“We used to play shows in Sydney, we can’t really get them much any more. There are no venues to play at. It’s a really hard city to crack. I don’t want Melbourne to be that. That’s terrifying to me. Because what do we do then? There’s nowhere to play.” - The Guardian
"Eva B, once a little-known rapper from (a) Karachi urban-slum settlement" — and who now draws millions of viewers on YouTube — "says her brother had told her if she wanted to rap she had to wear a veil, but that it is now a part of her identity and personality as a musician." - The Guardian
The extravaganza, prosaically titled American Song Contest, will see musicians from all 50 states, five US territories and Washington DC compete against each other, in a format borrowed from its long-running European cousin. - The Guardian
"Grete Minde, a late-Romantic opera of 1920s jazz-inspired melodies and large orchestral sounds, was the work of Eugen Engel, a Berlin-based Jewish textile tradesman in his day job, who gave his handwritten sheet music to his daughter for safekeeping when she escaped to the United States in 1941." - The Guardian
The former music director of the Toronto Symphony and the Royal Scottish National Orchestra (and, before that, longtime first violinist of the Tokyo String Quartet) was this orchestra's principal guest conductor from 2003-2006. He and the CSO have some changes planned. - Colorado Public Radio
Most half-serious music fans would consider their tastes eclectic. Which seems more feasible than a distinct personality type exclusively cleaving to one genre, and this being faithfully replicated across the globe. - The Guardian
The orchestras and concerts have disappeared and so has most of the critical commentary associated with them. To be blunt about it, from a musical point of view, CBC English-language radio has dumbed down. - Toronto Star
When the Joe Rogan controversy broke with Neil Young removing his music from Spotify, other musicians decided that enough was enough: They didn't want Spotify's incredibly meager paychecks anyway. But most musicians, unlike Young, don't own and can't remove their own music. - Washington Post
At least for a brief time: Noongar man Aaron Wyatt "conducted the Melbourne Symphony Orchestra (MSO) in Long Time Living Here, a musical Acknowledgement of Country." And, Wyatt notes, for once he wasn't the only Indigenous classical musician at the symphony. - ABC (Australia)
"Authoritative tellings of Nashville's music history have centered institutions like the Grand Ole Opry and Music Row. ... But that focus neglects a world of activity that went on in the historically Black part of town." Brassville aims to change and reclaim that history. - NPR
Boston music lovers are curious because "the Boston Symphony Orchestra has been quietly searching for its next concertmaster. Whomever they appoint to this coveted chair will hold a tenured position occupied by only three violinists over the course of the last century." - Boston Globe
That's right: Fleetwood Mac's Rumours has been selling well for longer than any Millennial has been alive, and now it's selling more copies on vinyl than Ed Sheeran and just slightly fewer than Adele. What gives? - The Guardian (UK)
Soprano Marlis Peterson: "In the beginning of my career, the singing was most important. ... Then the music became as important as the text, and then came playing the role. And I wouldn’t say it’s 33-33-33. It’s three times 100." - The New York Times
"Ingoma Nshya, … founded by Odile Gakire Katese in 2004, … arose to heal divisions after the 1994 genocide, which left around 800,000 people dead. … Members of Ingoma Nshya also had to overcome cultural stereotypes: Traditionally, drums have been the exclusive preserve of men." - The Christian Science Monitor
