To co-music director and conductor Gary Clark, GPGSO’s rapid growth makes sense in a city known for niche, DIY music scenes. It hasn’t exactly been a shock to the orchestra’s other organizers either. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
His supporters blame the Met’s issues on opera’s declining cultural currency and an operating structure that puts it at a unique disadvantage among arts organizations. “He has tried absolutely everything to keep his art going,” says Barbara Tober, a decadeslong patron. “He is held prisoner by the situation that confronts him every day.” - Vulture (MSN)
With Ticketmaster signaling its intent to contest the outcome aggressively and drag out the litigation, any meaningful accountability may arrive only in the distant future, rather than offering anything close to timely relief. - The Hill
Many of the lawmakers advocated on Monday for a Ticketmaster breakup. Raskin, for example, stated that Live Nation’s monopoly is so strong that artists are “seriously afraid” of the company. - Billboard
Subtitled “Liberty,” the work was due to premiere the last weekend of May, performed by the Philadelphia Orchestra, the Jazz at Lincoln Center Orchestra and conductor Marin Alsop. A joint statement said, “All parties agreed that additional time would best support the long-term life of the new symphony.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center actually programmed a gala in honor of luthier Sam Zygmuntowicz — because so many of its members, and other leading string players (including Joshua Bell and Maxim Vengerov), have instruments of his. - The New York Times
As the troubled San Antonio Philharmonic, which has canceled more concerts than it has played this year, appears to edge toward collapse, Jeffrey Kahane, who resigned as the Philharmonic’s music director in February, has announced the founding of a new orchestra and education initiative called Harmonium of Texas. - San Antonio Express-News
Although he had gotten through the dress rehearsal well enough, the San Francisco Symphony’s Music Director Laureate had to be wheeled onstage for Friday’s performance of Mahler’s 9th Symphony. He slumped ever farther to the right during the music, which was finally stopped during the third movement. - San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
“I should leave when I cannot do the job properly or when the board doesn’t want me to be here. I’m a workaholic, I’ve always worked. I don’t enjoy free time. I wake up in the middle of the night thinking about work. I need work. My life would be empty without work.” - OperaWire
So what can motivate tech barons to give money to opera? How do we convince them that, with their help, they can be a part of imagining a new, mind-blowing, future for opera, just as they have transformed the way we think and live with their innovations? We need to answer those questions if opera is to survive. -...
“Gelb, who is paid $1.2 million annually, oversees a $326 million budget. … Beyond the often caustic scrutiny of opera critics and patrons, Gelb must reckon with the demands of 3,000 full- and part-time employees, 15 labor unions and a 144-member board of directors.” - The New York Times
Well, why not? "For me, it’s more about singing the music and just communicating it and making that as accessible as possible in the moment to the audience.” - The New York Times
“That sprint of a succession of high notes in such a short time is legendary, which adds a layer of difficulty not only to singing the role but finding a reliable queen.” - The New York Times
The opera, which announced it was severing its relations with the Kennedy Center as President Trump sought to put his imprint on the institution, said it would produce five full-length operas — including a world premiere based on the life of Georgia O’Keeffe — and three smaller-scale works on five stages across the region. - The New York Times
