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  • AUDIENCE

Music

Andreas Delfs Named Music Director Of Rochester Philharmonic

MUSIC Posted: January 26, 2021 10:04 am

The 61-year-old conductor spent a dozen years as music director of the Milwaukee Symphony (1997-2009). “Once reportedly accustomed to a few sellout audiences a year, the orchestra reportedly sold out 30 shows within a year of his arrival.” – WXXI (Rochester, NY)

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Read the story in WXXI (Rochester, NY) Published: 01.26.21

Twenty-One Young Composers For 2021

MUSIC Posted: January 26, 2021 9:02 am

Michael Andor Brodeur: “There is really no playlist to match this unstable, uncertain moment. And, honestly, right now I’m less interested in rummaging through the past for reference points. I’m just trying to find my way forward. In that spirit — and since we’re feeling all inaugural — please find below the first-ever class of 21 for ’21.” – The Washington Post

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Read the story in Washington Post Published: 01.21.21

Metropolitan Opera Hires Harvard Law Dean As Chief Diversity Officer

MUSIC Posted: January 26, 2021 6:34 am

“Marcia Sells — a former dancer who became an assistant district attorney in Brooklyn and the dean of students at Harvard Law School — has been hired as the first chief diversity officer of the Metropolitan Opera, the largest performing arts institution in the United States.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in New York Times Published: 01.25.21

Rare Violin Tests Germany’s Nazi Looting Restitution System

MUSIC Posted: January 25, 2021 3:01 pm

More than 80 years later, his 300-year-old violin — valued at around $185,000 — is at the center of a dispute that is threatening to undermine Germany’s commitment to return objects looted by the Nazis. – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 01.25.21

The Captain Of Sea Shanty TikTok Gets A Record Deal

MUSIC Posted: January 24, 2021 8:30 am

You’ve heard “The Wellerman” by now, no doubt, since the Scottish postman who sang it a TikTok rendition of it went completely – ridiculously – viral. Now he’s quit his job and earned a record contract. But how’s that going to go? Viral stars and those who study them say “the hard part comes months later, when everyone has forgotten what they went viral for, and they attempt to maintain the momentum.” – BBC

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Read the story in BBC Published: 01.22.21

Ticket Brokers Are Starting To Pay Fines For Scalping

MUSIC Posted: January 24, 2021 6:00 am

The Better Online Ticket Sales Act was enacted in 2016, but this is the first time it’s seen enforcement. Aside from using bots, “the companies are accused of creating accounts in the names of family members, friends and fictitious individuals and using hundreds of credit cards to snap up the best seats at sporting events and concerts.” – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 01.22.21

Philadelphia Opera Leading The Streaming Pack

MUSIC Posted: January 22, 2021 1:01 pm

Compared with other American companies, Opera Philadelphia is laying claim to the mantle of making new material during the pandemic. Still, what’s most notable about OperaPhila.tv is not its mere existence, but the strength of the work on offer. – The New York Times

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Read the story in The New York Times Published: 01.22.21

One Composer’s Long Slog To Make A Giant TV Network Pay For Using His Music

MUSIC Posted: January 22, 2021 9:32 am

Unbeknownst to the composer, waiting beyond a YouTube search for his name was a seeming subindustry that consistently used Kerry Muzzey’s music without his knowledge. ContentID surfaced roughly 20,000 videos for Muzzey in the first month—200 or 400 more got flagged every single day. – Ars Technica

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Read the story in Ars Technica Published: 01.20.21

Mirga Will Leave City Of Birmingham Symphony After Next Season

MUSIC Posted: January 22, 2021 8:05 am

Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, the young Lithuanian woman whose considerable reputation began developing while she was an assistant conductor at the L.A. Philharmonic, became music director of the CBSO in 2016. In what she describes as “a deeply personal decision” — she and her partner have two young children and a home base in Austria — she has extended her contract in Birmingham for one season and will step down in the summer of 2022. – Gramophone

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Read the story in Gramophone Published: 01.22.21

