Category: music

“It was quite a journey, but finally the 1,819 tubes for the huge instrument made it to Moscow: an eight-ton [custom-made] organ from Belgium is now housed at the reconstructed Bolshoi Theater.” (The auditorium had not previously had an organ.)

“Conceived by Sydney-based conductor Alexander Briger, the all-star classical music team is a celebration of locally grown talent who perform in more than 45 orchestras around the world, from Berlin and Vienna to London, Chicago and Hong Kong.”

“Yannick Nézet-Séguin is adding an extra week of conducting to his 2011 activities with the Philadelphia Orchestra – and isn’t charging for his time and trouble.”

The American Guild of Musicians and Artists (AGMA), the “union representing Lyric Opera of Chicago’s principal singers, choristers, non-singing actors, dancers and production staff has ratified a one-year contract calling for a 5 percent cut in base salaries.”

“The American Federation of Musicians has placed the Louisville Orchestra on its ‘unfair list’ – meaning that any union member who plays for it without a contract could be fined.”

John Terauds: “This morning, fresh from vacation, I found out that I am no longer music critic but a reporter for the business desk at the Star – a bit of news that still has my head spinning a bit.”

“She is one of the stars that’s ushering in a new era of technical perfection and polish. So how could you possibly be paying attention to the dress and not hearing what she’s doing? I just don’t buy it.”

“Such paid-for apps are just one way smartphones are helping the industry. Another, the largest revenue generator, is subscription services such as Spotify, for which customers pay to receive songs on their handheld device. A third format is free-to-user apps.”

“Countless music fans are not used to paying for anything online. They do not see it as theft, they see it as free. Now, though, with the rise of the smartphone, there is a way for the industry to fight back, offering bigger, better, and brighter ways of enjoying music through apps.”

Musicians, who accepted a 4 percent reduction last year and a 10 percent reduction the year before, go for broke with the Wichita Symphony. Worse: “The cut is tougher in light that many of the performers are teachers at Wichita State University or in public schools and have faced salary cuts in their primary jobs as well.”