Category: music

Sarah Lutman takes over for Bruce Coppock, who resigned last summer for health reasons. Lutman “was responsible for broadcast, digital and live-event programming for Minnesota Public Radio’s three outlets — the news and classical stations and The Current. She also handled the portfolio at American Public Media, the largest classical-music broadcaster in the nation.”

The Dallas Symphony’s new music director, Jaap van Zweden, is enjoying a well-deserved moment in the sun, as he strives to reach the heights as a conductor that he achieved so early in life as a violinist. (At 19, Van Zweden was the youngest ever concertmaster of Amsterdam’s acclaimed Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra.) “The buzz is only getting louder…”

“Although minorities have made tremendous strides in many other fields, African-Americans and Latinos make up only 1.7 to 1.8 percent of professional American orchestras. Rather than wringing its hands over the situation, the Sphinx Organization is addressing the problem directly.”

“Is it possible that after decades of adulation, Bernstein could still be underappreciated? Perhaps all that love has done him a disservice. The Establishment is so thickly populated by Bernstein’s apprentices that they make it difficult to hear his music for what it is.”

We all know they exist, but we seldom speak of them: artists whose fanbase skews violently towards one sex, frequently leaving the other irritated or just perplexed.

An a capella group Straight No Chaser sang casually. Then it made a YouTube video and suddenly the group has been offered a five-record deal, tours, and even perhaps a reality show…

Joshua Kosman weighs in on the controversy surrounding the reassignment of Cleveland music critic Don Rosenberg. “It’s understandable that some feelings have been bruised. But pulling Rosenberg off the beat isn’t the solution. [The paper’s] decision would be indefensible even if Rosenberg’s were a lone voice in the wilderness. It’s not.”

Scotland’s Really Terrible Orchestra, which is made up of hapless amateurs and has gained quite a following on the internet, is actually mounting an international tour next year. The RTO will appear in New York next April, on the heels of a sold-out performance in London this year.

“New York City Opera has laid off 11 members of its administrative staff because of financial pressures and a lack of work caused by the cancellation of most of its season… The layoffs follow other turbulence, including a quixotic bid by the general manager-designate, Gerard Mortier, to take over the Bayreuth Festival in Germany, which surprised board members. City Opera faces a deficit of up to $15 million.”

“Mr. Mortier’s pursuit of the Bayreuth [directorship] gave the impression that his interest in City Opera, which opens its modest new season on Saturday night, might be waning. That perception was reinforced by an e-mail message he sent to several reporters, explaining that his Bayreuth move was intended in part as a signal to the City Opera board.”