Salonen And San Francisco Symphony Open Streaming Platform

MUSIC Posted: January 22, 2021 6:34 am

“The new on-demand streaming service, dubbed SFSymphony+, is scheduled to launch on Feb. 4 with a chamber program curated by Salonen as part of the orchestra’s SoundBox series. … Membership is priced at $120 for the entire season, or $15 for individual episodes. Some of the programming … will also be offered for free.” This is planned as a long-term part of the Symphony’s activities, not just a substitute for the live concerts cancelled due to the pandemic. – San Francisco Chronicle

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Read the story in San Francisco Chronicle Published: 01.21.21

Glastonbury, UK’s Largest Rock Festival, Cancelled For Second Year In A Row (Thanks, COVID)

MUSIC Posted: January 21, 2021 8:04 am

“In spite of our efforts to move heaven and earth,” the organizers said in a statement, “it has become clear that we simply will not be able to make the festival happen this year. We are so sorry to let you all down.” – Rolling Stone

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Read the story in Rolling Stone Published: 01.21.21

Boris Johnson’s Gov’t Passes On Pursuing Visa Waiver For British Musicians Touring EU

MUSIC Posted: January 21, 2021 5:34 am

“The Musicians’ Union (MU) has been lobbying for the creation of a ‘musicians’ passport’ that would last at least two years, cost nothing or very little, encompass all EU member states, prevent any requirement for carnets or other permits, and cover road crew, technicians and other necessary staff to facilitate touring.” Britain’s culture minister rejected that plan this week during questions in Parliament. – The Guardian

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Read the story in The Guardian Published: 01.20.21

Beethoven Through The Oppression Of An Anniversary Year

MUSIC Posted: January 20, 2021 2:56 pm

Alex Ross: “The most valuable recordings of the Beethoven Year—Igor Levit’s survey of the sonatas and the Quatuor Ébène’s cycle of the quartets—bring out those contrarian tones of wit, weirdness, irony, understatement, frenzy, stasis, and bittersweet release. Having created the single most potent persona in the history of music, Beethoven proceeded to engender another, more elusive self, which was perhaps the truer one.” – The New Yorker

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Read the story in The New Yorker Published: 01.19.21

We Need To Rethink The Music Ecosystem

MUSIC Posted: January 20, 2021 2:32 pm

“With the collapse of live revenues, the issues in how streaming pays (or doesn’t) is being discussed. Ingham calculates that 1% of all artists receive 90% of the revenue from streaming. That’s about 43,000 artists. Of that 1%, many have been significantly impacted by COVID, as their streaming income has not replaced their live income. The other 99%, around 3 million artists, earn the other 10%. And remember, the race to being the 1% can only be won by 1%. This isn’t fair, but it is business.” – Forbes

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Read the story in Forbes Published: 01.19.21

A Concert Series Programmed For You To Stream While Going To Sleep

MUSIC Posted: January 20, 2021 11:57 am

The Philadelphia new-music producer Bowerbird has planned a set of seven concerts, each timed for 10:00 or 11:00 pm, that aim to put listeners in that odd space between sleep and wakefulness — thus the series title, Liminal States. Says pianist Marilyn Nonken, who opens the set next Wednesday with Morton Feldman’s Triadic Memories, “Everybody is so traumatized and beat up that if a concert involves another state of awareness, that’s a very attractive prospect. … It’s a physically different place … where your brain waves change.” – The Philadelphia Inquirer

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Read the story in Philadelphia Inquirer Published: 01.20.21

The Limitations Of Adding Video To Classical Music

MUSIC Posted: January 20, 2021 11:31 am

“With more conventional classical music video where we watch musicians playing, I would argue that the visual experience actually constrains our mind’s eye and stultifies our creative imaginations. When we listen to a recording, our eyes can look anywhere and our imaginations are free to roam. True we are not watching the musicians, but we are not visually trapped by the images on the screen. When we watch a video, the decision about what to look at is made by someone else – generally a video editor.” – The Nightingale’s Sonata

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Read the story in The Nightingale's Sonata Published: 01.19.21

