"Behind the hubbub that surrounds performers such as Harry Styles, Ed Sheeran or Little Simz, hides a small group of hitmakers, co-writing hugely commercial songs and rarely making headlines. These are the music industry’s secret weapons." - The Guardian (UK)
How could Britain host (for Ukraine) with a smart, cheeky song and yet score so low? Mae Muller "kept up the UK's momentum of sending non-terrible songs to the contest. Some of the acts that placed ahead of her were objectively worse." Wow, high praise. - BBC
The conductor, coming to New York in 2026, has many recordings. The NYT says, "he comes off as a very capable musician, but one who, as of yet, has not acquired the flair for details and the brilliance of imagination that marks a conductor as extraordinary." - The New York Times
The singer, "who previously triumphed in 2012 with Euphoria, narrowly beat Finland’s Kaarija after the public and jury votes were combined." She's the first woman, and the second person, to win twice. - Irish Times
Do these fans love Eurovision because they enjoy the catharsis of the unabashed release of “bad taste”? Or because they enjoy feeling superior to those people (and nations) who genuinely engage with the drama of the competition? This is a side of cool’s ironic detachment that celebrates disdain for others. - The Conversation
The 2023-24 season for the orchestra, founded to fill the void left by the now-closed San Antonio Symphony, will feature two performances of one program each month from September through June. Among the conductors on the roster, all guests, are Sarah Ioannides. Jeffrey Kahane, and Lina González-Granados. - San Antonio Report
Users can press the Shazam button to identify a classical music song or search for music. Then, tapping the menu icon on the track page and selecting "Open in Classical" will send the piece to Apple Music Classical. - Apple Insider
Anne Midgette, the former longtime classical music critic at the Washington Post, declined an honorary doctorate from the higher education institution and withdrew as keynote speaker at the commencement ceremony on May 20. - The Plain Dealer
Spotify, the largest audio streaming business, recently took down about 7 percent of the tracks that had been uploaded by Boomy, the equivalent of “tens of thousands” of songs, according to a person familiar with the matter. - Ars Technica
"Based on Gogol's short story 'The Terrible Revenge,' the opera (by composer Yevhen Stankovych) was directed by Andreas Weirich. ... 'We did some of the rehearsals in the bomb shelter,' he said. 'At times there were four air raid sirens a day – it became a new normal.'" - The Guardian
For as long as there has been music, there has been the practice of “contrafact,” the use of another song’s chord progression to create a new song. Every 12-bar blues song ever written sits on the chord progression I – I – I – I – IV – IV – I – I – V – IV – I...
"I am not resistant to progress, not a Luddite, not an anti-vaxxer. But putting the whole of classical music onto a device that fits into the palm of my hand feels like a devaluation of civilisation." - The Critic
"His appointment on a five-year contract (beginning in 2024) was announced Tuesday. The 52-year-old (conductor and composer) had not led the orchestra or been to Kansas City until arriving for rehearsals two days ahead of concerts from March 3-5." - AP
One of the major projects Ben Hartley will take on as executive director is the first national tour of “American Railroad." The multimodal project will explore the interconnected stories of Black, Chinese, Indigenous, Irish and other immigrant contributions to the U.S. transcontinental railroad. - WBUR
Every piano has a noticeably different “character” of sound. It’s the kind of thing you might think you need training to hear, but then when you’re in the room hearing a pair of pianos, it’s glaringly clear to any ear. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
