Starting back in the 1980s, an illegal demimonde of teens began. Their initial goal was to strip the copyright protections off video games. By the 90s, some of the same teens got the notion to apply that practice to the data on coveted CDs. - The Guardian
"The Ravinia Festival Association, whose grassy lawns come alive with a slew of summer concerts every year, filed an updated complaint in a trademark infringement case against Ravinia Brewing Company, a craft brewery in Highland Park, over the use of their shared neighborhood moniker." - Chicago Tribune
The expected grandeur, the time and space business, the big emotions, big ideas and big voices, we’ve got it all. That's to be expected. But what really sets opera in L.A. apart is the art form's movement in new and profound ways can come from the unexpected sources. - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
Maria Todaro, an accomplished singer, stage director, fight choreographer and arts entrepreneur is stepping into her biggest role yet, ushering in an ambitious rebrand for Florida’s oldest opera company as the Florida Grand Opera’s new general director. - Miami Herald
As the West’s oldest still-operational opera company faces a steep financial cliff, there’s another aria being sung across the Pacific Ocean—one SF Opera stands to benefit from. “If there was a big growth market for opera at the moment,” SFO Director Matthew Shilvock said, “it is in China.” - San Francisco Standard
It took about two days for this lavishly-praised maestro to lose or cancel all his future engagements, and he'll likely be fired from his positions. Yet why was Roth's behavior (sexting musicians) treated so much more harshly than, say, Gardiner's or Barenboim's (screaming and hitting them)? - Van
Q: "Tell me what excites you about the Ojai Festival." A: "You think I go to Ojai because I get excited? No. I go because there is music that I might want to do ..., and I might do it for the people who are involved." - The New York Times
The technician died in September of last year after falling more than 40 feet from a balcony while carrying out work. Authorities investigated the incident as a "work environment violation"; the lead prosecutor said that the company "had failed to investigate and assess the risk of the work in question." - AP
"(CEO Daniel) Ek probably isn’t too bothered by the lawsuits, or the burdens of running a (post-massive-layoffs) operation, or outrage ... over a more expensive plan to 'justify adding things (they) don’t want' that undercuts the artists whose work makes Spotify what it is. At least the stock price is resurging." - Slate
“Even in a Mahler symphony, the largest number of performers you could have is 120,” says the Chinese-American composer from his New York apartment. “In this case, there will be more than 1,000 – all of them will be creating the symphony together.” - The Guardian
Now with the streaming era and things like that, that it's really shifted, where instead of selling the tour to get people to buy the record, now it's the other way around, where you are releasing music to try to get people interested in the tour. - NPR
Even among conservatories, it is exceptional, with a wide age range — from preadolescence to post-baccalaureate adulthood — and a personalized approach, of schedules and repertoire, for musicians who live almost entirely for their art. - The New York Times
“Last season, we were facing what would have been roughly an $11 million deficit on a roughly $80 million budget. … We’ve had a lot of conversation internally as we’ve been doing the planning for ’24-’25 and beyond, to make sure we understand what level of resources we have.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
"I believe that an opera performance should be something unified — so that what’s going on in the orchestra pit and onstage make complete sense together. … The love for opera is very strong — the desire to create something that’s dramaturgically interesting, where the music is jumping off the page." - The New York Times
