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MUSIC

Mounting Evidence? People Are Stopping Listening To Music

For the last few years, I have felt the inescapable disappearance of music from my friends’ lives. Even people with whom I have longstanding relationships that were born from a shared love of music have simply let it go, or let it fade deep into the background.  - The Guardian

More Repairs At Philadelphia’s Grand Old Academy Of Music

The exterior balconies overlooking the main entrance to North America's oldest purpose-built opera house — "still the city's formal parlor for everything from Broadway shows and The Nutcracker to college graduations," writes Peter Dobrin — have been gradually crumbling and are being rebuilt. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

The TikTok Music Phenomenon

The world’s biggest new social media platform hasn’t just propelled thousands of its users to viral stardom, it’s also provided huge momentum for music that might have passed people by. - EuroNews

Indigenous Musicians Are Getting Attention For New Experimental Music

A loose confederation of Indigenous artists is finding a wider audience by working at the fringes of modern music. These musicians and many of their peers are rapidly upending ideas about what it means to sound Native. - The New York Times

Sending An American Orchestra To Tour Europe Is Expensive.  Why Do It?

In particular, why does an orchestra from a mid-sized city such as Pittsburgh do such expensive tours, and what good does it do for their hometown?  The answer, reports Jeremy Reynolds, comes down to one word — something that makes a bigger difference than you might expect. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Pittsburgh Symphony Musicians Agree To One-Year Contract Extension

"It's a way of kicking a can down the road after a couple of seasons amid a global pandemic. Several other orchestras around the country are doing the same."  One bit of news: the musicians actually like management's negotiator. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

A Salzburg Festival That Portends The State Of The World

It is a telling bit of weakness as Salzburg faces renewed competition, especially from the growing Aix-en-Provence Festival in France — and even from the likes of Santa Fe Opera. - The New York Times

What It Takes To Be A Conductor

“I didn’t know this when I started down this path, but leadership, charisma, group psychology and the ability to motivate people and manage egos are really about 98% of the job.” - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Musician Who Was Against The COVID Vaccine Sues Los Angeles Times For Reporting That Fact

Joseph Arthur says that the article left him "shunned and avoided," and says that the headline calling him "anti-vax" was wrong because he hadn't said anything about vaccines in general, just the COVID-19 vaccines. - Variety

The Great Partnership Of Filmmaker Hiyao Miyazaki And Composer Joe Hisaishi

For concerts, Hisaishi takes portions of his scores from films like My Neighbor Totoro and Porco Rosso, turning them into entirely new symphonic experiences - but without losing the humane touch of his work in the films. - The New York Times

The Lucerne Festival Finally Wants To Diversify

But can its audience deal with the changes? - The New York Times

A Ukrainian Orchestra, Far From Home

The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra "coalesced quickly around a mission to stage, as the Met news release put it, 'artistic defense' of its homeland. Its debut concerts across Western Europe and Britain have been met with rave reviews and long ovations." - Washington Post

There’s Country Music In Africa? Yes, And There Has Been For Almost 100 Years

"The history of African country music is largely uncharted. When you piece together the fragments, a long and rich musical relationship begins to emerge. It starts in the 1930s, according to writer Jesse Jarnow, and differs hugely across the continent." - The Guardian

Spotify Starts Selling Concert Tickets With Its Playlists

The site lists gigs that are available to book on the home page, and under the My events section, users can see their past and upcoming ticket bookings. - TechCrunch

A UK Band Dishes On Its Farcical Post-Brexit Problems Playing A European Tour

Live performances can account for 90%-95% of a band’s income, according to Help Musicians, but Brexit has cut into one of their most important revenue streams, restricting them to £1,000 worth of merchandise before they get into a higher taxable bracket. - The Guardian

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