With New Contract, SoCal’s Pacific Symphony Can Start Playing Again

MUSIC Posted: January 20, 2021 6:32 am

Last week the Orange County orchestra’s musicians and management agreed on a four-year contract, running through the 2023-24 season. “Crucially, the agreement lays out a way for the musicians to be performing together again, recording new programs from their home venue. … Some of the contract’s considerations: musicians’ pay, allowances for streaming programs, COVID safety protocols, and the possibility of fluctuating pandemic restrictions.” – San Francisco Classical Voice

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Read the story in San Francisco Classical Voice Published: 01.19.21

‘Für Elise” — Igor Levit Says That Piece You Hate From Piano Lessons Is One Of Beethoven’s Finest Works

MUSIC Posted: January 19, 2021 12:03 pm

“It’s just emptiness. How great must a composer be to allow himself to write about nothing?” The pianist has a go at persuading Joshua Barone. – The New York Times

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Read the story in New York Times Published: 01.07.21

Researcher Sets Out To Disprove “Music Makes You Smarter” Idea. But…

MUSIC Posted: January 18, 2021 10:14 am

“My intention was to show that the relationships are probably spurious, meaning that background influences are the main drivers of the relationships, and once those outside influences, like demographics, etc., are controlled for, the relationship essentially disappears. But hang on. Much to my surprise, not only did they not disappear, but the relationships are really strong.” – ABC (Australia)

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Read the story in ABC (Australia) Published: 01.15.21

Ireland Is One Country That’s Done Well For Classical Music Online

MUSIC Posted: January 18, 2021 7:00 am

Or so says pianist Finghin Collins, who’s also artistic director of Music for Galway and the New Ross Piano Festival. Collins: “Ireland has done extremely well in the arts, in the sense that many, many classical music organisations, and others, have pivoted very quickly into the online space. If I speak to my colleagues in France, Germany, Switzerland, continental Europe, they haven’t. … We really managed in August, September, October to get ourselves into this online space where we were able to do a lot of either livestreams or prerecorded concerts.” – Irish Times

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Read the story in Irish Times Published: 01.18.21

The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra Is Getting Some Covid Relief Funds

MUSIC Posted: January 18, 2021 4:15 am

Along with other arts groups in the city, the BSO is seeing some funding for its workers. The BSO’s CEO “said the money will help the organization make up for revenue lost from having to close its physical doors. He added that it will help BSO pay staff and musicians, while supporting the community through its music”. – Baltimore Sun

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Read the story in Baltimore Sun Published: 01.15.21

Brexit Deal Visa Requirements Stymie UK Musicians

MUSIC Posted: January 15, 2021 2:30 pm

As it stands, British musicians may be forced to pay for country-specific visas and equipment carnets when touring the continent – a situation that has been decried by the British music industry as prohibitively expensive and laborious, potentially limiting its £5.8bn contribution to the economy. – The Guardian

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Read the story in The Guardian Published: 01.14.21

Two Baritones Learned That Where They Were Working When The Pandemic Hit Made All The Difference

MUSIC Posted: January 15, 2021 6:31 am

Jarrett Ott and Steven LaBrie met in music school in Philadelphia and remained friends as they moved to New York and their careers grew. In 2018, Ott took a salaried singing position at the opera house in Stuttgart, while LaBrie remained in the U.S. with a busy freelance schedule. When COVID brought public performances to an abrupt end, each man’s choice proved crucial. – The New York Times

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Read the story in New York Times

Riccardo Muti Speaks Out About Met Opera’s Treatment Of Its Orchestra Musicians

MUSIC Posted: January 14, 2021 11:28 am

“My appeal […] is to give back to the musicians of the Met the dignity which we all deserve and the hope that they can soon return to share with us their art. We must support them during this unprecedented and terrible pandemic.” – ClassicFM

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Read the story in ClassicFM Published: 01.13.21

Concert Halls Can be COVID-Safe At 50% Capacity: German Study

AUDIENCE, MUSIC Posted: January 14, 2021 6:05 am

The research, commissioned by and conducted at the Konzerthaus in Dortmund, used dummies that simulated breathing, with and without masks, placed at various points in the auditorium; the spread of aerosol droplets and carbon dioxide in the breath was measured. Results indicated that with checkerboard seating and masked audience members there is “almost no risk” of transmitting COVID-19. – The Strad

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Read the story in The Strad Published: 01.13.21

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