Category: music

In barely more than five years, general director Alexander Neef and music director Johannes Debus have taken the casting, productions and marketing up two or three levels, making the Toronto company one of the most important in the Western Hemisphere.

“Choirs routinely look for and program new music and that draws audiences, but instrumental ensembles suffer at the box office when presenting new works. In my opinion, there are a few reasons for this, with the main reason having to do with the difference between the human voice and instruments.”

“Music didn’t acquire the property of repetitiveness because it’s less sophisticated than speech, and the 347 times that iTunes says you have listened to your favourite album isn’t evidence of some pathological compulsion – it’s just a crucial part of how music works its magic.”

“This talented orchestra and Vänskä, who resigned as a show of support for his players, have almost come to represent a blue-collar crew who took on the elite in the city. But now with deadlines looming and the newfound attention the orchestra is receiving, there’s also a new pressure on the board to act.”

Blair Tindall’s memoir turned into an Amazon.com series. “Amazon Studios has settled on four series orders among the 10 pilots the company announced last month were under consideration, according to sources close to the deals.”

“The THX Deep Note was played in front of 4,000 movie theater audiences a day, or around once every 20 seconds. Yet despite its distinctive crescendo, the THX Deep Note wasn’t actually composed so much as it was programmed, which makes it a fascinating success story of early computer audio design.”

“Seattle’s music scene is a critical part of our city’s cultural draw and the quality of life in our city,” said Mayor Ed Murray. “We want to better serve local music venues’ needs and the musicians that play there.”

“Plans by the European Union to raise a levy on the sale of iPads and tablets to help young musicians benefit from downloads have been blocked by the British government.”

“Were there no female musicians playing instruments or do we just not know about them? The truth is that there were plenty of capable and talented ladies, but social expectations for the household matriarch did not include frequenting dance halls at night and touring around the country for weeks in a bus full of men.”

“Vänskä might be asked to take a limited role as a principal guest conductor, leading perhaps eight to 10 concerts a season, but without administrative duties, two sources within the orchestra’s board of directors said Monday.” The same sources say that the board voted strongly in support of controversial CEO Michael Henson.