“Earlier this year, Grant Woolard, a California-based cartoonist, musician, and producer, mashed-up 57 well-known classical music themes by 33 composers. Instead of a cacophony, he created a beautifully tailored 6-minute work that has been watched by nearly 3 million people. In the Q&A below, Woolard gives us a behind-the-scenes look at his process, as well as a insight about his next project.”
Category: music
What Is The Purpose Of Music?
“Like language, music is organised, human-made sound that sprang up independently across early human cultures. Unlike language, however, music serves no obvious evolutionary purpose. So then why do we love it? And why is it so entwined with our emotions?”
‘Reparations’: Opera Can – No, It Must – Become A Tool Of Cultural Change, Says New York Times Classical Music Editor
“For centuries, opera has been a tool of power, a spectacle developed and organized by influential Western nations and the elites within them. It is long past time for the art form to be more open about this heritage, and to make reparations for it. Using opera to understand the connections between cultures and to experiment with what can bridge them is no longer merely an aesthetic possibility; it’s a moral necessity.”
Whoa, We Didn’t Offer That English National Opera Guy A Job, Says Bolshoi Boss (Well, Not A *Top* Job)
“On Monday, the Financial Times reported that Berry was heading to a top job at the Bolshoi, a place where senior positions usually go to Russians. But the Bolshoi’s general director Vladimir Urin said in a statement: ‘[The] Bolshoi does not intend to hire Mr Berry as one of the house’s top managers.'”
After Ten Years, HD Opera Movie-Casts Still Prove Controversial
“Like so much new media in this era of rapid technological change, the HD broadcasts haven’t actually fulfilled the rosy expectations that once surrounded them. It is far from clear that they are the wave of the future.”
Ousted Head Of English National Opera To Get New Position At Bolshoi: Report
“A new artistic post is believed to have been created for [John] Berry, 54, as part of plans by the institution in Moscow to build on its brand as a global arts powerhouse. He is expected to develop collaborations with some of the world’s leading opera houses, directors and performers.”
Composer Michael Hersch’s Lonely Path
“After early successes in the 1990s with expressionistic orchestral works performed under the likes of Mariss Jansons, … at 45, Hersch shows every sign of heading farther down a lonely road marked ‘art for art’s sake.’ He writes important” – and often long, and always challenging for audience ears – “works without a commission, and would premiere them at his own expense [if necessary].”
How Do Symphony Orchestras Survive And Thrive In Small Communities?
“With more than 105,000 musicians performing in 1,200 orchestras across the country last year, regional and small-town orchestras that operate on small but innovative budgets, have become the rule, rather than the exception.”
The Punk Rock Elementary School Teachers Who Served As The Ghostbusters Band
“How did a little-known, do-it-yourself band wind up in Hollywood blockbuster? It started with Halloween costumes.”
Summer Camp For The Conductors Of Tomorrow
“Adding a conducting program seemed a natural way for [the Eastern Music Festival] to expand beyond training 200-plus young instrumentalists in classical orchestral and chamber music.”