"In traditional katajjaq, also known as Inuit throat singing, two women stand face to face and perform a duet that doubles as something of a musical battle. Chanting in rhythm, participants attempt to outlast one another, each waiting for any crack in the pace of her opponent." - Psyche
Sheeran had faced allegations that he copied parts of Marvin Gaye’s “Let’s Get It On” for his 2014 song, “Thinking Out Loud.” Heirs of Ed Townsend — Gaye’s collaborator and song’s co-writer — sued him in 2017, claiming Sheeran copied “harmonic progressions, melodic and rhythmic elements” that are the “heart” of Gaye’s iconic song. - Washington Post
In just over two years, the school acquired Opus 3 Artists, Pentatone Records, and the major London agency Askonas Holt. SFCM president David Stull explains to Jeffrey Arlo Brown what the school's up to, and Brown considers for whom all this is, and is not, a good deal. - Van
Anger erupted online, with critics accusing Washington National Opera of serving as a mouthpiece for the defense industry. A think tank that advocates military restraint labeled it a “killer drone opera.” New York magazine gave the opera a “despicable” rating on its Approval Matrix. - The New York Times
To complete the metaphor, the lawsuit and its implications are the musical version of saying to a painter: You’ll have to pay to use red. Someone else used it first. - The New York Times
Mario Botta: "We've added a 17-story structure (six floors are underground) on the Via Verdi. At the base of this tower is an orchestra practice room, and on top is an airy dance studio. In between is needed functional space like offices, storage and rehearsal space." - The New York Times
The platform is part of a wider effort to modernize La Scala’s infrastructure, including an extensive educational outreach program using the technology and plans for subtitles on seat backs. - The New York Times
Chris Dumont, the company's fight director, is much more used to staging fencing than fist-fighting with gloves. So he turned to former professional WBO heavyweight champion Michael Bentt, who says, "I'm not an expert on opera. But I'm an expert on rhythm. And boxing is rhythm." - The New York Times
"Multiple people who attended the L.A. Phil concert on Friday reported hearing a woman making a moaning noise during the symphony’s second movement." - Los Angeles Times
"For years, it seemed like the piano was disappearing from British public life. The bulky instruments were cast out of homes and schools and offered for free online. But now ... the piano seems to be making a 21st-century comeback in homes, on streets and online." - The Observer (UK)
"When you’re portraying character, first of all, that’s an athlete. Also portraying a character that has to be half naked on stage for certain moments in the performance, you go about it differently on your day." - Slate
It's clear that "Thinking Out Loud" and "Let's Get It On" have some similarities - but how similar are they? The BBC breaks it down: "What they do share in common are some chords." - BBC
The 17-year-old and 12-year-old "have now received scholarships to two of the UK’s foremost music schools, less than a year after fleeing their home near Kyiv to start new lives." - The Observer (UK)
When Opera Ebony was founded, the Black Arts Movement was underway. "Spirituals, work songs, jazz and gospel, all were included in Opera Ebony's repertoire, highlighting often neglected Black composers." But after changing the repertoire, it's down to one performance a year. - NPR
