Category: music

“Rather than close shop and begin selling assets on April 14, the day after its fourth and final production of “Don Quixote” closes at the Civic Theatre, the opera is giving itself two additional weeks to re-evaluate its financial condition, consider additional options and possibly find a way to go forward for at least another season.”

“David Stull, who came to San Francisco last summer, after serving as dean of Oberlin Conservatory, spelled out a grand plan for the future at the black-tie event, attended by some of the city’s prominent philanthropists. The school, which grew exponentially with the 2006 move from the Sunset to its current Civic Center location, is now looking to further major physical and operational expansion.”

“Including the Santa Barbara and Vail projects, the Philharmonic has now committed to three multiyear summer residencies.”

The company “said it will continue to deliver personalized music to its listeners via a new music player that’s currently being tested. The difference is the music will not come from its own servers. Instead, music will be piped in from YouTube and VEVO onto the new player.”

The band is Wu-Tang Clan. “Like the work of a master Impressionist, it will truly be one-of-a-kind—in lieu of a traditional major label or independent launch, the iconic hip-hop collective will make and sell just one copy of the album. And similar to a Monet or a Degas, the price tag will be a multimillion-dollar figure.”

“The vote took some board members by surprise. In past meetings, plenty of discussions about fundraising troubles and shrinking audiences occurred, but no talk of an immediate shutdown. Just two weeks before the vote, Ian Campbell attended a regular board meeting to talk up the 50th anniversary season in 2015.”

The Westchester Philharmonic: “While the leadership arrangement is unusual, its contours have become clearer in recent weeks as next season’s programming takes shape. Mr. Laredo and Mr. Sperling will each conduct two concerts — a fifth conducting slot will be filled by a guest — and both will have substantial sway over the choice of material and soloists.”

This season more than 1,500 aspiring singers participated in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, thought to be the most prestigious voice competition in the field.

“Each letter of the alphabet gets mapped to a unique sound and a playful animation. Holding down a key plays both the sound and the accompanying visual on repeat; smashing several at once layers everything into more complex soundscapes.”