The notion of “abstract music” is a troubled one; music becomes “abstract” mostly by association with art that is so named.
Category: music
As Immigration Rules Tighten And Federal Funding For The Arts Disappears, What Happens To Classical Music In The US?
The problems of getting visiting musicians or foreign music students into the country, the problems and possible advantages of the potential disappearance of the NEA and NEH, the increase of xenophobia nationalist sentiment in American society – Mark MacNamara looks at how music organizations in the Bay Area are approaching these challenges.
Chicago’s Top Business Magazine Devotes An Editorial To Lyric Opera
They approve – especially of the musicals and renting out the house.
The Eugene Symphony’s Amazing Track Record Choosing Music Directors (And How They Do It)
“The intensive, exhaustive process used to choose them all, largely created by local lawyer and arts supporter Roger Saydack, has become a national model — “he literally wrote the book” on picking a music director, says ESO executive director Scott Freck, noting that Saydack wrote the League of American Orchestras’ manual on orchestra MD searches. So who becomes the next ESO artistic leader matters — not just here, but nationally.”
An AirBnB For Classical Music That Seems To Be Finding New Audiences
“Groupmuse is something of an Airbnb for classical music concerts, so unsurprisingly, millennials are latching onto this relatively new startup in increasingly large numbers. The company pairs up music lovers with a space to offer—a living room, a backyard or something larger if it’s available—with classical musicians looking to make a few dollars and potentially build their fanbase with people in the area.”
How The San Francisco Symphony Turned An Unglamorous Space Into The Hottest Venue In Town
“Today the hottest ticket in San Francisco classical music is around the corner at SoundBox, a new performance venue, launched by the Symphony in 2014, that has turned a decidedly unglamorous, acoustically dreadful building into a place designed to attract an entirely new audience to the symphony. At SoundBox, the 500-person audience sits on low-slung ottomans and benches—or simply stands. You can get fancy cocktails and snacks like bacon caramel popcorn at the bar, any time. Looking for a printed program? Nope—just look at the SoundBox site on your phone.”
Yo-Yo And Esa-Pekka Sittin’ Around And Talkin’ About Their New Concerto
Zachary Woolfe has a conversation with cellist Yo-Yo Ma and composer/conductor Esa-Pekka Salonen about the new concerto the latter has written for the former.
Totenberg Strad, Stolen And Long Missing, Is Played In Concert For First Time In 37 Years
The Stradivarius violin that troubled music student Phil Johnson stole from violinist Roman Totenberg (yes, Nina’s father) in 1980 was recovered after Johnson died in 2012. After years of careful restoration, it was returned to performance by former Totenberg student Mira Wang on Monday night in New York. Geoff Edgers reports.
SoCal’s Pacific Symphony Musicians Get New Contract – With A Real Raise
The agreement, which was agreed-on in principle in late October but took until mid-February to draft, increases musicians’ pay by 10.4% over its five-year term.
When A Music Lover Returns To The Chicago Symphony After Eight Years
Fran Hoepfner is still stuck on Brahms, luckily, since the orchestra was too: “The piano is to reckoned with. Maybe it’s a protagonist in the face of adversity. Maybe I’m projecting. Who’s to say? After almost ten years of knowing this piece — and this movement in particular — I don’t feel any closer to it than when I started. The more I learn about Brahms, the more unsettling it becomes. It’s a Rubik’s cube of a piece.”