MUSIC

Washington’s National Symphony Top Official Resigns

“It’s no secret that this has been a really hard year,” she said. “So I started looking for a new opportunity several months ago.” - The New York Times

Appraising Zubin Mehta At The End Of His Career

The most efficient maestro of his generation — blessed with a brain surgeon’s hands and a barn owl’s ears — he never commanded a premier ensemble. - The Critic

Study: Pinpointing Where Stradivari’s Wood Came From

A study of the tree rings in Stradivarius violins, published in January in the journal Dendrochronologia, has revealed the most likely origin of some of the craftsman’s violins: wood from trees growing at high elevation in northern Italy in the same valley that hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games. - The New York Times

Philadelphia Orchestra Inks Partnership Agreement With Temple University

The agreement — concerning educational activities at Terra Hall, which Temple purchased from the collapsed University of the Arts and is turning into the nucleus of its planned Center City Philadelphia campus — means the Orchestra can stop pursuing plans to build a $100 million educational annex at the Kimmel Center. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Musician Opens Jewel Box 750-Seat Music Venue In LA

In a few weeks, this site will be Pacific Electric, a new 750-capacity music venue that Ben Lovett and his venue-developer firm TVG Hospitality have been converting for six years. It’s a small but ambitious entry into a Los Angeles venue landscape that’s recovering from fire and economic woes. - Los Angeles Times

Where Stradivarius Found Just The Right Wood

“A study of the tree rings in Stradivarius violins, published in January in the journal Dendrochronologia, has revealed the most likely origin of some of the craftsman’s violins: wood from trees growing at high elevation in northern Italy in the same valley that hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympic Games.” - The New York Times

Barbara Hannigan On The New Work She’s Premiering: “It’s Like Turning Your Soul Inside Out”

Composer Laura Bowler wrote the piece, which sets excerpts from Nobel laureate Han Kang’s The White Book, following her mother’s death in an accident after recovering from leukemia. Despite the daunting circumstances and Hannigan’s description, the soprano says, “I don’t think I’ve ever been more calm for a world premiere.” - The Guardian

Live Nation Anti-Trust Trial Begins

The government says Live Nation retains its grip on the music industry with strong-arm tactics like demanding that artists use its promotion services in order to perform in its amphitheaters. - The New York Times

Lufthansa Changes Musical Instrument Carryon Rules After Incident

As of March 1, Lufthansa Group, citing “customer feedback,” said it would be applying “a new, more generous” carry-on policy for small instruments, such as violins, trumpets or ukuleles. - The New York Times

Paavo Järvi Named Next Chief Conductor Of London Philharmonic

Music director or chief conductor, formerly, of (among others) the Cincinnati Symphony and the Orchestre de Paris, and currently of the Deutsche Kammerphilharmonie Bremen and Zurich’s Tonhalle-Orchester, the 63-year-old Järvi will succeed Edward Gardner in London in the fall of 2028. - The Guardian

Live Nation Antitrust Trial Begins — Will The Music Juggernaut Be Broken Up?

For Live Nation, the stakes are high — a possible breakup of the company, or at least a disruption of the lucrative business model that over the last 16 years has made it a colossus of the music industry. - The New York Times

A Day At The Art Institute With The New 30-Year-Old Conductor Of The Chicago Symphony

Klaus Mäkelä is "stepping into one of the most visible cultural perches in the city and in classical music at large. He appears to bring to his new job in Chicago a curiosity about the arts that goes beyond his own medium of music.” - Chicago Sun-Times (Archive Today)

Public Radio’s Young-Musician Show “From The Top” Acquired By KERA Dallas

“We're not spending a dollar on this acquisition. They're essentially folding into KERA,” said station CEO Nico Leone. “We feel really good about our ability to run it both as a stand-alone business, so it can succeed on its own.” NPR will continue to distribute the program nationally. - KERA (Dallas)

Nadia Boulanger’s Little-Known Opera Revived

Her opera La Ville morte was set to premiere just when World War I broke out; she never returned to it and only a piano-vocal score survived. Composer David Conte and director Neal Goren arranged the work for singers and chamber ensemble, and a recording has now been released. - San Francisco Classical Voice

BBC Radio 3 Fires Norman Lebrecht Over Email To Yuja Wang

The broadcaster’s decision to end its long relationship with Lebrecht — the widely-read, controversial critic and blogger who has hosted several interview programs on Radio 3 over the years — comes after Wang made public a message from Lebrecht which she described as “derogatory misogynistic bullying.” - The Guardian

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