Oh hello! It's me, your delinquent blogger friend! It's been rough-going this month, with Sondra in Tosca, Helene's new CD, and the Chamber Music America conference coming up in the new year. I break my silence, though, to tell you about how a "well-publicized" Hallelujah Chorus performance resulted in the evacuation of a California mall. From CNN:The Sacramento Choral Society was holding what police called a "well-publicized" event to sing the "Hallelujah Chorus" in the mall's food court, scheduled for 7:30 p.m."Come join our large Chorus of … [Read more...]
Classical Musician on Mainstream TV ALERT
Tonight, you should all tune in to see trumpeter (-ess?) Alison Balsom perform on the Late Show with David Letterman. Rumor has it Dave *heard her on the radio* and insisted she come on the show. Classical radio stations of America, take heart! People are listening! This also means he didn't know she was blonde and thin when she was booked, so take that, haters.Alison will play Marcello Concerto for Oboe in C Minor, which is the sixth track on her latest album.So we all need to watch tonight so ratings are high and late night shows start … [Read more...]
Grey M&Ms
In a recent episode of Family Guy, Brian, the talking family dog, writes a best-selling inspirational novel in three hours after his for-serious novel flops. Stewie, the talking family baby (who, of the family members, only Brian can hear), becomes his publicist. I don't know how long the episode is going to be on Hulu, but it's really worth your time. Here is the link, and the first Stewie-as-publicist is at 5:48. Stewie gets Brian on Real Time with Bill Maher, with Bill Maher, Adrianna Huffington and Dana Gould at minute 14:47. "Oooo I said … [Read more...]
A job maybe for you
Friends of Life's a Pitch Kirshbaum Demler & Associates, Inc. are looking for a new associate! Here is their website, and here is the job description:Position Title: Public Relations Associate, Kirshbaum Demler & Associates, Inc. Responsibilities:Coordinate publicity efforts and media pitches, including web based media outlets. Preparation of pitch letters, biographical materials and press releases. Working knowledge of Dreamweaver, Photoshop and E-news - or similar such experience required. … [Read more...]
Pick *me*. Choose *me*. Love *me*.
According to New York Magazine's Vulture blog, Grey's Anatomy creator and ~Dartmouth alumnus~ Shonda Rhimes is creating a series for ABC inspired by PR mega-consultant Judy Smith, whose clients have included Bill Clinton, Michael Vick and David Paterson. From the Vulture post:Per the logline we've heard, the currently untitled project (which some development trackers had been calling In Crisis) will revolve around the life and work of a professional fixer and her dysfunctional staff. Rhimes is writing the script for the pilot and will executive … [Read more...]
Organ(ized)
For about two years now, I've been asking my friend Paul Jacobs to do an interview for this blog about the seemingly impossible job of making the organ accessible to The Masses. No, not those who attend masses, ahem, but the great unwashed masses themselves. I am a delinquent, though, and have not sent him questions lo, these two years. Tomorrow night, Paul plays the first concert on the newly restored Alice Tully organ, which it was originally feared might not be returned to the hall. This concert is part of Lincoln Center's White Light … [Read more...]
Position to phil
Attention aspiring classical music publicists of the world! There's an opening in the communications department of our friendly neighborhood New York Philharmonic. Position Title: Communications AssistantClassification: Non-Exempt Department: CommunicationsReports To: Director, Public & Media RelationsSupervises: Not Applicable ResponsibilitiesProvide general support to Communications staff including specific responsibilities for … [Read more...]
But as a boyfriend, you kinda suck.
American Ballet Theatre Principals (and couple) Ethan Stiefel and Gillian Murphy will appear on Gossip Girl this Monday, November 8th. They will play themselves at a fake ballet gala that I saw them filming at the David H. Koch theater. Ethan Stiefel previously starred in everyone's favorite ballet movie that's not The Red Shoes or The Turning Point, Center Stage. Here's a little something to tide you over until Monday: This reminds me that we all need to brave the bedbugs in movie theaters and see the upcoming Black Swan, because the movie's … [Read more...]
Have you ever looked at a monkey?
A year or so ago, I remember going on the CNN homepage and seeing a video of a 40-pound cat being rescued. I thought to myself, if this makes the homepage of CNN, why do I want my artists to be featured on these mainstream outlets so desperately? The obese animal is Helene's competition for digital column inches? I felt a similar sensation when OperaChic sent this gem of media over this afternoon. Are You There God? It's Me, Amanda. Why Do I Pitch Stories To These People? In equally disconcerting news in the news, it was bound to happen, … [Read more...]
This Age Without Last Words
There's a line...maybe it's from Newsies...or Roman Holiday...about how today's headlines will line tomorrow's kitty litter bins. Today, newspapers and magazines that remove articles from their sites after a certain date are rare; the Philadelphia Inquirer is a notable offender. When a feature or review in a newspaper would never been seen or heard from again except in a press kit or on a quote sheet, I assume that a reader's inclination to voice their own opinions existed in a diluted form. A letter to the editor could be written, a correction … [Read more...]
File Under: “??????????”
Allow me to set the scene. Last Thursday, violinist Anne Akiko Meyers paid the world-record price of $3,600,000 for a 1697 Stradivarius violin known as "The Molitor". The instrument was sold online by Tarisio Auctions. Please note that the last thing yours truly bought on the interwebz was a $50 David Byrne print from the wonderful site 20x200. "The Molitor" is believed to have been owned by, wait for it, Napoleon. Yeah, that Napoleon. Bonaparte (comma) Napoleon. In Bizarre News of Today, a friend forwarded me an e mail saying that Meyers … [Read more...]
Birds of a feather
It seems my twice summer intern Emmy has found the perfect counterpoint to the Maestro Jonathan video below. I think publicizing a double bill (double ~beak~?) of the two of them is my True Calling. I would be so unstoppable if I brought that bird out with me. And no, I will not make a "wingman" joke __here__. … [Read more...]
In which I am indirectly schooled by a 3-year-old I don’t know
Not one hour and twenty minutes after I sent out a press release about Polish conductor Krzysztof Urbański being appointed as the next music director of the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra, did my friend Cage send me this:I particularly like minute 1:41, when Jonathan begins the ever-popular Flashdance jog-in-place technique, utilized with the greatest precision by the world's greatest maestros. Krzysztof turned 28 on Sunday, making him the youngest music director in the country. I thought I had that story locked down until I saw our friend … [Read more...]
In which we learn that there is such thing as bad publicity
Now that Eric is the toast of (the) New York(er) and Hilary has been on PBS, I feel I can spend some time on more important matters, namely the bedbug infestations at the David H. Koch Theater (New York City Ballet, City Opera) and the Metropolitan Opera House. Via Gothamist today:Yesterday news broke that classy bedbugs with a craving for blue blood had infiltrated a dressing room at Lincoln Center's David H. Koch Theater, which is used by the New York City Ballet. Well hold onto your monocles, people: Not content with the gossamer blood of … [Read more...]