Dominique Meyer, considered a good manager of the notoriously difficult Milan opera house, has been denied a second term by Italy's nationalist government, which wants Italians in such positions, and his age (69) makes him legally ineligible for similar jobs at home in France. - AP
Fast forward to 2024, one Brexit vote and a global pandemic later, and opera companies are facing relentless budget cuts and declining public popularity. The ripple effects are widespread geographically, affecting both the centre and periphery of different UK regions. - The Conversation
In the States, unions are very strong and rigorous, and they protect their members until they retire. I found the British scene to be more flexible and accommodating when it comes to artistic matters. Musicians never mind staying an extra five minutes and they never go home right away when the rehearsal is over. - Gramophone
Not if the Bury historical mavens have anything to do with it. No blue plaque for the punk rock band is their unanimous decision. One punk fan says, "It’s actually an even better response that they have said 'no' – I think anyone involved in punk would absolutely love that.” - BBC
“In its heyday, the Barton Opus was able to recreate the sounds of many instruments, including strings, flutes and tubas. ... It also contained real percussion instruments such as a piano, xylophone, glockenspiel, cymbals and drums and could produce sound effects including steamboat and bird whistles.” - AP
Most of the bells in the towers of Spain's churches had been mechanized in the 1970s and '80s, and the machinery is now deteriorating. So one master in Catalonia is teaching younger people the old chiming sequences, what each one is meant to communicate, and how to execute them. - AP
In L.A., Chan’s appearances at Walt Disney Concert Hall have already proved notable. Last year, she got her 15 minutes of unwanted viral fame from her performance of Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony with the L.A. Phil, when a member of the audience had an audible incident that some attributed to an orgasm. - Los Angeles Times
The closest the festival circuit has to a trade body – the Association of Independent Festivals (AIF) – lists 50 festivals as cancelled, postponed or closed this year. It expects the end-of-year total to be 100. This is part of a wider, and worrying, UK trend. - The Conversation
His departure comes as the orchestra’s musicians and the administration are in the midst of heated talks over a new labor contract; the current agreement expires in September. The musicians have been seeking large wage increases. - The New York Times
At the turn of the 20th century, he gifted six concert halls to different Steel City suburbs. The musical halls were built with uniformly excellent acoustics, each a historical gem in its own right. Perhaps the grandest symbol of opulence: most had functioning pipe organs, also called the “king of musical instruments." - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
Combined with the app’s 2023 revamp, which added a TikTok-like discovery feed, artist profiles where creators can hawk merchandise and concert tickets, as well as the ability to post to stories, Spotify’s app is shaping up to be a social network centered around all things audio, not just a music-streaming app. - TechCrunch
The 73-year-old Hungarian conductor, founder and director of the Budapest Festival Orchestra, succeeds Vasily Petrenko, who has just completed a ten-year term. Fischer begins his tenure with this summer's EUYO residency at the Grafenegg Festival in Austria, followed by a tour to Carnegie Hall. - OperaWire
These novel approaches have allowed this maverick company to chart an enviable path in the US arts scene as a small-to-medium outfit that punches well above its weight, especially when it comes to artist diversity and audience reach. - ArtsHub
The rule clarifies that songwriters are entitled to collect mechanical royalties generated from streaming platforms like Spotify, Apple, and Amazon after their termination rights have been invoked (i.e., when they reclaim their rights from another party, in this case, a music publisher). - Music Business Worldwide
The Brazilian cellist has been diagnosed with glioblastoma multiforme, the same cancer that struck conductor Michael Tilson Thomas in 2022. Meneses has withdrawn from all his concert and teaching engagements and is reportedly receiving palliative care in Switzerland. - The Strad
