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MUSIC

The Classical Legend Of Cartagena Plays On

When Teresita Gómez was 3, a piano teacher let her watch "from a distance — while was teaching the little white girls who were her students. ... At night, when her father walked around doing his rounds, she went along with him, playing on all the classroom pianos." - NPR

How Harry Styles Caught Our Collective Mood

Harry’s House is simply just fun pop music at the perfect time. We are coming out of a pandemic and are in a cost of living crisis – we need some easy and joyful listening. - The Conversation

Alex Ross: Being Realistic About Dudamel

Unlike its future-oriented counterpart on the West Coast, the New York Philharmonic is always looking back to its glory days under Mahler, Toscanini, Bernstein, and Boulez. It’s worth noting that many conductors have left the post frustrated, exhausted, or embittered. - The New Yorker

AI Is Coming For Music

This technology “is generating infinite music that isn’t actually composed by anybody, and that’s a terrible, scary, awful way of thinking about where music could go,” says composer Tod Machover. “I mean, really, it’s the worst kind of elevator music.” - Washington Post

A “Documentary Opera” Asks What Russians Really Think About Russia

In what seems to be a cross between an Anna Deavere Smith interview-based theater piece and Gavin Bryars's Jesus' Blood Never Failed Me Yet, composer Eugene Birman has layered original music with candid quotes given by Russians in darkened booths. The title is Russia: Today. - The New York Times

Ukrainian National Orchestra Arrives At Carnegie Hall

The Carnegie performance was added last spring. The hall’s leaders heard about the tour and thought that hosting the orchestra would help show solidarity with Ukraine. - The New York Times

How Robert Wilson Changed The Metropolitan Opera 25 Years Ago

This “Lohengrin,” so radical for the Met at the time, anticipated today’s broader range of directorial approaches there — like Willy Decker’s starkly symbolic “La Traviata” and Simon Stone’s contemporary-America “Lucia di Lammermoor.” - The New York Times

At 80, Even With A “Serious Neurological Condition,” Daniel Barenboim Can And Will Keep Conducting

"I know I am expected to say this illness changed my life.  No.  Things that were very important to me as a musician before are still as important. Things that were not important are still not important. I can't say I feel perfectly, but I feel well enough." - AP

Confronting Classical Music’s Burn-Out Culture

By stepping into a conservatory, we are encouraged to maintain packed-out schedules, work beyond the point of exhaustion, and have pristine social media accounts showcasing our highlight reel of repertoire in order to justify our choice in career. - I Care If You Listen

How Architects Fixed Geffen Hall’s Acoustics

While getting the sound of the orchestral hall right was a heavy lift, the architects and designers also had to contend with another problem in the Lincoln Center's history. - CBC

King’s Singers Florida Concert Cancelled Two Hours Before Curtain Because Of Performers’ “Lifestyle”

It seems Pensacola Christian College, where the group had sung before without incident, got wind that some members of the sextet are gay. The Singers say, "This is the first time that anything other than bad weather, the pandemic, or war has caused a cancellation in our 55-year history." - Musical America

Philadelphia Orchestra/Kimmel Center Ticketing System Is Paralyzed By Hackers

"The ticketing systems of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Kimmel Center Inc. remained hobbled for a fifth day Monday following a cyber attack that struck last week. The arts group was able to set up a temporary website portal Feb. 12 with tickets available for some concerts." - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Why Beyonce’s Cultural Heft Exceeds Her Commercial Success

It’s clear that despite her status, in purely commercial terms Beyoncé is not a dominating presence in the music industry, with many artists selling and streaming at considerably higher levels. - The Conversation

Dudamel Considers His LA Legacy, And His Future In New York

He says he's "not a young conductor anymore" - and now, "he is working to establish himself as a seasoned interpreter of the repertory — a maestro fluent in the symphonies of Mahler and Beethoven as well as less common fare." - The New York Times

How Los Angeles Became Obsessed With Radio Devotion Shows

Yes, radio. Yes, for love song devotions. "The shows have a hold on listeners. Even in the age of cellphones and Spotify, legions of fans still tune in nightly." - AOL (Los Angeles Times)

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