“It is not the first time an orchestra has visited the communist nation, but it is the first in this newly friendly climate. The tour has attracted national press and international curiosity for its musical and political implications.”
Category: music
Why Doesn’t The Cleveland Orchestra Support Modern Music Anymore?
“Almost 45 years have passed since Szell’s death in 1970, but his support of programming and commissioning new works, which continued and thrived under the directorships of both Lorin Maazel and Dohnányi, has been significantly curtailed under the orchestra’s current leadership of Franz Welser-Möst.”
Houston Symphony Adds Four String Players Primarily For Bilingual Outreach
“The four new musicians will concentrate on community engagement and music education in area schools, neighborhood centers and health-care facilities. They also will perform about 25 concerts a year with the symphony.”
Spoiled For Choice: 15 Different European Opera Houses Start Streaming Productions … For Free
“The operas — from 15 presenters including the Vienna State Opera, the Royal Opera House in London and the Aix-en-Provence Festival — will be streamed live on the website of the Opera Platform, at www.theoperaplatform.eu. The site said that subtitles in six languages would be available, and each opera would remain available on demand for six months.”
Who Will Miss Dave Letterman Most?
Americana musicians: “‘Dave was celebrating Americana artists before we knew what we were called,’ says Emmylou Harris, one of the scene’s matriarchs, who first performed on Mr. Letterman’s program in 1989.”
How The Cincinnati Symphony Engineered Its Great Turnaround
“I believe that we can make the claim that we are the great success story of American orchestras,” orchestra president Trey Devey told the audience in Music Hall on Thursday.
Big Changes Coming In The Way Songwriters Are Paid?
“Right now, publishers and songwriters are required to license their songs to anyone, at rates that are set by a special rate court. ASCAP and BMI have been pushing to raise those rates, but Pandora and other streaming services have pushed back. So far, the courts have sided with Pandora. Now, the publishers are trying a new approach.”
Opera Australia Squeeze: Bigger Audiences But Not Enough Money
“Even as audiences grew, the company’s decisions to hold ticket prices relatively stable and offer discounts and packages meant the total box office of $67.4 million was lower than expected.”
Cincinnati Symphony Gets New Contract That Expands (!) Orchestra
“The orchestra announced Thursday that a successful fund-raising campaign, and a new contract that it reached with its musicians, would allow it to hire 14 more full-time players over the next four years, expanding the size of the ensemble to 90 as other orchestras around the country, from Philadelphia to Atlanta, have shed positions to save money.”
Baltimore Symphony Enlists Designers To Reimagine What Musicians Wear On Stage
“If all now goes according to plan, four or five student designs of women and men’s garments will be presented to Baltimore Symphony players this summer. The design school has already taken the BSO musicians’ measurements with a 3-D body scanner. According to Gabbi Asfour, a fashion designer who leads the Parsons effort, once the musicians choose their garments, production will take about four months.”