I played a lot of Mozart piano concertos as a student. His slow movements are not just him gushing emotions. There’s a perfect balance of structure and harmonic direction. That’s my model for my own music. I like a sense of structure. You’re listening to something that is logically constructed, with heartbreakingly beautiful melodies and harmonies in the midst...
“The most important thing about Marlboro, musicians say, is that it removes the pressure of performance. Ensembles are free to rehearse and study as long as they wish. … The outsize focus on study and exploration raises the question of whether Marlboro is, at heart, a festival or a school.” - The New York Times
“Conductor and composer Julian Wachner has agreed to plead guilty to five counts of possession of child sex abuse material and to one count of possession of cocaine after he admitted to using cryptocurrency hundreds of times to buy (such imagery). … Wachner could be facing 10 years in prison.” - OperaWire
Sony Music Entertainment has filed a second copyright infringement lawsuit against Udio, asserting 30,117 sound recordings it says the AI music company copied without permission to train its generative AI models. - Music Business Worldwide
"ZDF dropped plans to air ‘Keine Angst’ (‘No Fear’), the new song by rapper Danger Dan and classical (pianist) Igor Levit, in its weekly current affairs satire show Die Anstalt. The network said the song, which calls for Germans to take action against the far-right, could be interpreted as an ‘incitement to violence.’” - The Hollywood Reporter
“Country music tends to be preoccupied with place; the charts are full of tributes to the satisfaction of being firmly rooted in a small town, and the sorrows of leaving it behind. In fact, this preoccupation is the secret theme of these sun-and-sand songs.” - The New Yorker
North Korean defectors say they “used to listen to songs in secret, often not knowing who they were listening to, but clinging to the mysterious and hopeful lyrics. Some even managed to watch K-pop performances, shocked by the blue-haired idols wearing make-up.” - BBC
Jackson is currently music director of the Reno Philharmonic in Nevada — a position she’ll keep through 2028-29 — and will officially take up this post as of the 2027-28 season. She succeeds John DeMain, who retired in June after 32 years. - The Cap Times (Madison, WI)
“Cantrell’s appointment comes after a nationwide search sparked by the retirement of longtime Nashville Symphony leader Alan Valentine, who served in the role for 28 years. Cantrell, who will officially assume the position on Aug. 1., comes to Nashville Symphony from the Colorado Symphony in Denver.” - Nashville Post
The July 16 performance of Mozart’s Abduction from the Seraglio, with James Conlon conducting the Chicago Symphony and soloists including Katherine Lewek and Miles Mykkanen, was called off due to hazardous air quality caused by smoke from wildfires raging in Canada. - Ravinia Festival
It’s a story about many things, including music and money; excellence and equity; tradition and change. But mostly it’s about two questions: What should an orchestra be in a city like Boston in 2026? And even more important: Who gets to decide? - Boston Magazine
Vinyl record sales in the US have increased for 19 consecutive years, surpassing $1 billion in revenue in 2025. As vinyl’s popularity has surged, so has scrutiny of its environmental cost—and the music industry’s efforts to address it. - LongReads
