Category: music

“If you are a token minority–which women in high-level conducting absolutely are–you will endure three difficult conditions. First, you will be subject to unusually high scrutiny; second, you will have stereotypes attributed to you; third, your individuality will be compromised, and you will be viewed as a representative of the minority group.”

Designed by sculptor Anish Kapoor and architect Arata Isozaki, created in response to Japan’s 2011 earthquake and tsunami to be portable and quick to set up, Ark Nova is a 60-foot-tall eggplant-colored structure “[whose] ceiling and walls are simply a PVC-coated polyester membrane that is held aloft by air from giant fans.”

With the appointment of Mr. Marsalis, the school is hoping to expand ties to Lincoln Center, “mirroring its associations with the Metropolitan Opera, through the Lindemann Young Artist Development Program, and with the New York Philharmonic, through Alan Gilbert’s directorship of Juilliard’s conducting and orchestral studies program.”

“One weird thing is that iTunes, Apple, Spotify, Google, whatever … all of the people who are profiting off the artists from the small level to the huge levels aren’t really feeding very much back into the creation of new content. And that’s actually one of the largest problems.”

“I think it’s a real demonstration of the trust that the musicians have in the organization. I think it’s also a real positive from the standpoint of their understanding that to be successful as an orchestra in the future, orchestras need more flexibility, they need to be nimble, and the fact is, unions sometimes get in the way of that.”

Stephane Lissner, superintendent of La Scala, called Barenboim’s departure the “end of an era”. Barenboim joined the world-renowned opera house in 2006 before becoming musical director in December 2011.

“Maria João Pires is ready to play a Mozart piano concerto with the Amsterdam Concertgebouw conducted by Riccardo Chailly, only to hear the orchestra begin playing another Mozart concerto – no 20 in D minor, K466, not what she was expecting or had prepared for.”

“To have to jump in and play a concerto which you have not prepared, literally at the last minute. Isn’t that superhuman?”

Teddy Abrams “who will begin a three-year contract as music director in September 2014, has been the Detroit Symphony Orchestra’s assistant conductor since 2012. There he has curated the content of the orchestra’s education concerts and concerts intended for families and reached new audiences through neighborhood performances.”

“In one scenario, the new company would rehearse and perform about 30 miles north of New York City at Purchase College, State University of New York.” During the 1980s, the school was the scene of the well-regarded Pepsico Summerfare festival, where Peter Sellars staged his famous reimagining of the Mozart-daPonte trilogy.