The secret to the sound isn’t merely Steinway’s skilled craftsmen but the specialized wood they use for the soundboards. It comes from the Tongass National Forest in Alaska, and it gives Steinway pianos the highest quality of tone, pitch, clarity and consistency. Unfortunately, a broken promise from the federal government will soon stop the music. - The Wall Street...
Then there was the email, which Fergus McCreadie also thought was spam. "Eventually I think my manager was like 'maybe we should just check in case it is real' and it turned out it was real.” - BBC
“I know after this program that when I walk into an audition room with other Americans, or people from different countries than Germany, that my German is going to be so well-tuned that I will have an advantage.” - NPR
John Fogarty, after a long fight, in January 2023: “This is something I thought would never be a possibility. … After 50 years, I am finally reunited with my songs.” - The Guardian (UK)
The singer-songwriter says her guitar playing got worse - but other people can play the guitar for her. Meanwhile, she thinks her voice improved. - The Guardian (UK)
This summer Kendrick Lamar, Drake, Tyler, the Creator, GloRilla, Lil Baby, Lil Wayne and Wu-Tang Clan have packed arenas, amphitheaters and stadiums in the United States and abroad. - The New York Times
In a now-viral video, Dave Koz and the Summer Horns performed their rendition of Stevie Wonder's "You Haven't Done Nothing" in an impromptu concert amidst a slew of delays, diversions and timed-out staff en route from St. Louis to their next tour stop in Seattle. - ABCNews
“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)
