Category: music

After meeting a $40 million challenge grant (with six months to spare), the St. Louis Symphony’s endowment stands at about $90 million. While that’s good for the orchestra, which was in a financial emergecny a few seasons ago, it’s not enough. “A $90 million endowment, although a huge improvement, is not enough to maintain the orchestra at its current high levels.” says the orchestra “Ultimately, the orchestra will need an endowment of $150 million to maintain its current quality.”

Chicago’s Grant Park Music Festival has had to stop taking new memberships after twice as many people signed up as did last year. “Festival leaders knew people would be interested in the new 4,000-seat Jay Pritzker Pavilion that becomes the Grant Park Orchestra’s home July 16. But they didn’t expect to double their membership, which carries a guarantee of preferred seating, weeks before the opening concert in the new facility in Millennium Park.”

There are plenty of composers who take up conducting (and do quite well). There are few conductors who can turn the other way. So why are Lorin Maazel and Andre Previn both writing operas well on in their careers?

Scottish Opera’s woes mount. The director of the company’s “La Boheme” has quit over a dispute about scenery. And “the opera’s own tragedy reached a new low yesterday. After 34 chorus members singing in La Bohème were told minutes before the curtain went up on Thursday that they faced redundancy, the rest of the 88 staff facing the axe were formally informed by the company yesterday.”

A vice president of Scottish Opera has resigned in protest of the government’s funding decisions. “I believe the company has been treated in an appalling way and as I predicted it is now being put about that the plan to diminish the company is the Opera’s choice. The Scottish Executive has made a serious mistake in not providing the necessary additional funding. However, as I have always believed that additional funding is necessary it would be inconsistent for my formal association to continue with the reduced Scottish opera that is envisaged. In these dark times the only light is the near unanimous voice in Scotland against the Executive’s actions.”

What was the New York Philharmonic doing with its announcement of an extension of music director Lorin Maazel’s contract, asks Barbara Jepson. Naming three guest conductors during Maazel’s last three years does nothing but muddy the issue of leadership after Maazel’s tenure.

The St. Louis Symphony has raised the $40 million it needed to meet a challenge grant six months ahead of schedule. “The 125-year-old orchestra received funds toward the challenge grant from symphony patrons, board members, corporations, foundations and individuals. More than 10,000 pledges were made in 54 months, the orchestra said.”

The London Symphony is flying at a time when other orchestras are struggling to stay alive. Why? “You never stay successful by becoming institutional. Success is the result of keeping on the move, demanding more of yourself, challenging the very rules you live by. But at the same time, you have to be clear about what you exist for and where you’re going. If there’s one reason the L.S.O. has been successful, it’s because everything we do is for the music and without the compromise of `Oh, can we afford it?’ “

The Observer polls critics to compile a list of the 100 greatest English albums of all time. The Beatles came out No. 2. And No. 1? The honour goes to the Stone Roses.

So who was reposible for the “doomsday scenario” recommendation to disband Scottish Opera? It was former Scottish Arts Council chairman James Boyle. “Mr Boyle, in an interview with The Scotsman earlier this week, had attributed the decision-making on Scottish Opera to civil servants who work as officers for the Scottish Arts Council.”