“The approximately 60 instrumentalists had a four-year contract with the orchestra that was due to end on Aug. 31, and they do not know if they will be re-hired. Beyond taking a financial hit, some in the group say they are concerned about the direction of the orchestra.” - WBEZ (Chicago)
As part of the lead-in to his formal assumption of the music director title, the Dude got the Phil together with the Spanish Harlem Orchestra to play both salsa-influenced classical compositions and genuine salsa. The program was a hit, both at Lincoln Center and 100 blocks uptown in Washington Heights. - The New York Times
By mid-October, I finally had something close to a single aphorism about Jarrett, an inversion of a half-remembered Wordsworth definition of the vocation of a poet. - The Walrus
WMG saw its quarterly global company-wide revenues reach USD $1.732 billion (across recorded music, music publishing, and other activities). Total revenue was up 12.1% YoY at constant currency. - Music Business Worldwide
Julie Andrews has reinvented herself almost completely, but after she lost her voice, she "fell into a deep depression. She said that she felt like she had lost her identity. Other vocalists have compared this feeling to the experience of an athlete who loses a limb.” - El Pais English
So what’s next? Eilish says she has no idea. "Ten years ago artists could build followings, like Eilish did, through livestreams, Instagram posts, and videos on social media. In 2026, the landscape looks very different.” - Wired
The Pantages, built in downtown Winnipeg in 1914, is getting $15 million from the Manitoba government for renovation. The venue was run by the Winnipeg Symphony from 2011 until it closed in 2018 due to physical plant problems, and the orchestra will be the primary (but not sole) tenant when it reopens. - CBC
After this weekend’s concerts, the orchestra — founded in 1987 to develop diverse talent and reach underserved audiences — will present no more public programming until 2027. The organization’s only employee will be the CEO, who will focus on fundraising and sustainability planning. - WBEZ (Chicago)
“Published in The Lancet Digital Health, a new study looked at 1,438 participants and found that 80% reported improved levels of breathlessness, with 61% having achieved clinically important improvements. Of the participants, 87% said that it had a positive impact on their general well-being and 73% reported improved anxiety levels.” - The Stage (UK)
In recent weeks big-name artists including Meghan Trainor, Zayn Malik, Post Malone and the Pussycat Dolls have cancelled performances or entire tours. - The Times (UK)
For many pop concerts in Japan, “fans enter (a lottery) for the chance to buy tickets and can only purchase them in limited quantities if they are selected. … If praying at Fukutoku is believed to work for winning scratch-off lottery tickets, fans hope it might bring luck with concert tickets, too.” - BBC
James Johnson began his tenure with the symphony in 2018 after serving as president and CEO of the Omaha Symphony Association. Since then, Johnson has overseen several changes in the Indianapolis orchestra. - Indianapolis Star
In mid-February, the precarious orchestra called off the remainder of this season and lost its music director. In what may be a surprising development, the SA Phil has just announced two performances of a program of Moncayo, Ravel and Tchaikovsky, scheduled for the last weekend of this month. - Texas Public Radio
Beatrice Venezi’s appointment as music director of Teatro La Fenice was greeted with an avalanche of criticism that she was unqualified, hired only because she’s a protégée of Italian prime minister Giorgia Meloni. Now Venezi says, “The (political) Right needed my clean face; they used me and then threw me away.” - Moto Perpetuo
"Having my own churning emotions echoed back to me in this way was a stunning experience, one that, perhaps paradoxically, lifted me out of my own pain for a time. Catharsis was the last thing I expected going in, but it’s precisely what I experienced." - San Francisco Classical Voice
