David Cohen said that after his return, he “very quickly circled around arts and culture as the space where I thought I could make a real difference, a place where obviously Philadelphia has prominence and wonderful organizations, but where I still felt were a little under-appreciated.” - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
The list of household names who have recorded at Conway Recording Studios spans generations and genres. Burt Bacharach, Fleetwood Mac, Stevie Wonder, U2, Guns N’ Roses, Daft Punk, Taylor Swift and Kendrick Lamar are just a few of the artists who have recorded there. - Los Angeles Times
“Our initial thought wasn’t about what the building should look like, but rather: How can an important cultural institution be integrated into everyday public life in one of the world’s most vibrant cities?” - Architectural Digest
Across the country, some 480 independent venues and 240 music festivals have shut since 2020, with 160 shuttering so far this year, according to the National Independent Venue Assn., a trade group for the industry. - Los Angeles Times
“Luxembourg’s Philharmonie has uncovered fraudulent transactions within the organisation totalling €160,000 following internal inspections, the concert hall said on Monday. … The concert hall said it is cooperating ‘fully with the authorities to establish the facts and determine any potential liability’." - Luxembourg Times
Japanese billionaire philanthropist Dr Haruhisa Handa is ending his 15-year partnership with Opera Australia, closing a significant chapter in the history of one of the company’s most recognisable flagship events, Handa Opera on Sydney Harbour.- ArtsHub
This is the 75th anniversary of the first opera made for television: Gian Carlo Menotti’s Amahl and the Night Visitors, broadcast at Yuletide in 1951 and watched by five million people across the US in a production sponsored by Hallmark. - The Guardian
No quorum, because four of the nine justices recused themselves. The court did not explain why Sonia Sotomayor, Neil Gorsuch, Amy Coney Barrett and Ketanji Brown Jackson stepped away from the case. - NPR
At one point, those stuck in the bardo see multiple versions of people important to them, urging them to move on. "I just pictured this cascade of people who were entering, and leaving, and singing, and then singing together and then singing by themselves," Mazzoli says. - The Washington Post (MSN)
Co-CEO Gustav Söderström said: “Spotify is in one of the few categories that actually stands to thrive in the agentic age. This is because agents excel at replacing and taking care of things people would rather not do. People love getting rid of chores. But entertainment is the opposite. - The Hollywood Reporter
Streaming services, notable musicians and fans are confronting the growing presence of AI-generated music and drawing lines in the sand. On Tuesday, Spotify announced it had removed about 50m songs considered AI slop from its recommendations to users over the past year. - The Guardian
I have known countless music students who have gone on to distinguished careers who have described their teachers in God-like terms and continue to do so long after their student days. Often these descriptions are laced with affection and continued adulation. - Thomas Wolf
Phoenix Symphony leaders announced today they are suspending programs and performances after their show on Nov. 1 due to ongoing operational deficits. They say they do not have the finances to continue the season. - Fox (Yahoo)
“The Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts has coasted past the dollar goal in one of the city’s largest-ever fundraising campaigns for a cultural organization, … bringing in $344 million to support operations, build endowment, and fund special artistic initiatives.” One couple anonymously donated $55 million. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
After a few decades when most US companies (especially the Met) treated new opera like kryptonite, many are now presenting a contemporary work almost every season — and selling lots of tickets. Michael Zwiebach examines why this is happening now. - San Francisco Classical Voice
