ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MUSIC

A Young Belarusian Conductor Reports From The Polish-Ukrainian Border

Vitali Alekseenok's had been expecting to spend March and April working in Ukraine, including at the Kharkiv Music Festival, which he directs. Instead, he and his girlfriend drove trucks with supplies from their Berlin home to the border, where they've been helping as translators and drivers. - Van

St. Louis Symphony Plans Makeover And Reconception Of Its Home

The new project, which includes both renovations to the existing structure and a 65,000-square-foot expansion, is focused on accessibility and furthering community connections. - St. Louis Magazine

Did Capitalism Strand Classical Music?

Capitalism first created the space in which such music could flourish, and then took it away, leaving behind a frozen, formalized tradition. - Jacobin

NYU Offers A Class In Taylor Swift 101

In class, they re-examined the time Mr. West, the rapper who recently changed his name to Ye, jumped on stage and interrupted Ms. Swift’s acceptance speech during the 2009 MTV Video Music Awards. - The Wall Street Journal

Ballet-Class Pianists Fess Up

"It's better now.  Back in the day, I might as well have been a radio in the corner." "Sometimes I see a dancer who I think is totally compelling and I mention it to the teacher, who then explains all the things wrong with their technique." - Pointe Magazine

Long Beach Opera Cancels Productions After Director, Two Others Resign

According to the statement, Gedeon was among three staff members who announced plans to resign during a December 2021 board meeting, after expressing concerns about "internal communications, workplace environment and issues of equity and diversity." - Yahoo!

Touring Musicians Press For Assistance

We are migratory birds, and our migration routes have been disrupted. Touring musicians—triply impacted by global venue closures, obstacles to travel and Covid-19 itself—have borne an outsized share of pandemic losses. - The Nation

The Power Of Ukraine Through Music

Similar to the way patriots might brandish the flag of their country in solidarity, Ukrainians in bomb shelters and bombarded cities or citizens living in other countries are wrapping themselves in their national melodies. And the global community is responding in kind. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

Conductor Paavo Järvi Explains Why He Stayed In Moscow To Finish His Gig After The Invasion Of Ukraine Started

"These young people should not and cannot be punished for the barbaric actions of their government," said the Estonian maestro, who was there to conduct the Russian National Youth Symphony Orchestra. "I cannot turn my back on my young colleagues: Musicians are all brothers and sisters." - The New York Times

Trinity Church Wall Street Fires Music Director Julian Wachner

While the church was investigating Wachner — who built Trinity's vocal and instrumental ensembles into major forces in New York's concert life — regarding an alleged 2014 incident, it found that "that Julian has otherwise conducted himself in a manner that is inconsistent with our expectations." - The New York Times

Inspired Performances (Versus Phoning It In)

If your contribution to a project is not absolutely essential and if you are not especially motivated, you can coast and let others carry the load.  But if too many people are “loafing,” it can become infectious and the team (or in this case, the ensemble) suffers. - Nightingale Sonata

Composer Unsuk Chin On Her New Violin Concerto

That is, the one she was determined not to write. Chin says that between her first and second violin concertos, she moved beyond abstractions - "my musical thinking changed a little bit because I became interested in musical personalities." - The New York Times

Music Copyright Laws In Britain Must Change With The Times

The issue in lawsuits: "Determining whether an artist has copied another songwriter is based on two tests. Firstly, whether they are likely to have heard the song before writing their piece, and secondly whether they have substantially lifted a section of it." - The Guardian (UK)

The Ukrainian Bass-Baritone Singing At The Met For More Than Just The Opera

Vladyslav Buialskyi has become a symbol at the Met, but for the 24-year-old in the young artists program, daily life has become "a huge nightmare. ... You wake up each day hoping it’s not real, but it’s still happening." - The New York Times

Trinity Church Conductor Put On Leave During Sexual Misconduct Investigation

Julian Wachner, the high-profile director of music at Trinity Wall Street, "one of New York’s wealthiest and most powerful churches," has been placed on leave after accusations of a 2014 sexual assault surfaced on social media. - The New York Times

Our Free Newsletter

Join our 30,000 subscribers

Latest

Don't Miss

function my_excerpt_length($length){ return 200; } add_filter('excerpt_length', 'my_excerpt_length');