For the past several decades, Greg Sikora has tuned and voiced pianos for the biggest musical artists to play this region, from Frank Sinatra to Lady Gaga and everyone in between. He also served as the chief concert piano technician for the Philadelphia Orchestra for many years. - Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
Parker Ramsay: “Could you conceive of a world in which a harp work occupies your attention like an opera or a violin concerto? That might be a stretch, but I’ve been able to commission music that makes me think it’s possible.” - The New York Times
Like every other sector of cultural life, classical music has been roiled over the past decade by intense debates about the field’s ongoing lack of diversity, among performing artists, composers, and leaders of musical organizations. - The Atlantic
While music discovery used to be a social event, now most of us cower to simply accepting whatever the Spotify algorithm feeds us. While there is convenience in turning off our brains and mindlessly listening to an AI-generated lo-fi beats playlist, there are real world negative consequences for both the artists and listeners. - SoundGuys
As a classically trained flutist, I expected to feel unmoored without structure. But improvisation has made space for a freedom I didn’t know I needed: timelessness. - Washington Post
The Los Angeles Philharmonic led the charge into their first Coachella performance on Saturday with the "Ride of the Valkyries," helmed by Venezuelan conductor Gustavo Dudamel, in his latest move to reach out to new audiences. - Reuters
Hania Rani, 34, has become a shooting star in a genre of pop-inflected minimalist music often referred to as neoclassical, or alt-classical... “It’s not being composed to help people relax,” she said in a recent interview. “The music might be slow — not so loud, not upbeat — but it’s actually intense.” - The New York Times
The world of the all-controlling label is changing, and Atlantic Records—historically among the top three labels—has struggled to launch hot new global superstars. Atlantic’s market share in new music more than halved last year from 2019. Its parent Warner’s share price was down around 40 percent from its 2021 peak. - The Wall Street Journal
Signs of financial catastrophe are on the horizon. Gelb has twice dug into the Met’s anemic endowment, withdrawing up to $70 million out of a total of $340 million to meet operating costs, while slashing the number of performances. - City Journal
“On Saturday evening, the Phil (is) finally playing ... the Coachella Valley Music and Arts Festival. For Dudamel, 44, who arrived in L.A. 17 years ago to lead the Phil, playing Coachella was ‘a dream, ever since I started here.’” - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
"The players — the associate principal trumpet, Matthew Muckey, and the principal oboist, Liang Wang — … filed amended complaints against the orchestra on Thursday that assert they were wrongfully dismissed and that an inquiry by the ensemble had been biased against them.” - The New York Times
“The Fillmore Jazz Festival has been saved days after organizers decided to cancel the annual event thanks to a nonprofit organization helmed by San Francisco crypto billionaire Chris Larsen.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
A team of artists and neuroscientists took white blood cells donated by the composer (who cooperated with the project), reprogrammed them to be stem cells, grew cerebral organoids (clusters of neurons that mimic the human brain) and used customized technology to render the organoids’ neural signals into music. - The Guardian
At the emotional core of “The Last Repair Shop” are the stories of the dedicated technicians and the students who benefit from the free instruments. The message: Music education has the power to transform lives. - Los Angeles Times
It quickly garnered a reputation as a hub for sexual content, given that it gave adult performers and sex workers the ability to create and upload content on their own terms, or at least without a production studio as the middleman. The platform takes a 20% cut and the rest goes to the creator. - NPR
