"In a speech following a Cabinet meeting, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan described participants at the contest as the 'Trojan horses of social corruption' and said his government was right to keep Turkey out of the pan-European pop competition since 2012." - AP
Pursuing an aesthetic guided as much by John Coltrane as by John Cage, Roulette became a crucial laboratory for the downtown-music scene, providing artists like John Zorn, Shelley Hirsch, George Lewis, Ikue Mori and many more with space, resources and recorded documentation of their work. - The New York Times
If giving people money encourages them to create, then surely giving them more money would encourage them to create more music, right? The answer is actually no. Throughout music history, copyright’s incentive has often been dialed up too high and, counterintuitively, has led to less creativity. - The Hill
Andrew Ousley decided to present his concert series Death of Classical in the crypt of Harlem's Church of the Intercession not only because the acoustics were remarkable, but because so many potential audience members seemed put off by traditional venues. Then he went on to Brooklyn's Green-Wood Cemetery … - The Guardian
2024 will also be known as the true beginning of the end of mega-live music festival culture with the unexciting two weekends of Coachella in Indio, California, the probable finale of Delaware’s Frye Festival, and, after two straight years of cancellation, the Made in America festival in Philadelphia. - The Smart Set
As a composer, Menotti was consigned to the bittersweet status described by Somerset Maugham to characterize his own fiction—“in the first rank of the second rate.” Maugham’s self-deprecating remark is no insult. - Hudson Review
For one reason, “the voice is a powerful and mysterious thing, maybe the most primal creative instrument that human beings possess. We’re drawn to great singers because of the intricacies and capacities of that instrument and its connection to actual, singular people.” Actors can’t fake it. - Slate
The public nature of Xue’s allegations has shaken the classical music world in China. And while these allegations are unproven, they highlight structural issues that make abuse of power and corruption common at Chinese conservatories. - Van
A small cottage industry of DJs, musicians and producers have been twiddling with TTPD since its release last month, and adding their own twists. - Washington Post
While it's too late to restore the first of the string quartet's scheduled performances there, the second, for Saturday night, was reinstated with additional security measures and an earlier starting time. The venue's stated concern was over property destruction during Gaza-related demonstrations at a nearby university. - The Strad
"Across cultures, (an international team of 75) researchers found, songs share certain features not found in speech, suggesting that Darwin might have been right: Despite its diversity today, music might have evolved in our distant ancestors." - The New York Times
The Canadian-born soprano/conductor will begin, as of August 2026, a three-year term as chief conductor and artistic director of the Iceland Symphony Orchestra. She remains principal guest conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden and takes the same position at Switzerland's Orchestre de chambre de Lausanne this summer. - Ludwig Van
“Music labels, even if they’re small, still have such a hold over artists who can’t afford to pay for production themselves. You’re always owing someone something.” - The Guardian
"'We’ve been trying to program Hockney’s Turandot for 30 years,' said Rupert Hemmings, vice president of artistic planning for L.A. Opera, which … has spent $80,000 to rent the production assets … from San Francisco Opera and Lyric Opera of Chicago, which commissioned (them) 34 years ago." - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
