“A lot of artists are afraid to approach labels or even question the accuracy of royalty payments. But we’re getting like 17-cent checks. I know artists who have sold millions of records who are having a hard time in survival mode, when money could be sitting in a portal somewhere.” - Los Angeles Times
The earlier rehearsal with the London Chamber Orchestra (LCO) had not gone well. Half of the musicians walked out in protest at the way they had been treated over the past five months, during which time none of them had been paid. - The Guardian
If we’re very fortunate, we may yet have another opportunity to hear these musicians working together on an ad hoc basis. For now, though, this partnership — arguably the most consequential in the orchestra’s 113-year history — has officially come to an end. - San Francisco Chronicle
Can any opera company withstand the blows of the 21st century? “The ongoing crisis in opera parallels a current 'free fall' … in American theater — with low ticket sales, slumping philanthropy and rising costs putting experimental platforms and long-standing institutions alike on indefinite hiatus.” - Washington Post
In the early 21st century, downloads were a thing, but now, downloading rather than streaming "is a purely performative gesture – it only ever happens as a result of some kind of factional culture war that somebody has the money and inclination to try to represent on the charts." - The Guardian (UK)
Matthew Sheeran: "The first thing you have to do is get the score translated into what I call scordatura notation, where what you hear is not what you see. I had to translate it into music for keyboard, where the octave isn’t an octave." - The New York Times
Or at least that’s the hope of duo Pavel Kolesnikov and Samson Tsoy, who met at the Moscow State Conservatory and who revived their piano duet career during the early days of the pandemic. - The New York Times
In the classical music world, this tension between prioritizing diversity and emphasizing the traditional system of meritocracy is one of the greatest sources of friction, mirroring a similar cultural argument taking place in other institutions and industries around the country. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The composer himself had an intensely mathematical brain. He would sign his name in music, and would even hide little references to the numbers 14 and 41, which acted as his numerical signature, in his works. - ClassicFM
CEO Robert Kyncl wrote in an internal memo, "We’re in a position of strength, and that’s the smart time to change, innovate, and lead. … Today, we’re announcing a plan to free up more funds to ... accelerate our growth for the next decade. … Our plan includes reducing our workforce by approximately 10%." - Billboard
Shortly after the Russian invasion began, "the orchestra filed a request with the Ministry of Culture to go abroad. Military targets were under attack, but so was Ukrainian culture. The war’s ‘cultural front’ and Ukrainian culture’s fight for its continued existence was on minds throughout the country." - Classical Music (UK)
"The number of partnerships between an American orchestra and a music director that have been so productive for so long is vanishingly small. … This partnership has officially come to an end. So it’s a good time to outline and celebrate the scope of (Michael Tilson) Thomas’s achievements." - San Francisco Chronicle
Spano — currently music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra and the Aspen Music Festival and School, principal conductor of the Rhode Island Philharmonic, and from 2001 to 2021 music director of the Atlanta Symphony — begins an initial three-year term at the WNO in fall 2025. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Throughout her tenure, Cadeau oversaw the recruitment of Kent Nagano in 2006, the opening of the Maison symphonique de Montréal (the OSM's then-new home) in 2011, the creation of the education program "La musique aux enfants" in 2016, and the hiring of current Music Director Rafael Payare in 2021. - The Violin Channel
