A Safeway in San Francisco has been playing classical music from a speaker in a parking lot security tower for months in order to deter loitering. For some reason the company hasn't explained, the volume was turned as high as possible last weekend, drawing countless complaints. - MSN (San Francisco Chronicle)
She first conducted the orchestra, based in Katowice, a bit over two years ago; since then, she's led them in 15 concerts at home and a tour of Japan. Her term officially begins with this coming season, and she'll continue as chief conductor of the Vienna Radio Symphony Orchestra. - Gramophone
Commissioned by the League, the report covers the ten-year period from the 2013-14 season through the 2022-23 season and presents analyses by orchestra role and demographic group, building upon the League’s landmark 2016 demographic study. - League of American Orchestras
“Traditionally orchestras either say, ‘Come to us, we’re wonderful,’ or they go out into communities and say, ‘Hey, listen to us.’ We were very intentional that we were going to go to communities and ask, ‘What do you need from us?’” - The New York Times
"It will mark a new era for the (Royal Opera House) at a critical time, amid an arts education crisis, government funding threats and the ongoing 'culture wars'." Scappucci, who hosts a popular TV show in Italy, assumes the role in 2025, alongside music director Jakub Hrůša. - The Observer (UK)
After a Grammy-winning 16-year tenure, the Costa Rican conductor will finish his term as full-time music director, but he will lead the orchestra part-time as music director laureate for the following two seasons, pending the arrival of his successor. - Nashville Scene
Questioning is built into the classical music tradition; and interpreting this complex music that we have inherited means negotiating between the preoccupations of the past and the present so that we can discover more about ourselves. - The New York Times
In the streaming era, regional Mexican music has become increasingly popular beyond those borders, thanks to a new generation of artists eager to collaborate across genres. But it’s never really had a global star. - Washington Post
"The show’s clever sound design, combined with composer Nicholas Britell’s gleefully dark score, reflects a level of emotional sophistication that is unrivaled on television." - Fast Company
The harsh crackdown on comedy is bad enough, but now it's getting bad for musicians as well. "The problem is that those making the decisions here are keen to be seen to be imposing the Party's will more enthusiastically than rival bureaucrats." - BBC
Jon Mirsalis says, "If you see a title on the screen, there are probably 30 different ways you can read the title. With the music it becomes a different experience, a different art form. The marriage of music and film can be very powerful." - Washington Post
And they're all women. Director Maggie Contreras: "When you asked me as a kid what I wanted to be when I grew up, John Williams was my answer. I would wave the wooden spoon wanting to be him. I didn’t have a Marin Alsop to name." - The New York Times
Rafael Viñoly was at a dinner party with Martha Argerich and Daniel Barenboim, who complained about the challenges of a standard keyboard for someone with a small reach. Viñoly asked if a curved keyboard would be better; they said, "sure, try it" — so he designed one. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
The recordings of joint concerts with Eric Dolphy at New York's Village Vanguard were stumbled on by a Bob Dylan researcher. They've now been remastered and will be released in June on a 2-CD set. - NPR
From out-of-body experiences to entering a dream-like state, Swift's fans - or Swifties as they prefer to be known - have taken to social media in recent days to reveal their guilt at not being able to remember key moments from the Eras tour. - BBC
