Category: music

“Now, when a pop star reaches a certain strata of fame — and we’re talking Beyoncé, Drake, Taylor Swift, Arcade Fire levels here — something magical happens. They no longer seem to get bad reviews. Stars become superstars, critics become cheerleaders and the discussion froths into a consensus of uncritical excitement.”

They are a rite of summer, a reminder of the changing season and of the changing sound of young America (and sometimes older America). But how much festival is too much festival?

“Nothing in the organization’s history has roiled the Vallejo Symphony like the board’s decision last summer to fire music director David Ramadanoff, 71, at the end of the current season. He had served in the post for 31 years and was credited by many observers” – and most of the musicians – “with bringing a new level of professionalism to what had begun as a spirited but ragtag ensemble.”

“The problem has been that as orchestras are involved in more and more areas, it is often not clear why they are doing what they are doing, When it does not connect to the core of the organization, you start to wonder what the point is. This has led to an industry-wide existential soul-searching in which at least some forces have pushed back, not wanting to see their beloved old-world musical traditions altered.”

Robert Freeman: “We’ve always imagined the elitist part of society were the people who’d patronize that, so we’ve marketed ourselves into a dumb corner of our own making.” (includes video)

“A group of congressional lawmakers introduced legislation on Monday to overhaul the way that licensing payment rates are set for digital streaming and satellite play, as well as to pay performers when their songs are broadcast over the airwaves.”

David Patrick Stearns meets Stéphane Denève: “I used to have my hair short, but then I neglected my hair, and that’s how it came to be longer. Later, I wanted to cut my hair, but my agent said, ‘No, no, no. It’s now a recognizable package, and I’m selling the whole package.’ … There’s a study to be done on conductors and hair.”

“Can tradition-minded classical listeners ever be made to grasp the crippling contradictions inherent in their hostility toward contemporary music? The question hangs in the air, because the future of the art depends on it.”

“Jeffrey Amundson, who served as the group’s president for four years, was placed on paid administrative leave in February after prosecutors charged him with stealing money from a vulnerable adult. On April 1, the board changed his leave to unpaid.”

“Sometimes referred to as the ‘Nobel prize of the arts,’ the award is presented biennially to ‘an individual for a unique lifetime contribution that has enriched the human condition through the arts,’ according to the Glenn Gould Foundation.”