ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MUSIC

Reassembling Opera, With Yuval Sharon

“I want a production to constantly unsettle the audience and ask for continuous renegotiations of their experience.” - The Wall Street Journal

Unknown Piece By Mozart Discovered

The piece dates to the mid to late 1760s and consists of seven miniature movements for a string trio lasting about 12 minutes, the Leipzig municipal libraries said in a statement on Thursday. - The Guardian

San Francisco Symphony Finds Few Fans For Its Present Course

"I continue to be struck by the fact that the current leadership of the San Francisco Symphony really has no defenders in any press: local, national, or international. They are getting hammered by all quarters, by all media. And if they were hoping to win over ABC7, that clearly didn’t go well." - Song of the Lark

About 170 Layoffs At Atlantic Music As Streaming Levels Off

The streaming boom that lifted the music industry’s fortunes in the mid-2010s after years of decline has leveled off, — with the recorded-music industry posting just 4% growth in the first half of 2024 after many years of double-digit increases — and all three major companies have been laying off staff. - Variety

San Francisco Symphony Cancels Season Opener As Chorus Goes On Strike

"More than 150 musicians and patrons joined the Symphony Chorus, which formed a picket … in front of Davies Symphony Hall an hour and a half before the Verdi Requiem concert was scheduled to begin. Among the signs held by strikers, one read, 'No contract = No Chorus.'" - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

New York Philharmonic Players Get 30% Raise In New Contract

"The deal with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians calls for raises of about 15% in 2024-25, and 7.5% each in 2025-26 and 2026-27. Base pay will rise to $205,000 by the deal’s final season." - AP

San Francisco Symphony Facing Its Biggest Crisis Ever

The symphony believes one way to attract audiences is to showcase what few cities have, a one-of-a-kind performing arts scene, which also includes the ballet, the opera, the SF Jazz Center, and the Conservatory. - ABC7

Universal Music: Betting The Future On A Superfans Strategy

Streaming equalizes the monetization across all fans, despite the fact that superfans listen to music a few hours every day, and yet casual fans only listen to a few hours every week." - Music Business Worldwide

Universal Music Chief: Streaming Will Power Music Business For Years To Come

“Fact number one”, according to Grainge, is that “streaming has resulted in a quantum leap forward in music access and monetization and streaming will continue to propel many years of industry growth.” - Music Business Worldwide

Classical Music Really Can Help With Depression, Finds Neuroimaging Study

"By using advanced brainwave measurements and neural imaging, the scientists identified that music engages a circuit connecting the auditory cortex and parts of the brain involved in reward and emotional processing, creating what the researchers call 'triple-time locking' of neural oscillations." - PsyPost

The Great Bells Of Notre Dame Cathedral Return To Paris

"A convoy of trucks bearing eight restored bells — the heaviest of which weighs more than 4 tons — pulled into the huge worksite Thursday. … They are being blessed in a special ceremony ... before being hoisted to hang in its twin towers for the Dec. 8 reopening (following the catastrophic 2019 fire)." - AP

Delphine von Schauroth Was A Celebrated Child Prodigy In The Early 19th Century. Why Did She Disappear?

The German virtuoso pianist and composer was hailed as a musical genius by critics for her powerful and inventive performances and her original and deeply expressive compositions. Why, then, is she nearly forgotten today? - The Conversation

New York Philharmonic Begins Its Season In A Tricky Position

The administration is negotiating a new contract with the musicians, who haven't had a raise since 2019. The messy sexual misconduct case involving two principal musicians has heated up. The orchestra won't have a music director for another two years, and its CEO up and quit in July. - The New York Times

San Francisco Symphony Chorus Authorizes Strike Ahead Of Thursday’s Season Opener

"According to AGMA, 100% of the paid choristers voted in favor of the authorization, with 98% of eligible members participating. Additionally, 81% of the unpaid singers scheduled to perform pledged to honor a picket line." The announced work on the program: Verdi's Requiem - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

San Antonio Philharmonic Plagued By Board And Staff Turnover

"The resignation, on the day before the opening concert of the season, of CFO Sylvia Romo, hired by Executive Director Roberto Treviño in January, follows a string of staff resignations, terminations and nonrenewed contracts throughout Treviño’s 14-month tenure. - San Antonio Report

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