"I love Puccini’s auspicious score, its bustling crowd of little melodies that converge and mature into themes that seem to hold a whole life. I love its clutter of everyday sentimental stuff: Mimi’s lost key, Musetta’s pawned earrings, Colline’s surrendered coat, Marcello’s unfinished painting." - Washington Post
This is the paradox of sad music: We generally don’t enjoy being sad in real life, but we do enjoy art that makes us feel that way. Countless scholars since Aristotle have tried to account for it. - The New York Times
John McWhorter on musicologist Philp Ewell's new book: "The assumption, then, is that the “whiteness” or “maleness” of any given proposition must automatically be a mere power play rather than a reasoned aesthetic or logical conclusion." - The New York Times
Before C-11, online broadcasters were under no obligation to stream any Canadian content. In essence, Bill C-11 looks to put streaming and other Internet platforms on the same footing, with the same kind of obligations towards Canadian content, and under the same governing umbrella: the CRTC. - Ludwig Van
This all feels like ENO letting off some steam. For an hour on a Tuesday afternoon in May, a group of musicians, blissfully under-rehearsed and with a few wobbles here and there, perform without a care in the world. You have to grasp moments of joy when you can at the moment. - Van
There's a very small population in Iceland, and people tend to do everything. You might be playing in the symphony orchestra in the morning, in rehearsal, and then play a rock concert in the evening. There's a lot of mixture between the genres and people haven't even thought there's anything strange about that. - NPR
Making joyful art while the world burns is a necessity, especially when that joy comes through deep questioning. My neighbors don’t care that my yard is in disarray while I work on it; they are intrigued by the story of its transformation. - NewMusicBox
Konstantin Shvedov composed his setting of the Liturgy of St. John Chrysostom in 1913. It was kept secret through the Soviet years until Irina Shachneva's conducting professor gave it to her in 1985. She's now conducting the work's American premiere in San Francisco. - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)
Much of modern pop could be described as a hook-delivery device: ‘Bad Romance’ by Lady Gaga or ‘Shake It Off’ by Taylor Swift, for example, are packed full of musical moments that stand out to the listener and are easily remembered. - Psyche
Antonio Pappano, Isata Kanneh-Mason, Sarah Connolly, Edward Gardner, and others offer suggestions from turning off the cell phones to incentivizing philanthropy to restoring music education to increasing support for local community ensembles. - The Guardian
Undoubtedly, there will be great guest conductors in our future. But Runnicles created his own two-decade golden age of Atlanta Symphony history, one that won’t soon be forgotten. - ArtsATL
Lawrence Edelson founded American Lyric Theater in 2005, building a model organization for presenting and fostering new opera. He also recently concluded a successful eight-year stint as artistic and general director of Opera Saratoga in upstate New York. He will stay on at ALT as artistic and general director in his new role at COT. - WFMT
“By most criteria, other than audience attendance, the company is in significantly better shape than it’s been in its 38-year history." - The New York Times
She's commissioned an extraordinary amount of new repertory for the flute (in all its ranges, from piccolo to contrabass), her colleagues are thrilled by her virtuosity and delighted by her generosity and enthusiasm, and she draws so many young listeners she worries about attracting older ones. - The New York Times
"Chad Smith, who ... traces some of his most formative musical experiences to Boston's Symphony Hall, was named Monday as the next president and CEO of the Boston Symphony Orchestra. It is the second time in recent years the BSO has sought talent from the LA Philharmonic." - MSN (The Boston Globe)
