“Much effort was required in playing the sixteenth notes. This seems as excessive refinement, and it is recommended that all notes should be rounded up to the nearest eighth note. If this were done, it would be possible to use paraprofessionals instead of experienced musicians.”
Category: music
Justin Davidson’s Brilliant Personal History Of New York’s New Music Scene
“I sometimes wonder why New York still has a new music scene at all, now that composers can go hunting for influences by meandering through YouTube and form a social circle on Twitter. And yet they continue to rely on the happenstance and physical proximity that only a major city can provide. Many do what they must to live here, others pay the electric bill in other states or countries but keep converging here. In music, New York is finally living up to its reputation for globalism, transience, and cosmopolitanism.”
The Roving Pops Conductor Who Says He Likes Bringing Music To The People
Stuart Chafetz says that while classical fans came because of the orchestra itself, pops fans had a different goal. “‘They were coming for the Bee Gees, or they were coming for Randy Newman, or they were coming for Jurassic Park,’ Chafetz said. ‘I often ask, ‘First time to the symphony, round of applause.’ The whole place erupted, and I thought: ‘There’s something here. … You know, this is my mission.’'”
The New Conductor Of New York’s Concerts In The Parks Is A Rising Star
“A conductor’s first reaction to being offered an outdoor summer concert with an orchestra is often, well, no. The repertory is usually boring; the weather tends to be sweltering; no one in the audience pays attention, anyway. There are more prestigious gigs. Unless!”
How To Open Minds And Reshape – Or At Least Reinvite People To See And Hear – Opera
Opera (not among its fans, of course) has a reputation for being overwrought and definitely misogynistic. These contemporary composers are working to change that reputation and the world of opera in general. Composer Emily Howard: “I like history and tradition. I just don’t think that opera should be a historic genre. I like to look forward.”
Here’s How The Stanford Laptop Orchestra Works
The orchestra members have gathered at Stanford’s Center for Computer Research in Music and Acoustics to rehearse a new kind of musical composition. Together, sitting on meditation pillows in front of MacBooks, they create songs that stretch the definition of music. The orchestra plays laptops like accordions, turns video games into musical scores, and harnesses face-tracking software to turn webcams into instruments. But at this rehearsal, the Stanford Laptop Orchestra (SLOrk) looks less like the symphony of the future and more like an overworked IT department.
Milwaukee Symphony Ups Its Fundraising Goal For New Home
The symphony runs an operating deficit at the Marcus Center mainly because the orchestra’s performance schedule must compete with other events. Those include the Broadway at the Marcus Center series and performances by Milwaukee Ballet and Florentine Opera. In its new performance hall, the orchestra will play more dates and have more favorable dates, including holiday season slots. It will be able to schedule more high-profile guest artists and earn rental revenue by hosting other concerts.
What Percentage Of A Small Orchestra’s Budget Should Go To Musicians?
Both Orchestra A and B have budgets in the middle of the list ($1.8 million). The average percentage of the budget that pays the orchestra musicians (not including conductor or guest artists) is in the vicinity of 30 percent. Orchestra A pays 38 percent, Orchestra B percent 13 percent…yes it is not a typo, it is 13 cents on the dollar.
Here’s Esa-Pekka Salonen’s Idea Of What A Great Classical Concert Could Be
“‘Foreign Bodies’ [is] a one-night-only interdisciplinary extravaganza on Friday that marks the end of his three-year tenure as the [New York Philharmonic’s] composer in residence. But the program isn’t only a showcase of Mr. Salonen’s work; he shares billing with the New York premiere of a violin concerto by Daniel Bjarnason, a video installation by Tal Rosner and choreography by Wayne McGregor. If anything, the evening is a manifesto for what Mr. Salonen thinks the 21st-century concert could — and should — be.”
Jazz Festival Boss Fired After Saying That Gay People Don’t Exist And Homosexuality Can Be Cured
“The board of the association behind the festival, Pori Jazz 66 ry, met on Wednesday evening to discuss [incoming CEO Aki] Ruotsala’s views as expressed in an interview with [the Finnish regional newspaper] Satakunnan Kansa. In that interview Ruotsala said he does not believe there are homosexuals, only homosexuality, and said that it was similar to drug addiction in that it could be ‘fixed’.”