs that ended up on her album Trouble, including the title track and "When it All Comes Down", the latter being inspired by her rejection from the school.