Yikes. “Church, 31, has been famous for nearly all her life. The cautionary tabloid narrative is well-worn, and like most fairy stories it contains not a little misogyny. She became famous at 11 as the little girl who could sing arias, the ‘Voice of an Angel’. She soon became public property.”
Category: music
What Makes A Good Conductor?
Angel Gil-Ordóñez: “Authority through knowledge. People respect you if you know what you are asking them to do. Then you have to be able to convey what you want. All simply. Through gestures and communication that goes beyond language. I think the orchestra is the most extraordinary achievement of humanity. Can you imagine something more sophisticated than that? One hundred people without verbal communication playing together for one hour? That goes beyond everything. Beyond thinking. To me [it] is the most incredible achievement. People making music together. It’s a miracle.”
Neuroscientists Say Listening To This Song Will Significantly Reduce Your Stress
“Sound therapies have long been popular as a way of relaxing and restoring one’s health. For centuries, indigenous cultures have used music to enhance well-being and improve health conditions. Now, neuroscientists out of the UK have specified which tunes give you the most bang for your musical buck. In fact, listening to that one song — “Weightless” — resulted in a striking 65 percent reduction in participants’ overall anxiety, and a 35 percent reduction in their usual physiological resting rates.”
The Universe, As Rendered And Explained By Music
Without interfering with its orbits in any way, by just presenting the data scaled up to our range of hearing, we hear what we readily identify as harmonious music.
Curtis Institute Orchestra’s Big BBC Interview Cut Short: They Had To Evacuate The Building
The Curtis Symphony Orchestra, on tour under conductor Osmo Vänskä, had arrived in London and were being featured on BBC Radio 3’s live music-news-and-talk program, In Tune. A small group had just played part of a Mozart flute quintet, and a graduating violinist was about to play a duet with the school’s president, Roberto Díaz, when the announcement came …
Planners Of London’s New Concert Hall Should Learn Some Lessons From Hamburg’s New Elbphilharmonie – But Can They?
And no, it’s not just that the new hall shouldn’t run 920% over budget. Unfortunately, as Jack May writes, the lessons from Hamburg may be things that London just isn’t situated to do.
Scotland’s National Orchestra Gets A New Music Director
Danish conductor Thomas Søndergård first appeared with the RSNO in November 2009 as a last-minute replacement for a sick conductor and went on to lead lauded performances of Shostakovich’s Symphony No11 in Edinburgh and Glasgow. He was appointed to the position of Principal Guest Conductor in 2011 and since then has appeared with the RSNO up to four times each season.”
Canadian Music Festivals Are Having A Tough Go Right Now
“Running outdoor live music events is a tough gig across Canada, especially with the dollar hovering at 74 cents against the US dollar over the past two years, making bargaining for headline bands difficult in a world where the festival circuit is booming both in and outside Canada.”
What Really Determines The Size Of An Orchestra Audience? The Conductor? Program? Place?
“Professionally, of course, I’m always interested in the size and composition of whatever audience turns up for a concert. It’s an ongoing fascination to try and work out what factors have gone into a particular turnout. The reality can sometimes be surprising.”
Claim: On The West Coast Women Are Getting More Visibility In Opera
“First and foremost, if you ask little girls what a scientist looks like, it’s Einstein. If you ask adults what does a composer look like, they would think of men – like Mozart. And if you look in the seasons of the major orchestras and opera houses, it’s not some big secret. There is music by women composers, but you have to ask the programmers, the people hiring, the commissioners: Why aren’t they seeking out more women? I don’t know why.”