“David Bennett, who has served as San Diego Opera’s general director for the past 10 years, will carry on at least through the 2029-30 season. … When Bennett joined the company 10 years ago, its future was in limbo following a near-closure in 2014.” - The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
Nicolas Namoradze’s Neurorecital saw pieces from Bach’s Well-Tempered Clavier accompanied by images of the performer’s brain activity, allowing an unprecedented peek into the mind of the pianist. - Classical Music
“According to Pew Research Center data, between 2019 and 2023, Black Protestant monthly church attendance fell from 61% to 46% — the largest decline among major U.S. religious groups. The COVID-19 pandemic accelerated this trend, and its impact is visible in the thinning choir stands.” - AP
At the CheckOut, Access Contemporary Music “aims to put on two or three chamber concerts a week, mostly self-produced. There are incipient plans for a jazz night on Thursday and for cabaret shows to fill the void left when Davenport’s abruptly canceled all its cabarets in April.” - WBEZ (Chicago)
“(His) aesthetic (is) one of the most resonant and wide-reaching in all contemporary art. People who claim no interest in notated music cleave nonetheless to the still, spiritual sounds made by the Estonian composer. … Contemporary classical music has a far broader audience than it would have reached without him.” - Gramophone
Dozens of local musicians and venue operators said the city should take more time to evaluate whether it should bring Live Nation, which is the subject of an anti-trust lawsuit and investigation from the U.S. Justice Department, into Portland. - Maine Public
“The Audrey, formerly known as the Ravinia MusicBox, was revealed at a press event on Thursday. Inside The Audrey, in the north corner of the park, is the newly-renovated Sandra K. Crown Theater. With approximately 100 seats, it’s an indoor live performance venue meant for intimate, immersive audio and visual experiences.” - Chicago Sun-Times
“Palmieri was one of the truly revolutionary figures of postwar American music, up there with Muddy and Miles and Aretha and Dolly: a musician who reshaped a genre and extended the music’s possibilities.” - The Guardian (UK)
“The most interesting and fun part of this convention is away from the stage. There are hundreds of RVs, and there are jam sessions everywhere where people trade songs, musical tips.” - NPR
Opera lovers trying to find hotel rooms or Airbnbs - or anything at all - near their favorite summer opera festival are now competing for space with 100,000 parents and grandparents who want to see their kids play at baseball camp. - The New York Times
A group of singers, mostly in their 70s and 80s, on St. Helena Island in the South Carolina Lowcountry has been preserving the praise songs and ring shouts developed by their ancestors over the centuries — and scholars have been taking note. - AP
Damien Geter, a 45-year-old conductor, composer (Loving v. Virginia, premiered earlier this year), and bass-baritone who was already working as interim music director and artistic advisor alongside artistic director Alfrelynn Roberts, has been given the music director position on a permanent basis. - Pizzicato
“There are many ways in which Brooklyn Rider isn’t a typical string quartet: its joyous disregard of traditional genre boundaries, its effortless cool in a centuries-old art form, its engagement with the broader world and politics. Even its calendar is extremely unusual.” - The New York Times
The lawsuit cited four licensing agreements that allowed Napster to stream Sony Music’s catalog of recordings. According to the 17-page court document, Napster accumulated $6.79 million in overdue payments by March 5, 2025 across three of the contracts. - Music Business Worldwide
The War Memorial Opera House and Davies Symphony Hall will implement what they’re describing as “frictionless patron screening” — that is, a system using extremely low frequency radio waves, sensors, and AI to detect threats. The system, by Evolv Technologies, is already in place at venues such as Lincoln Center. - San Francisco Classical Voice
