“The autonomous system that was supposed to operate the drones conked out and human pilots needed to step in. Humans were also responsible for constantly swapping out the battery packs from the drones, which drained in about 5-to-10 minutes because of the weight they were carrying.”
Category: music
Does The Incredible Shrinking Orchestra Put A Tradition At Risk?
“Musicians warn that an overreliance on freelancers endangers the things that make orchestras great: the cohesion that comes from playing together over many years, the performing traditions that are developed and passed down, even the ability to divine in a flash what a familiar conductor is seeking with a cocked eyebrow or a flick of the wrist.”
Metropolitan Opera’s Deficit Swells To $22 Million
“Weaker-than-expected contributions and ticket sales [last season] combined with expenses related to the company’s labor talks to create its most serious shortfall in decades. … The deficit for the 2013-14 season was roughly eight times that of the previous season.”
Use Your iPhone At The Orchestra Or Opera? In Philly, Sure!
“The technological barbarians are at the gate – and are being welcomed graciously. Only three years after an errant ringtone during the New York Philharmonic’s performance of Mahler’s Ninth Symphony sparked an international uproar, two august Philadelphia institutions are telling audiences to keep their phones on – within particular limits.”
What It Takes To Be A Great Jazz Musician
“Whether it’s Charlie Parker or Coltrane or Buddy Rich, or any of the greats, the majority of their time on any given day was spent practicing. It’s not just about coming up with brilliant new ideas and musical languages.”
Controversial Director Axed From Bayreuth Production
“A storm in a Wagnerian tea-cup (or more properly, a Sturm in a Gral)? Maybe it really is the case that Jonathan Meese – an installationist and performance artist who became notorious in Germany last year for his prosecution and subsequent acquittal for an act of public provocation by making the Nazi salute on stage – was just too ambitious in his set design, and that the costs would have taxed even Bayreuth’s largesse.”
Billboard Music Charts Will Now Count Streams
“Billboard and Nielsen SoundScan, the agency that supplies its data, will start adding streams and downloads of tracks to the formula behind the Billboard 200, which, since 1956 has functioned as the music world’s weekly scorecard. It is the biggest change since 1991, when the magazine began using hard sales data from SoundScan, a revolutionary change in a music industry that had long based its charts on highly fudgeable surveys of record stores.”
How One Orchestra Protects Its Players From Hearing Loss
“Nine years ago, [the Queensland Symphony] started ongoing noise exposure monitoring, data reviews and plotting noise maps for concert halls and orchestra pits where the musicians played.” The results: changed layout, risers for some musicians, acoustical screens, high-tech earplugs – and much less damage to the ears, especially of brass and percussion players.
Here’s The Gender Balance Of America’s Top Orchestras
No big surprises. Only one major orchestra has more women musicians than men. And there is a cluster of orchestras at the bottom of the gender diversity list…
Airline Refuses To Transport Double Bass (Even In Luggage)
“Ranaan was returning home after an appearance on “Dancing with the Stars” when the airline refused to accept his bass—packed to go with luggage, as basses normally do—at all. Appeals to the US Airways shift manager were useless. Ranaan ended up booking with Delta Airlines, which accepted him and his bass with no hesitation.”