“The research goes somewhat against the old assumption that simply repeating a motor skill over and over again – for example, practising scales on the piano or playing the same level on your game over and over again – was the best way to master it. Instead, it turns out there might be a quicker (and more enjoyable) way to level up.”
Category: music
Where Classical Music Meets Social Justice: The Sphinx Organization
“We’re looking at classical music and the broader arts as being woefully under-representative of the communities in which they reside. That’s one piece of the puzzle, but it’s only the art form. Then I see key minority communities that are strongly represented in the population but not represented in the field. There’s this reciprocal void that has to do with history, barriers, lack of opportunities, lack of access. To bridge that gap is where Sphinx comes in.”
‘Cold Mountain’, Jennifer Higdon’s New Opera, Comes Indoors
The work opens at Opera Philadelphia this weekend, following its world premiere last summer at “the open-air Santa Fe Opera, … one of the most beloved venues in the country. But one hears of comments about not having to compete with Mother Nature, and how singing after stage combat is easier when not at a 7,199-foot elevation.”
How Music Festivals Shape Medium-Sized Cities
“Chicago, New York, and Los Angeles are three exceptional American cities, with robust economies and a surfeit of culture. I was interested in comparing a triad of slightly smaller metros and their festivals because they seemed very different in their histories, culture, and senses of place.” Richard Florida talks to sociologist Jonathan R. Wynn, author of Music/City: American Festivals and Placemaking in Austin, Nashville, and Newport.
When You’ve Got It, You’ve Got It – Birmingham Orchestra’s Shrewd Judge Of Conducting Talent
“Over the past four decades, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra has established a reputation for selecting the right conductors to become its music directors at exactly the right moment in their careers, a record that any orchestra in the world would envy.”
Soprano Collapses Onstage As She Finishes Her Death Aria; Audience Thinks It’s Planned, But It’s Not
Véronique Gens, 49, was singing Béatrice in a concert revival of Benjamin Godard’s 1889 opera Dante at the old Royal Opera in Versailles. As she reached her final phrase – “Where the angels gather human tears to change them into stars” – she lost control of her voice and collapsed, first into the arms of the mezzo and then to the floor, her head lolling on her chest. The mezzo signaled to stop the music and an ambulance was called. The cause was evidently a sudden loss of blood pressure. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Riccardo Muti Has Hip Surgery After Fall
“Chicago Symphony Orchestra Music Director Riccardo Muti has withdrawn from his Feb. 11-20 residency here so he can recover from a hip operation following a minor accident, an orchestra spokeswoman announced Tuesday night.”
Renée Fleming: Next Season Will See ‘My Last Mainstream Opera Appearances’
“I don’t want anyone saying that I sang such-and-such a thing better five years ago. So I’ve decided that Rosenkavalier at Covent Garden and the Met next season will be my last mainstream opera appearances. It’s not retirement – I might be tempted by something newly written, but I’m not going to cling on. There’s plenty else I want to do.”
L.A. Phil’s Young Wonder-Woman Conductor Named Music Director Of City Of Birmingham Symphony
She’s 29-year-old Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla (just call her Mirga) from Lithuania, and she begins her term this September. Her predecessors at the CBSO are Andris Nelsons, Sakari Oramo, and Simon Rattle – and look what they’ve gone on to.
Is This The Physical Manifestation Of A Bach Fugue?
“Translating an ephemeral medium like music into a physical object brings unavoidable challenges, namely the fact that music is inherently dynamic in both tempo and tone. An architectural installation, by its very nature, wants to be still.”