Category: music

Some 400,000 kids have passed through a Venezuelan classical music program. “The program is the brainchild of Venezuelan conductor José Antonio Abreu, 66, who in 1975 envisioned classical music training as a social service that could change the lives of lower-income, at-risk, and special needs children. From 11 young musicians at the first rehearsal in a Caracas garage, his vision has grown into a national treasure, with 240,000 children as young as 2 — some deaf, blind, or otherwise disabled — now studying and performing in orchestras and choruses nationwide. Hundreds of them tour to international acclaim. The program, which has been funded by every government since it started, has spurred the creation of similar programs in 22 other Latin American countries.”

Washington DC now has two concert halls – the Kennedy Center and the new Strathmore in the suburb of Bethesda. Mark Swed takes a side-by-side listen. “The Music Center at Strathmore is probably about as good a hall of its size as you can get for $100 million these days. But, despite the hype, it breaks no new ground acoustically or in any other department. Put on something worth hearing in it, and people will surely come. Situated in the heart of Washington, the Kennedy Center, for all its faults, remains a destination.”

Norman Lebrecht takes a read of Blair Tindall’s tell-all book about life in an orchestra. “It is an unstated axiom of orchestral life that naughty boys are protected by a code of omerta and that civil law is suspended in the rehearsal room. This detachment, dangerous to mental health, aggravates the growing distance between orchestras and worldly reality. It is almost as if we are speaking different languages. Orchestras like to pretend they are part of the living arts, but the composers they play are all dead.”

London’s Royal Opera has stripped Alberto Vilar’s name from its young artists program. “The Vilar Young Artists Programme has been renamed the Jette Parker Young Artists Programme in honour of the chair of the Oak Foundation, a philanthropic organisation set up by Alan M Parker, one of Britain’s richest self-made millionaires. The Covent Garden opera house decided to remove Mr Vilar’s name after he stopped paying for the programme in March 2002.”

Minnesota Opera had a great year. “Not only did it boost revenues by 11 percent over the previous year, sell 92 percent of its seats and report an overall contributions increase of more than 15 percent, but it has raised $10.6 million of a $20 million endowment initiative called Opera at the Ordway.” But what about the small overcrowded theatre in which the company performs?

For the third year in a row, the Edmonton Symphony has balanced its budget and increased ticket sales. The announcement comes as the orchestra is ending its season under the leadership of new music director Bill Eddins, an appointment which has led to some serious national exposure for the previously troubled ensemble. The 2001-02 season was marred by a bitter strike and the removal of a popular music director, but since then, the ESO has never run a deficit, and sales have been increasing steadily.

As a general rule, principal positions in major symphony orchestras are not filled by complete unknowns. A musician hoping to become principal viola of the St. Louis Symphony Orchestra, for instance, would generally need to have a) some experience as a principal in a lesser orchestra, or b) a position as a sub-principal in a comparable orchestra in order to have a realistic shot at winning. All of which makes the story of Shannon Farrell not only rare, but downright inspiring to other musicians on the audition circuit. Farrell, the 7th chair section violist of the Louisville Symphony, marched into St. Louis this month hoping to sharpen her skills with a tough audition, and walked away with one of the preeminent orchestral jobs in the U.S.

The Cleveland Orchestra is playing better than ever. “Being bowled over by these musicians is nothing new, and we should never take them collectively for granted. But an orchestra and music director should be regarded as a synergistic partnership. In the case of Franz Welser-MÖst, who recently ended his third season at Severance Hall as music director, the artistic chasm has widened to the point where even critics from out of town are noting the inequality. Why do so many Welser-MÖst performances with the Cleveland Orchestra leave more than a few listeners frustrated and ambivalent? How long can an orchestra go on with a music director who seems unwilling, or unable, to bring distinctive personality to the music he leads?”

High ticket prices are a big problem in the classical music business. But one organization in Philadelphia offers top stars at bottom prices. “Other cities may have more concerts and higher-concept programs, but few have such a smart selection for so little money. No decent seat at a Krystian Zimerman or Mitsuko Uchida concert in most places is available for less than $50. Play your cards right with subscription offers, and it’s $19 here. Other concerts, such as contralto Ewa Podles, are as low as $16 – if you subscribe to everything.”

The UK’s capital of pop music? Not London, but Glasgow, a city that is extraordinarily supportive of its bands. “Pick any Glasgow band and you’re likely to find that at least one member has an art-school past. The recent rise of Glasgow-based bands has moved Time magazine to declare the city one of the ‘hottest’ in Europe for its thriving, supportive music scene and proliferation of decent venues…”