Black country singers and journalists are being called racial slurs by fans and openly LGBTQ+ performers are having to back out of performances. - The Guardian
"In general, Noseda is a servant of the ‘big idea’ – overarching themes that unify a series of concerts, galvanise audiences, empower musicians and attract donors." - Gramophone
For decades hip-hop artists have used their power as popular culture stars to influence the political sphere. As academics have begun to take notice of the power of hip-hop to inspire youth and impact social change, more and more research on the history and power of hip-hop has developed. - The Conversation
Like the 45-day budget bill passed by the U.S. Congress the day before, this new contract seems likely to serve as little more than a stopgap designed to tide both parties over toward a more decisive reckoning. - San Francisco Chronicle
These “time-tested and great operas” that you tout in your letter are rife with misogyny, violence, racism and casual pedophilia. You say you are “happy to broadcast” them, but I suggest you think again. Just because they’re calling someone a whore in Italian doesn’t mean it’s any less offensive. - Current
Following the successful launch of Spotify’s AI-powered DJ feature and, more recently, added support for AI-translated podcasts, Spotify now appears to be developing another means of using AI in its app: AI-powered playlists. - TechCrunch
"A union official said that it would seek continued intervention by a federal mediator and continue negotiations, but that a strike was possible. In all, the vote was 81-8 as members of Philadelphia Musician’s Union Local 77 voted against the contract." - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)
Summer festivals now face a balancing act between creative imagination and fiscal conservatism in the wake of a Covid wipeout that dispelled the older audience. If festivals are to survive, they will need to invent a twenty-first century purpose. - The Critic
The new contract mandates a minimum weekly salary of $3,313 ($172,276 annually), rising by the end of the term to $3,450 ($179,400). - San Francisco Chronicle
Breaking into tears on the phone, Deborah Proctor said: "I have a moral decision to make here. What if one child hears this? When I stand before Jesus Christ on Judgement Day, what am I going to say?" - NPR
That's right, never before have any of us heard "Every morning I greet thee" in the actor's own voice, despite intense vocal training before Sound of Music. - The Guardian (UK)
"Thielemann's personal canon consists of a handful of German-speaking composers, mostly from the mid-19th to the early-20th centuries, all of whose music benefited massively from the invention of the volume knob. It's not just that we can’t expect Saariaho from Thielemann; even non-German composers like Janáček and Debussy … seem a stretch." - Van
