“More than two years have passed since New York City Opera filed for bankruptcy, leaving in its wake large debts and a legal battle between two rival groups hoping to revive it. Now one of them has won the backing of an important constituency: the creditors who are owed money in the bankruptcy case.”
Category: music
As Musicians Grow Frustrated, Philadelphia Orchestra Hires Consultant Michael Kaiser
“As talks continue between the Philadelphia Orchestra Association and musicians over a new labor pact, management has agreed to hire consultant Michael M. Kaiser to assist in addressing chronic big-picture challenges like fund-raising and strategic direction. Musicians have been frustrated in contract talks – not only with the financial details of the deals management has been floating, but also with the financial realities that appear to be underpinning those offers.”
Omaha Loses A 123-Year-Old Concert Series
“Founded in 1892, one year after Carnegie Hall opened and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra performed its first concert, the series has overcome economic ups and downs and the vicissitudes of public taste to become one of the oldest and most storied classical institutions in the country. But after 123 years, declining ticket sales and a lack of fresh leadership have forced Tuesday Musical to shut down.”
The Most Ambitious Effort To Boost Canadian Music
The $168-million complex represents one of the most ambitious showings ever of public support for music in Canada. “This is the largest effort ever to celebrate our music,” says Andrew Mosker, CEO of the NMC. Of the $168-million budget, about $125 million has been raised so far, including $95 million from three levels of government.
Research: Here’s The Music Americans Hate (Uh, Oh)
“While in 1993, a college-educated person between the ages of 25 and 29 had an 8 percent chance of disliking classical (music), in 2012, a respondent in that same age-education group had a 15 percent chance (of doing so),” the researchers write.
The Bald Norwegians Who Actually Create The Songs That Top The Charts
“The biggest pop star in America today is a man named Karl Martin Sandberg. The lead singer of an obscure ’80s glam-metal band, Sandberg grew up in a remote suburb of Stockholm and is now 44. Sandberg is the George Lucas, the LeBron James, the Serena Williams of American pop. He is responsible for more hits than Phil Spector, Michael Jackson, or the Beatles.”
The Forgotten Heroine Of Jazz History
Mary Lou Williams once said, “I’m the only living musician that was there when each era started.” Richard Brody writes that “she was more than just there – she was one of the key developers of the musical ideas of these eras, and she did more than just remain up-to-date; from era to era, she surpassed herself.”
Two Leaders Who Are Transforming Opera Philadelphia Extend Contracts
“General director and president David B. Devan and music director Corrado Rovaris have signed contracts that will keep them at the company at least through the end of the 2019-20 season … as the company expands plans for international co-productions, increases relationships with a glittering roster of singers and directors, and continues to blur the line of the opera genre – all while raising extra money to help pay for it all.”
The Digital Pipe Organ Revolution
“‘The instrument I’m most interested in building is the one I hear in my head,’ said Marshall, a quiet man given to sturdy shoes and holstering his smartphone on a belt. ‘To be able to go in any direction — as far as the mind can dream.'”
James Levine Steps Down From Conducting New Opera ‘Lulu’ At The Met
“The announcement did not directly address Mr. Levine’s history of health problems, but said that ‘faced with the demands of rehearsing and performing two large-scale operas simultaneously this fall,’ he would concentrate his energies on Wagner’s ‘Tannhäuser,’ which opens on Oct. 8. The overlapping runs of two of Mr. Levine’s favorite operas were to have been a highlight of the Met’s 2015-16 season.”