Archives for 2016

In an earlier post, I talked about the League of American Orchestra national conference, which I was at last week, for one of its three days. The subject of the conferernce, as I said, was diversity. I went to one panel discussion of that, in which the thoughtful panelists happily got much input from the audience. Everyone — do I need to say that these were mostly people who were white? — seemed very sincere. Searching their souls. Saying that they should change. I honor that. And likewise I honor a theme that emerged, which was that we … [Read more...]

So on Friday I zipped down from DC to Baltimore to attend the League of American Orchestras conference. Whose theme this year was diversity, aka “The Richness of Difference.” A three-day conference; I was there for only one day, so of can’t know everything that went on. But one thing I’m sure of. Symphony orchestras — or just about any major classical music institution — can’t match the diversity impact of Hamilton, which (not exactly to anyone’s surprise) just won the Tony award. And demonstrated so powerfully the richness of difference, … [Read more...]

In this post: I’ll be at the League conference. My thoughts on the conference theme, diversity. classical music institutions don’t do enough planning, when they look for a new audience. I’ll be at the League of American Orchestras conference tomorrow, Friday, June 10. Not speaking or presenting anything. Just hanging out. If you spot me, say hello! I love meeting people at these events. And of course I should have put this on the blog a little earlier! Conference theme The theme of the conference is diversity. I did a post … [Read more...]

I’ve read some things about what Yannick might do as the Met’s music director, when finally he starts that job. (Can’t stop myself from calling the guy what the Philly Orchestra calls him, though I’ve never met him, and couldn't in my wildest dreams imagine that I'd write about Muti and call him “Riccardo.” The power of marketing for a new era!) In some of what I’ve read, there seems to be an assumption that Yannick will have a lot of power. But I wonder. In most US orchestras, the big ones, anyway, the music director has a more restricted … [Read more...]

in this post: Why diversity means more than simply selling tickets to diverse people. And why that might be impossible to do. And then - most happily - a bigger, more productive way to get diversity. This is something I can help you with as a consultant. Go here to learn about my consulting work. Conversation with a friend who runs an important classical music organization. How can they get more diversity, something funders like? Maybe not the right way What seems to be the simplest answer: Sell tickets to more kinds of people. This group … [Read more...]

In my recent posts, I’ve noted a lack of real physicality in most opera stagings, which — to cite just one problem it causes — can lead to violent moments not looking violent. Which then makes opera look implausible on stage, unable to do what any action movie, even a bad one, manages with ease. Which then, I think, undermines any claims we make that opera is great art. No acting training needed And in my last post, I said this problem could easily be fixed. Even without opera singers getting much better training as actors than they … [Read more...]

Implausible things in opera staging, things any TV show gets right, things that can mar even opera productions that, overall, are quite good — that was the subject of my previous post. This weakens us, I said, If stage action isn’t plausible, people who come to opera from the outside will be turned off, will think we’re incapable, and very likely think our claim to be great art doesn’t quite track. If we can’t do the simple things, how can we claim to do big things? I was talking primarily of physical action on stage that’s not remotely … [Read more...]

Finally saw Twilight of the Gods, the conclusion of the DC Ring. After being sick for the first performance of it. And most of it was as powerful as the best of what had gone before. One of many stage pictures that stays with me: The Rhinemaidens, at the start of Act 3, trying to clean debris from what’s left of the river, picking up debris, discarded bottles and the like, putting it in garbage bags. Or trying to do all that. Too much debris to cope with. Makes so much sense. If the world is despoiled, after Alberich renounces love (a … [Read more...]

I’ll interrupt my posts about the DC Ring, and some of its implications for the future of classical music. Because I want to tell you something special for me — that video of my April 14 concert — my reemenrgence into the world as a composer — is now online. Jim Robeson, the fine videographer who made the videos, used six cameras, and made an aborbing video production out of the event, more than just a simple document of it. That took awhile. So more than a month after the event, here we go. A video of thee complete concert, including my … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar) Reactions of outsiders to the DC Ring, which I raved about in my last post. By “outsiders” I mean three people outside classical music, three people who all happen to be arts professionals, in different ways, but who don’t normally go to hear classical music. And certainly not Wagner. Each saw just one of the Ring operas. One loved it; don’t know specifics beyond that. Another saw Rhinegold (the DC Ring used the English names of the operas, though they were sung in German). She thought it was silly — … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar] I got chills at the end of The Rhinegold (as they called it at the Washington National Opera Ring, though they did the cycle in German). And I cried at the end of The Valkyrie. That’s one way to measure the power of this production, conceived and directed by Francesca Zambello, conducted by Phillipe Augin. Begun a decade ago, shelved for lack of funds, staged complete in San Francisco (with a different conductor), and now done complete in DC. This is also a way to measure the power of the work itself. So … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar] We live in such a varied culture. Hard for anyone to keep track of more than a small part of it. But sometimes something comes along that you just can’t miss, and don’t want to… If you’ve been living in our wider culture, you know why I’d be blogging now about Beyoncé. I’ll get to her in a bit. But first something I’ve been pondering for a while. How will we know when classical music is back? How can we tell that it’s roaring back into the center of our cultural world, taking the place we’d like it to have? One … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar] So surprising that he’s gone. Or maybe not a surprise — he was so otherworldly. Don’t think I’ve ever known of another musician with such prodigious gifts. Wrote unforgettable hits, and also album tracks that go deep. Not that some of the hits don’t! Wrote music and lyrics, of course. Played all the instruments on many of his records. Sang with such pointed, impish seduction. (To cite only one thing in his singing — “Slow Love,” “If I Was Your Girlfriend,”) His music Created an amazing amoung of music. … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar] My concert, last Thursday. My reemergence as a composer. So great a success, more than I ever could have dreamed. So much so that after all the work, all the emotion about coming out of my composing shell after so many years, all the production details, all the promotion I did, all the many details of both the event and my music…after all of this, I had to take some time off, some time when I didn’t think about it, just to get myself on even keel again. I can measure the success with three kinds of audience. … [Read more...]

[contextly_auto_sidebar] My concert — my reemergence as a composer — is just one week away. April 14. 7:30 PM at the Mansion, the warm and intimate performance space at Strathmore, the big performing arts center outside Washington, DC. For those in the area, get tickets here. Some still available! I’ve been in a whirlwind, preparing for this. I’m composer, producer, promoter, music director. The guy in charge of rehearsals, and printing a program booklet (I need one bigger than Strathmore provides). Arranging a video recording. FIguring … [Read more...]