“One thing that could help turn things around is if opera companies offered audiences works in the language they speak (and) a musical language they can readily recognize and enjoy. … Too often composers and producers reject music that audiences can easily appreciate as insufficiently sophisticated or original.” - The New York Times
“The BLO has been something of a nomad after ending its relationship with the Shubert Theatre a decade ago. ... While the company steadily performs at historic Boston venues like the Emerson Colonial, preparing for their big productions has scattered the company around the city, and beyond, for years” — until now. - WBUR (Boston)
“An Austrian pianist who turns 68 on Monday, Hinterhäuser became artistic director on Oct. 1, 2016. The festival announced in April 2024 that he had been given a third five-year term from 2026-31, but his relationship with management became strained.” - AP
“The study sessions were first organized during the COVID-19 pandemic by Entree, the youth association of (Amsterdam’s) Concertgebouw, to help students improve their concentration and introduce them to the charms of classical music. They have been a hit ever since.” - AP
All we have to do is keep kids and families watching Bluey, and they will playfully and profoundly enjoy more classical tunes than the children of almost any previous generation. - The Guardian
The Supreme Court unanimously ruled on Wednesday that internet provider Cox Communications cannot be held liable for music piracy from its users. - The Hollywood Reporter
Second flutist Emma Gerstein didn’t want to miss Klaus Mäkelä’s first tour with the CSO, which was to the East Coast last month. Neither did she want to stop nursing her ten-month-old, Ronan. So he came along with his mom, who kept a diary about the experience. - WBEZ (Chicago)
It is difficult to appreciate the toll of being on the road for days, weeks, and sometimes months on end, playing program after program and often dealing with social and media commitments in addition. - Nightingale Sonata
Puccini died without finishing the opera, and the standard completion by Franco Alfano is widely considered unsatisfactory. Not to mention, of course, that the opera is an Orientalist fantasy. So Washington National Opera commissioned a new completion (plus editing of the original libretto) by two Asian-American artists. - The New York Times
Yes, even if you’re not great at it (yet). "Make it up as you go along. If nobody else wants to sing, you sing. Be a zealot about keeping your instrument in tune but nothing else. Force yourself to write one new song a week.” - The New York Times
“Music wasn't something that was going to be a long-term thing. ‘I remember distinctly begging my mom for X amount of dollars to buy a certain drum kit and I was like, 'Mom, I'm not going to be in a rock band when I'm 30.’” - CBC
In just one example, "as the American composer Adrian Younge says: ‘Alice Coltrane took the harp, an instrument of angels and orchestras, and made it sound like the cosmos breathing.’” - The Guardian (UK)
“This new age of protest songs also call out politicians and administrations by name with hyper-specific lyrics, and they're often shared online within days of a big news event. .. That responsiveness and ‘clever’ lyricism likely also helps the songs resonate on social media.” - CBC
“WMG is home to some of today’s biggest stars including Dua Lipa, Ed Sheeran, Bruno Mars, Charli XCX and Zach Bryan, along with longtime stalwarts including Madonna, Neil Young, Led Zeppelin, Joni Mitchell and many more.” - The Hollywood Reporter
