Liudmyla Monastyrska, who replaced Russian superstar Anna Netrebko at the Met in Turandot, wrapped herself in a Ukrainian flag for her curtain call. "'I wanted to help however I could,' Ms. Monastyrska said." - The New York Times
Like the US band The Linda Lindas, Star Feminine Band make music both for themselves and for a wider audience - an audience that is rapidly becoming international. - BBC
Nothing against the Hamilton cast album - obviously a different animal - but the 1990s were the last great decade of film soundtracks. Why? You probably know why: Napster. - HuffPost
Unsurprisingly, the recording did not start life intending to keep the company of Madonna and Prince – but in late 1992 the symphony was soaring high. For 11 weeks it was among the 40 bestselling albums in the UK, peaking at No 6 in early February 1993. - The Guardian
The researchers found global correlations between extraversion and contemporary music; between conscientiousness and unpretentious music; between agreeableness and mellow and unpretentious music; and between openness and mellow, contemporary, intense and sophisticated music. - Gramilano
"Music for String Quartet was composed by an 18-year-old Bernstein in 1936 while he was at Harvard. You can tell, authenticators agree, from the familiar scratch of his signature. ... It could be Bernstein's first major composition — or minor ... Barely anybody has ever heard the thing." - MSN (The Washington Post)
"The programme, developed with Imperial College Healthcare NHS Trust, is led by professional singers from the ENO and focuses on breathing retraining through singing techniques, using lullabies as its musical starting point." - iNews (UK)
Courtesy of the president’s executive actions, audiocassettes, enjoyed loudly by many Egyptians in public spaces, were no longer simply a nuisance. Noisy cassette recordings were now illegal. - Lapham's Quarterly
"The announcement, made Tuesday, comes after several rancorous months at the 25-year-old children's chorus that saw hiring disputes with the chorus board, staff resignations and confusion from chorus members and their parents." - KERA (Dallas)
What we are witnessing is a pandemic of reformist box-ticking that places policy above pulling power. Forget about a box office that is running one-third below capacity. Forget about the music, too. The new curators have higher priorities. - The Critic
Toradze had been feeling ill most of last weekend and needed assistance to walk onstage Saturday night to play Stravinsky and Shostakovich with the Vancouver (Wash.) Symphony. He performed fluently but was rushed immediately afterward to a local hospital, where he is currently recovering. - The Columbian (Vancouver, WA)
Over her five-year tenure, Elisa Citterio appointed new artistic directors, explored repertoire from the 17th through 19th centuries, commissioned new works, and encouraged international collaborations. - Ludwig Van
Oddly, the linguist/op-ed pundit, who's demonstrated genuine musical sophistication in previous columns, cites Korngold (d. 1957), Rozsa (d. 1995), and William Bolcom, but, besides John Williams, he doesn't mention living composers who actually attract crowds: Reich, Glass, the John Adamses, the Bang-on-a-Can troika, and, above all, Arvo Pärt. - The New York Times
KUSC in Los Angeles and KDFC in San Francisco, both now part of the KUSC Radio Group, have rebranded as Classical California, with simulcast programming outside of morning and evening drive time (which will remain local), new online streams, and beefed-up YouTube offerings. - San Francisco Classical Voice
The Ukrainian Freedom Orchestra, a 75-member ensemble assembled with the support of the Metropolitan Opera and Polish National Opera, will visit nine European cities, New York, and Washington in July and August under conductor (and Ukrainian-Canadian) Keri-Lynn Wilson (wife of Met general manager Peter Gelb). - The New York Times
