Baltimore's art scene, especially its music scene, reached a tipping point in April. That's when Rolling Stone published its "Best of Rock" issue, which included categories such as Best Live Band (Bruce Springsteen and the E Street Band), Festival Band (Radiohead), Producer (Danger Mouse), and Reunion (Led Zeppelin). No surprises there. But it was the Best Scene category that raised some eyebrows across the nation. It didn't go to any of the usual suspects like Austin, Seattle, Los Angeles, Athens, or that epitome of hip, Brooklyn. Instead, that honor was bestowed upon Baltimore.

If you think putting a violin in the hands of a six-year-old sounds premature, think again.

This month, first graders at Harriet Tubman Elementary School in West Baltimore will begin OrchKids, an after-school music venture led by the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra and based on the Venezuelan program El Sistema. OrchKids is funded by BSO music director Marin Alsop, and Robert E. Meyerhoff and Rheda Becker.

In America, Little Leaguers would be ecstatic to get a clinic from Cal Ripken Jr. In China, they don't even know who he is. So when Ripken went to the country last fall to conduct baseball clinics for kids and coaches, he certainly had his work cut out for him.

That's why the staff at Hunt Valley's Renegade Productions jumped at the chance to film a 60-minute documentary, A Shortstop in China, which follows Ripken, a diplomatic envoy for the U.S. State Department, on his 10-day journey.

If Cab Calloway were still alive, he'd be 100 now. He'd be able to celebrate his centennial at this month's Artscape Festival during the second annual Cab Calloway Vocal Competition, created as a male counterpart to the long-running Billie Holiday contest. He'd be able to explain that, like Holiday, he got his start in music as a teenager in Baltimore and went on to sell many more records and concert tickets than she ever did. So why is she better known today? Why should we still care about Cab Calloway?