Musicians have become influential activists and symbols of political resistance, just as they were in the final years of the Soviet Union. The Kremlin has repeatedly tried to suppress the music scene and punish its leaders, a sign that Putin seems to understand the danger they pose. - The Atlantic (Yahoo!)
The huge contemporary art museum, in the old factory town of North Adams in Massachusetts’s northeast corner, is launching Mass MoCA Records, which will feature both music recordings from studio sessions, live concerts, and museum residencies as well as spoken-word performances and sound art appearing at the museum. - Artnet
On the road to their return, the musicians took on side jobs, staged free community concerts and fought to bring the symphony back through legal action. - CBC
The program will support and elevate a select cohort of 10 U.K.-based creators passionate about classical music who are already making content about the genre on TikTok. The application to be part of Crescendo is now live here through Oct. 30. - Variety
The landmark deal, announced on September 25, gives Beijing-based Kuke Music Holding about 70% ownership of Hong Kong-based Naxos Music Group through two simultaneous transactions worth roughly US$106 million. Naxos encompasses 17 subsidiary labels and distributes another 50 smaller independent labels. - Limelight (Australia)
The violins may be rare, excellently made, and, to some, worth the money. But none of that is actually worth a fig if their price outshines their purpose: to provide a little ear tickling and make it pleasurable to be inside your own head. - Literary Review of Canada
When theater officials announced last week that La Fenice’s new music director would be the conductor Beatrice Venezi, some members of the company were outraged, saying she hasn’t had enough experience. - The New York Times
“Anne Hagan, the group’s executive director, said it had become ‘difficult for us to keep up with payments’ for Kimmel base rent and the other costs of performing there. ... The group had been a resident company at the Kimmel’s Perelman Theater since the arts center’s opening in 2001.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
They’ve left the classic façade (and the acoustics) of Powell Hall intact and built around it the gleaming new Jack C. Taylor Music Center, which provides some of the desperately needed facilities (dressing rooms for musicians, sufficient bathrooms for the audience) which Powell, once a movie palace, had lacked. - The New York Times
The streaming site says Labs will offer a glimpse of the AI features it's developing for YouTube Music, and it starts with AI "hosts" that will chime in while you're listening to music. Yes, really. - Ars Technica
A conductor is fired only for sex, a reviewer not even for that. So when four chief critics are blown away in one afternoon, it’s no small earthquake and a shaft of aftershocks ensued. - The Critic
The question remains: how effectively can Spotify identify artists who do not disclose their use of AI? As AI technology becomes more sophisticated, distinguishing between human and machine-generated content will only become more challenging. - Rude Baguette
How huge? “About 60 per cent of professional violinists and violists experience some form of playing-related musculoskeletal disorder (known as ‘PRMDs’) that prevents them from playing their best.” - Sydney Morning Herald
The truth is that only performing in larger cities like Glasgow, Manchester, London, and Cardiff risks losing your audience over time. - The Guardian (UK)
The musician who rescued the piano says, "The irony is we want in their original state. … But to keep them in their original state, you have to do things in a modern way to preserve them.” - The New York Times
