A growing body of research suggests classical music can offer measurable benefits to athletes: helping regulate nerves, boost balance, reduce perceived effort, and even foster team cohesion. - Classic FM
The pernambuco tree grows only in small areas along Brazil’s Atlantic coast north of Rio de Janeiro state; the tree is endangered, and attempts to grow it on plantations have so far failed. As authorities consider increasing protective measures and restrictions on selling pernambuco wood, string players and luthiers are unsettled. - Bachtrack
No Leopold Stokowski could exist today, in the face of prying social media. Notwithstanding his glamorous marriage to Gloria Vanderbilt and an affair with Greta Garbo, he needed to be unknown. - The Wall Street Journal
Williams’s classical output includes a symphony, chamber music and concertos for a dozen instruments (including flute, violin, cello and bassoon). And yet, Williams said, he never wanted to write one for his “friend,” the piano, because “I just thought it was impossible.” - The New York Times
Inspired by the preservationist John Muir, Noack started the project as a way of getting closer to nature, and bringing classical music to rural areas where it is not typically accessible. The idea, Noack said, is to remove the barriers that typically limit classical music to concert venues like Carnegie Hall. - The New York Times
Reviews suggest they have dressed up some footage from Elvis’s 1968 comeback TV special and built a show around it (which includes visits to three separate themed bars selling expensive drinks). - The Guardian
Don’t waste time perusing photos their mom posted on Facebook nine years ago. If you want to get to know someone—and I mean really know them—there is no profile more intimate than one created on the music-streaming platform. - The Walrus
His family’s company, Kühne + Nagel, is one of the world’s largest logistics firms, and collaborated with the Nazi regime to transport goods stolen from Jews during World War II. - The New York Times
Before its opening night, Teatro Nuovo spends the summer immersing its training singers — both hired professionals and annual resident artists — in bel canto style for its four performances. - The New York Times
The bill would change the rules of evidence for federal courtrooms, making song lyrics inadmissible unless prosecutors can meet strict criteria, such as showing that the lyrics were meant to be taken literally. - Music Business Worldwide
Encore Series, the parent organization of the now-defunct incarnation of the Pops, said it “wants to make clear that POKC did nothing wrong and is not responsible for Encore’s debts or obligations … (and) regrets that the lawsuit and related statements … led to unwarranted accusations directed to POKC and its leadership.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
People in chilly church towers pulling on ropes attached to sets of thousand-pound bells — that's usually considered (by those who even know the practice exists) a pastime for geeky Brits. But there are some 50 towers in the U.S. and Canada where devoted change ringers keep the "mathy-musical sport" alive. - Early Music America
Swift is increasingly taken seriously in the halls of academia. A number of universities offer courses dedicated to Swift, but typically not to her music as such: rather, many of these courses take a literary approach to her songs or a broadly sociological approach to her as a pop culture phenomenon. - The Conversation
The donor: 88-year-old Klaus-Michael Kühne. His family’s company, Kühne + Nagel, is one of the world’s largest logistics firms, and collaborated with the Nazi regime to transport goods stolen from Jews during World War II. So the project has become controversial, with some accusing Kühne of “artwashing” his family legacy. - The New York Times
UMG and Bill Ackman’s Pershing Square have an agreement that Pershing Square can request UMG to list in the U.S. if it sells at least $500 million in stock as part of the offering. - The Wall Street Journal
