Increasingly, symphony orchestras define excellence very narrowly. The focus is on the musical quality of the playing. This is crucial, of course. But excellence must also be measured, in part, by community penetration and buy-in. - Nightingale Sonata
One scenario envisions the renowned 96-year-old orchestra — a fixture at the Kennedy Center — performing at "offsite alternate venues," according to a slide deck of the budget plans obtained by Axios. - Axios
“L.A. became the place that let him try just about anything. … Here is where he's been able to experiment ..., not just with the support of the orchestra but also the community. He became a symbol for an L.A. in which, as with YOLA, anything is possible.” - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
“Chuck Redd hosted and performed at the Kennedy Center’s annual Christmas Eve concerts for years, but bowed out of last December’s planned gig, citing ‘the defiant and illegal name change happening to the Kennedy Center.’ (Management) subsequently sued Redd for breach of contract, only to have the suit thrown out in June.” - Variety
The orchestra’s audiences have diminished sharply since Trump took over the Kennedy Center. Those righteous liberals who think they are somehow striking back at Bad Orange Man by staying away are actually only hurting the musicians and other artists for whom the Center is a lifeline. - DC Citycast
The very act of conducting—waving a wand to summon ravishing or ethereal or earsplitting sounds—can look like either inexplicable magic or embarrassing nonsense, a kind of tuxedoed air guitar. - The Atlantic
The composer’s handwritten score of his Symphony No. 2 (“Resurrection”) was donated to the Cleveland Orchestra a few years ago, a gift which brought Welser-Möst, the organization’s longtime music director, to tears. He leads a reporter (and readers) through three pages of the manuscript which he finds especially fascinating. - The New York Times
Spotify will begin labeling AI-generated artists with “AI Persona” profile tags and ban their music from its editorial and algorithmic recommendations, the company announced on Tuesday. - TechCrunch
The German-born, New York-based composer-conductor, who is also music director of the Kansas City Symphony, succeeds Jamie Martín at the helm of the LACO as of the 2027-28 season. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
Suno, the service that allows users to create AI-generated songs, today announced new tools to mark tracks made on its platform, limit downloads, and update community guidelines to prevent copycat songs. The changes come as Suno faces numerous lawsuits from labels and artist bodies. - TechCrunch
The company, which raised over $400 million in a Series D round in June that valued it at $5.4 billion, has opened a waitlist for Suno Vinyl, a service that turns songs made on its platform into physical records. - MusicBusinessWorldwide
Generative AI “music” is now available on vinyl. (Though since the environmental cost of each is not great, maybe they are like each other? Hm.) - Los Angeles Times
No, not by watching Tár. “The very act of conducting—waving a wand to summon ravishing or ethereal or earsplitting sounds—can look like either inexplicable magic or embarrassing nonsense, a kind of tuxedoed air guitar.” - The Atlantic
And then … it was canceled just before the 16-day fest was set to begin. "By Friday, the LA Jazz Fest website had been scrubbed, with only a cryptic message that said, ‘August 22-23. Updated event info coming soon.’” - Variety
