on the record: August 2007 Archives

I have been known to complain that bad news travels more widely and strongly than good news - I've said for years that "Orchestra Balances Budget" is not a headline, but "Orchestra in Serious Trouble" is a national news story. A good example of that is the story of the Utah Symphony and Opera...

There are those who believe that the compact disc is a thing of the past - that within a few short years we will be getting all of our electronically reproduced music through downloads and streaming. Recent reports are revealing that digital downloads of classical music over the Internet are stronger than ever and extremely profitable for classical labels...

About 22 years ago I served as a moderator at Northwestern University for a question-and-answer session between music school students and Pierre Boulez. During that session, Boulez provided me with a genuine "aha" moment--one that has stayed with me and informed my thinking ever since...