Category: music

“A million spins on Pandora might be equivalent to a single play on a large FM station. If major market FM stations paid the same rates as Pandora, based on audience, some would be paying thousands of dollars for every song they played.”

“Throughout the summer, we plan to ask a variety of composers, conductors, critics – and especially you – to help us think about the state of American symphonic music. We’re not out to crown the best American symphony, to decide whether Aaron Copland’s Symphony No. 3 is more important than John Corigliano’s Symphony No. 1. Instead we’re wondering: Is the music still viable? Who writes symphonies in America these days? And who hears them? What relevance do they have in the American artistic landscape?”

Pietari Inkinen, who was appointed music director of New Zealand’s national orchestra at age 27 (he’s now 33), is stepping in to replace Richard Mills, who resigned last month over problems of “personal chemistry” and “unity of vision” with the cast and director.

The purchase of the piano manufacturer by equity firm Kohlberg & Co. “has raised questions from pianists and admirers of the New York brand, particularly coming after the sale of its 57th Street showroom on Friday.” Brian Wise lays out the most commonly asked questions and ventures some answers.

“Orchestra management last December pledged to sequester its fiscal 2013 state grant [of $960,000] until a contract was reached with locked-out musicians. There is still no deal, so when the state’s fiscal year ended on Saturday, the funds were returned. Grants cannot be carried over to new fiscal periods.”

Justin Davidson: “I have spent a lot of time watching Gilbert rehearse, teach, and coach, and what has stuck with me is the way he travels through a musical landscape with a naturalist’s vigilance, alert to moments of drama even before they happen, knowing that a distant, barely audible murmur portends a calamitous event nearby.”

“As technology becomes even more pliant and simple to use, we’re only going to see more innovations in this area in the years ahead.”

The symphony’s still feeling the effects of the recession – and in 2012, the state cut budget contributions to zero.

“Orchestras are meant to be places of creativity. But for too long, their extreme specialization has led to a separation from what have historically been essential creative influences: other art forms, different genres, new technology and decades-long commitments to living composers.”

The philanthropist, who made the lead gift for the city’s beloved new Kauffman Center for the Performing Arts, has made a challenge grant to launch the building of a new downtown performance center for the conservatory at the University of Missouri-Kansas City.