Category: music

Citing conflicts of interest, the Sion-Valais International Music Festival terminated the Israeli violinist’s contract as artistic director after finding out through press reports that Mintz had accepted a similar post at the Festival Crans-Montana Classics.

“The thousands of field recordings of American folk and vernacular music that were made by Mr. Lomax and his colleagues rank high among the cultural treasures to be found in the Library of Congress. … Next to nothing is known about most of the people who cut those rough-hewn recordings, nearly all of whom were amateurs or semiprofessionals who made music purely for their own pleasure and that of their families and friends.”

Mark “Niehaus taking over as the MSO’s top executive might be likened to the Packers naming Clay Matthews their president. Niehaus has been the MSO’s principal trumpeter since 1998, and has been a featured soloist, but will now put down his horn and pick up spreadsheets and donor calls.”

“He was controversial, to say the least, but his influence has been, and continues to be, extraordinary. No one in the last century did more to change the way much of the world now thinks about, makes and consumes art.”

“Brampton Symphony Orchestra (BSO) CEO Michael Todd admits that musicians from the May concert weren’t paid, and instead funds were redirected to support the upcoming season.” BSO administrators blame a city fund that didn’t provide expected funding; city officials claim they made no such commitment.

“At 35, Bates is one of the youngest recipients in the 18-year history of the awards, which are given in five categories: arts and humanities; environment; human condition; public policy; and technology, the economy and employment. Previous winners in the arts and humanities category include composer John Harbison, soprano Beverly Sills and writer Dave Eggers.”

The baritone/sex symbol has been “appointed director of the opera company’s American Repertoire Council … For the next three years, Gunn function as artistic advisor to the company’s two composers in residence, Lembit Beecher and Missy Mazzoli, and will guide American repertoire choices and assemble both partnerships and creative teams for new works.”

“Scientists are puzzling out the connections between musical training in childhood and language-based learning — for instance, reading. Learning to play an instrument may confer some unexpected benefits, recent studies suggest.”

“The Indiana Symphony Society, which runs the orchestra, announced cancellation of the first two weeks of the ISO season Saturday. That triggered a lockout of the musicians, whose negotiating committee had to remove its items from the theater under escort Monday.”

“There is no official announcement, but the highly reliable German newspaper Die Welt reports as a fact that Nagano is in line to succeed Simone Young at the Hamburg State Opera.”