Zhang Wanting spent an entire semester practicing standing on one foot on a three-inch chair handle while lifting her other leg backward and leaning forward with an arched back. And that was maybe the easiest of the tricks she had to learn just with the chair, leaving aside all the other skills necessary. - AP
“I suppose a composer imagines a certain piece of music for certain instruments; he has a sound picture and wants the things that instrument can do. But that doesn’t negate the situation where you make a new sound picture, perhaps with the same materials. - Early Music America
The 17-time Grammy-winning banjoist said, "Performing there has become charged and political, at an institution where the focus should be on the music. I look forward to playing with the NSO another time in the future when we can together share and celebrate art." - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
“Twenty years ago, (Beth) Morrison had nothing in the bank. Just ambition, a belief in opera as theater and a high-flown goal to ‘change this art form.’ Still, she founded Beth Morrison Projects. Since then, she has worked nearly around the clock to shepherd dozens of new operas into existence.” - The New York Times
The orchestra alleges that Hwang, who was sexually assaulted by a senior player in the orchestra in 2017 and 2018, breached an NDA she signed following the incident. - The Violin Channel
“In recent years, covers had been assessed as part of the best recording package category, which considers all physical materials and images. … Recording Academy CEO Harvey Mason Jr. (said) the split is an effort to recognize the impact of cover art in the digital age.” - AP
“The 73-year-old Bychkov agreed to a four-year contract (starting in August 2028) and will conduct two operas and six symphonic concerts per season, (general director Alexander) Neef said.” Until then, Bychkov will remain music director of the Czech Philharmonic. - AP
“The restoration of Simone’s childhood home could serve as an example of how privately funded projects can preserve Black history during a time when federally funded programs are under threat.” - The Guardian (UK)
“Resistance was easy. Uncomplicated, too. Like so many who have grown skeptical of AI, I value my life. I don’t want AI-generated music taking a moment of it away from me.” - Washington Post (MSN)
Singers can specialize, or they could be like mezzo Marina Viotti, who was a heavy metal singer and who sang at the opening of the Paris Olympics, and is now "a rising opera world star with a versatile range that includes Baroque, bel canto and operetta.” - The New York Times
In disguised artist Róis’s 2025 Irish-language album, she merged “experimental, electronic production with traditional singing ... drew inspiration from ancient mourning practices." - BBC
“Singers are tested by every performance, year after year. We are trained to make it look easy. It is never easy. We live through sacrifice, isolation and self-doubt. ... Constant travel (if you’re lucky), fatigue and stress take an emotional and physical toll.” - The New York Times
During a meeting in the historic Uyghur city of Kashgar in October, authorities warned residents that performing, playing, uploading onto social media, or storing on devices any of a list of Uyghur songs would face imprisonment. Uyghur exiles report that several people have already been jailed for doing so. - AP
“The kid with the PC in the bedroom can’t play his instrument. He can make some sounds, and then you can get a vast amount of repetition, but if they didn’t take the time to learn their instrument and their scales and to actually speak the language of music then they can’t play.” - Music Radar
