This isn’t up for debate, so please stop saying or writing, “singers and musicians.” Why does it matter? “This subtle but false dichotomy reinforces many of the assumptions that singers are forced to confront in their careers: that they are not as musically literate, that they came to their career through a path of sub-par training, that they lack the ability to hear and understand the underpinnings of a musical score, that they have to hire a vocal coach to teach them their part.” – NewMusicBox
Category: music
The Bozeman Symphony Is Investigating Allegations Against Its Conductor
The board is investigating a series of allegations against its music director and conductor, Matthew Savery, while he remains in his job. A letter accusing him of serious bullying “was signed by 14 people, including former and present musicians, staff members and donors.” – Bozeman (Montana) Daily Chronicle
The Pleasures And Perils Of Reviving A Contemporary Opera
One of the main issues for performers is that they can’t escape the recordings – both audio and video – of the original performers. “The most satisfying thing is when you finally get it, and you can do it, it feels wonderful.” – The New York Times
It’s A Little Late, But The Recording Industry Finally Steps Up
Last year’s awful pullquote about women in the recording industry needing to “step up” has turned into this year’s inclusion initiative. But it took a while, and the music industry is far, very far, from gender equity. – Los Angeles Times
Will Spotify Become A One-Stop Music And Podcast Service?
The music streaming giant wants to change its image and expand into other markets – including the (currently) hot podcast market. “Spotify’s 200 million users are already used to consuming audio from the service — and, crucially, while the music business is controlled by three big companies who have real leverage when it comes to licensing their stuff, podcasting is in its early days, and no one has a chokehold on podcast content.” – Recode
Will Instagram Kill A Musician’s Famous Mystery?
Maybe the pressure of being mysterious was getting to superstar Frank Ocean, or maybe … well, who knows, with Ocean? But “with Ocean’s mask slipping, it is worth wondering how audience perceptions towards him might shift. From the off, Ocean felt like a pre-social-media artist, with a privacy that forced listeners to focus on the intricacies of his music rather than the life of the man behind it, adding to his enigma and giving rise to one of music’s most dedicated fanbases.” – The Guardian (UK)
The Academy Decides To Include All Five Nominated Songs In The Oscars After All
Yeah, that backlash was pretty fierce. – Los Angeles Times
A Violinist Has Questions About The Supposed East-West Divide
Lebanese violinist Layale Chaker isn’t too pleased about some of the choices forced upon her and her classmates as they grew up. “‘From the beginning you chose your path, Western or Arab,’ Ms. Chaker, 28, said recently at her apartment in Brooklyn. ‘I never questioned it.'” Now she has both questions and answers. – The New York Times
National Opera House Boss Fired For Allowing Computer Game Tournament In Building
The Kyrgyz National Opera and Ballet Theatre is funded from the always-strapped budget of Kyrgyzstan, a small and mountainous ex-Soviet republic wedged between China, Kazakhstan, and Uzbekistan. So director Bolot Osmonov took the opportunity to make some extra money by renting the premises out for a national tournament of Dota 2, a notably violent online video game. Alas, pearls were clutched in horror and Osmonov lost his job. (And this wasn’t even the first time that sort of thing happened.) — Global Voices
Charles Dutoit Hired For Substitute Gig At National Orchestra Of France, And Controversy Ensues
The Swiss conductor lost his various positions during the winter of 2017-18, after several women came forward to accuse him of sexual harassment and assault. Now the Orchestre national de France has engaged him for this weekend’s concert performance of Berlioz’s Damnation of Faust after scheduled conductor Emmanuel Krivine withdrew on short notice. It’s Dutoit’s highest-profile performance (outside of Russia) since the scandal broke, and there has been pushback on the decision to hire him. — AP