Alex Shustorovich, who built his fortune buying Russian science journals after the collapse of the Soviet Union, is using his newfound control of IMG Artists, a small business known for managing classical musicians, to take on his much larger rival. - Financial Times (MSN)
Not only is he directing, he writes librettos and does translations; in fact, he still hates supertitles and thinks opera should be in the audience's language. He has other strong opinions, too: Arts Council England has "got it in for opera. It hates the art form." - The Telegraph (UK) (Yahoo!)
The Grammys’ handling of the city’s ongoing trauma felt more performative than profound: The fires became a prop and backdrop to the night’s honors, losing the human depth and unimaginable scale of the tragedy in the process. - Los Angeles Times
As Capella Romana was planning concerts in Portland and Seattle, their NEA grant funding was suddenly frozen. Donations have poured in, but the concert, “by bringing together Black and European musical and culture traditions, … may very well raise a warning flag in the new administration." - Oregon ArtsWatch
A truly sickening number of studios, equipment, instruments, and reliquaries of precious artifacts, mementos, and material memories from so many lifetimes in music are now nothing but ash. - Symphony
Without the rigid week-after-week subscription structure of the Philharmonic and other major orchestras, St. Luke’s has the versatility to take on unusual ideas. - The New York Times
Gabriela Ortiz’s Ortiz: Revolucion Diamantina, played by the LA Phil with Gustavo Dudamel as conductor, won a lot of those gold Victrolas. Other winners: Beyoncé, Chappell Roan, Kendrick Lamar, and some surprises. - Los Angeles Times
Remember the Los Angeles fires? “Some weren’t sure the show would go on as planned. The Recording Academy, the organization behind the Grammy Awards, announced last month that the ceremony would carry on and refocus to raise money for relief efforts.” - The New York Times
Case thinks that "if her upbringing had been stable, ‘I would have been a much better musician, because I’d have started earlier – I would have had people backing me up and some sort of safety to experiment.’” - The Guardian (UK)
Both Sashas are exceptional virtuosos. Neither is particularly demonstrative. But Malofeev, now 23, can become a keyboard demon. Kantorow, on the other hand, is more a genius of the genteel. He keeps his cool in a downpour; he keeps his cool with Rachmaninoff. - Los Angeles Times
The relief Mike Reed expressed came, he said, from witnessing Pitchfork stray from his original vision of a curated weekend of independent music, designed for audiences and artists whose tastes don’t fit with more corporate bashes like Lollapalooza and Coachella. - Chicago Sun-Times
Her departure comes less than six months after the abrupt exit of artistic director Jo Davies, the first female artistic director in the history of the company. Davies lasted just 18 months and left after repeated clashes with Allan. - Sydney Morning Herald
That budget gap (the orchestra's fifth in six years) is due to the end of COVID-related financial assistance from the Federal government. Yet earned income (including ticket sales) was a record $11.6 million, up 22% over the previous year. - The Minnesota Star Tribune
Edmond Dédé was born in 1827 to a free Black family of musicians in New Orleans. He settled and made his career in France. In 1887 in Bordeaux, he completed Morgiane, ou Le Sultan d’Ispahan, a full-fledged French grand opera which was never performed — until now. - Early Music America
The venue, designed by Chicago-based JDJ Architects, will be called the Checkout, a nod to the building’s former life as a 7-Eleven, and doubles as part of ACM’s hopes for the establishment. - Chicago Sun-Times
