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MUSIC

Roots Music Star And Macarthur Genius Rhiannon Giddens Returns To Her First Art Form, Opera — As A Composer

She came to prominence as co-founder of string band the Carolina Chocolate Drops, moved to a solo career, and now directs the Silkroad Ensemble, the world-music group founded by Yo-Yo Ma.  But she trained as an opera singer, and her first opera is now premiering at Spoleto USA. - The New York Times

We Need A New Conversation About Music Powered By AI

We begin with the hypothesis that, due to the rate of growth and development of A.I. technology, #resistanceisfutile. Which is to say that computer-composed music is here, and the conversation needs to change. - NewMusicBox

“Sisters With Transistors”: The Female Pioneers Of Electronic Music

Not all of these women are forgotten: Clara Rockmore (the first virtuoso of the theremin) and Pauline Oliveros are remembered, and Wendy Carlos, Eliane Radigue, and Laurie Anderson are still with us.  But there were also Daphne Oram, Delia Derbyshire, Maryanne Amacher, Jacqueline Nova ... - BBC

BIG/Bjarke Ingels Will Design Prague’s New Riverside Concert Hall Complex

The Vltava Philharmonic Hall, which will be the home of the Czech Philharmonic and the FOK Prague Symphony, will have auditoriums of 1,800, 700 and 500 seats (acoustics by Nagata, Yasuhisa Toyota's firm) as well as a major hub for the Czech capital's public library system. - Prague Morning

San Francisco Conservatory of Music Buys The Record Label Pentatone

A year and a half after the school acquired the management agency Opus 3 Artists, it has done the same with Pentatone Music, an audiophile classical-music label launched in the Netherlands in 2001 by execs who left Philips Classics after it was acquired by Universal. - San Francisco Classical Voice

When Ukrainian Music Thrived

“This is an excellent moment to think about why we attach the term ‘greatness’ to Russian, but not Ukrainian, culture. So why do we only know composers who we consider to be ‘great Russian’ composers?” - The New York Times

Wondering About The Orchestra Canon…

Simon Woods: “Redefining the canon” strikes me as a fundamentally pointless endeavor, as it still allows that there is some kind of objective set of values available to us that can help decide what’s in and what’s out at any one time. - Medium

Alex Ross: Why The South Dakota Symphony Is One Of America’s Most Interesting Orchestras

"I’ve experienced very few concerts at which a classical-music organization seemed so integral to its community." - The New Yorker

Saved: Dallas’s Classical Radio Station Will (Probably) Be Taken Over By The Region’s NPR/PBS Affiliate

WRR — at 101, the oldest radio station in Texas — is owned by the City of Dallas, which wants out of the radio business.  Pending City Council approval, WRR's license and operations will be transferred to KERA, which will maintain the station's classical music format and staff. - D Magazine (Dallas)

100+ UK Music Festivals Pledge To Take Tougher Stand On Sexual Violence

One of the key promises is that “all allegations of sexual harassment, assault and violence will be taken seriously, acted upon promptly and investigated”. - The Guardian

How To Buy Music So Musicians Get The Most For It

As a local musician who has put out vinyl (in very limited quantities), I’ve come to realize there are ethics when it comes to buying physical music—it’s best to ensure your favorite musicians are seeing as high a cut from your purchase as possible. - Wired

Finding Asian American Representation In Opera Beyond Butterfly

Nina Yoshida Nelsen took stock of her career after the Atlanta shootings. "She had performed in Giacomo Puccini’s Madama Butterfly more than 150 times, but had been cast in non-Asian roles just three times." Now she's working to change those numbers. - Time

Ukraine Wins Eurovision

In a real shocker that literally everyone predicted, rap/folk Kalush Orchestra won, with a song (originally written for the frontman's mother) that includes lyrics like "I’ll always find my way home, even if the roads are destroyed." - The New York Times

The Eurovision Song Contest Is A Cultural Phenomenon (And This Year Is Unusually So)

The world’s biggest music event, famed for bringing Europe together, is happening during the biggest threat to unity on the European continent since the Second World War: the war in Ukraine. - Toronto Star

What Qualifies As Ukrainian Music?

Before Ukraine gained independence from Russia in 1991, it would have been as natural for a young Prokofiev to head off to Moscow as it might be for a young Angeleno composer to go to New York (a trip that happens to be five times larger than the distance between Kyiv and Moscow). - Los Angeles Times

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