Category: music

“The opera company repaid half of the principal in January in order to save money on interest payments. The remaining $7 million was paid on Tuesday.”

“At the heart of the labor dispute is this question: Does the Minnesota Orchestra – its board, donors and patrons – have the financial wherewithal to pay its players on a scale that rivals the best-funded and most prestigious American ensembles?” Reporter Graydon Royce looks at the endowment numbers.

“This renovation concerns the guts of the place, replacements or upgrades for the Met’s internal organs: the flies, lighting, stage lift, air circulation and internal communication systems. The Met’s technology has fallen behind European opera houses, where many of the directors bringing new productions to New York are used to computerized controls.”

“It was always going to be a drama for the Royal Opera House to put on [Meyerbeer’s] epic Robert le diable for the first time in more than a century. It almost turned into a crisis when they gambled with a relatively unknown singer for the grueling lead female role and, at the last minute, had to swap newcomer Jennifer Rowley for a more experienced soprano.”

“Both sides in the current disputes buzz about an outdated orchestra business model. “

“Earned income made up just 15.7 percent of total SPCO revenue of $10.1 million. That is largely the result of low ticket prices. Pricing has become a sticking point in negotiations, as musicians have argued for ticket bumps to boost revenue. Management says that data show the low prices decrease marketing costs and stimulate donors, resulting in positive finances. Attendance last year was 128,000, up 9 percent from 2011.”

“With one song, 34-year-old Park Jae-sang — better known as PSY — is set to become a millionaire from YouTube ads and iTunes downloads, underlining a shift in how money is being made in the music business. An even bigger dollop of cash will come from TV commercials.”

“The Spokane Symphony musicians and board of directors announced today they have reached an agreement settling a four-week strike. After a weekend of intense bargaining, the musicians voted Monday night to approve a two-year contract that includes an 11 percent pay cut and three weeks unpaid personal leave.”

“Even so-called post-modernism feels old-fashioned at this point. However, if the aesthetic directive of post-post-modernism, for lack of a better moniker, is that you can do whatever you want, terms like progressive and conservative ultimately no longer have any meaning.”

“Opera broadcasts are to live opera as Walt Disney’s original fantasy of Epcot was to America; everything might be visually tidier, more convenient, more heightened in close-up, but it’s also hollow – a cartoonish reality.”