MUSIC

The Kansas City Symphony Wants To Add A New, Separate, Non-Classical Performance Space

Why? "The possibility of generating year-round sustaining revenue for an orchestra.” - KC Studio

As Nearly All Musicians Pull Out, The President Wants To Cancel His ‘Freedom 250’ Celebration

He’s also said he wants to headline it himself. But “a senior administration official described the rollout of the concerts as ‘a mess’ and suggested that someone would most likely be fired over how the invitations to the event had been handled.” - The New York Times

Dealing With Sudden Pop Fame By Exiting The Game Almost Entirely

Kim Petras was not happy with her experience of “what can happen when the general corporate powers that be force you to sideline your artistry for the company line.” So, she left. - The Fader

How Allen Toussaint, Post-Katrina, Found Himself Onstage At Joe’s Pub

Slowly, in front of star-studded crowds that included the rockers Elvis Costello, Bonnie Raitt and Boz Scaggs, Toussaint reinvented himself. - The New York Times

Is Melbourne, Australia, The Vinyl Capital Of The World?

Probably it’s Tokyo - Australian record shops go on record-buying trips there to prop up their own inventory - but there is the new statistic that says "Melbourne has the most vinyl record stores per capita in the world (5.9 stores per 100,000 residents).” - The Guardian (UK)

Summing Up Dudamel’s Time With The LA Philharmonic

Unlike his immediate predecessor, Esa-Pekka Salonen, who also served as the Philharmonic’s music director for 17 seasons, Mr. Dudamel seems not to have matured on the podium. - The Wall Street Journal

Science: Yes, Pianists Can Control Sound By Their Touch

Their findings, published in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences (PNAS), suggest that the subtle motions of a pianist's fingers and hands influence how listeners perceive qualities such as brightness, heaviness, and clarity in musical notes. - Science Daily

Trump Camp Announces Summer Pop Concert Series On National Mall. Stars Promptly Start Withdrawing.

“A day after the President Donald Trump -affiliated Freedom 250 announced the ‘first wave’ of performers for ‘The Great American State Fair’ shows on Washington’s National Mall in June and July, the lineup has been hit with a wave of cancellations.” - AP

Opera Is Being Reinvented In The Australian Outback

Song has always been a part of storytelling in our country. And perhaps, in remote towns, opera finally sheds the elitism that has followed it for decades. Out there, it becomes what it was always meant to be: a connection between people and place. - ArtsHub

Seattle Symphony Appoints New CEO

Jeremy Rothman, who for 18 seasons has been artistic administrator at the Philadelphia Orchestra, will begin in Seattle as of September 1. He succeeds Krishna Thiagarajan, who departed last year after a stormy tenure. - The Seattle Times

Miles Davis’ “Kind Of Blue” Is The Best-Selling Jazz Album Of All Time. He Thought It Was A Failure

When I tell people that I missed what I was trying to do on Kind of Blue, that I missed getting the exact sound of the African finger piano up in that sound, they just look at me like I’m crazy. - The Conversation

Spotify: Our AI Pivot Is Better Than Slop

Spotify’s chief executive has defended the company’s move into AI-generated music, claiming it offers users and creators a better alternative to piracy and unregulated AI slop. - The Guardian

Opera Australia Has Turned Its Troubled Finances Around

After posting an operating loss of $10.6 million (US$7.6 million) in 2024, the company — boosted by a 29% increase in ticket sales — posted a small net operating deficit and, after a contribution from the Opera Australia Capital Fund, broke even for 2025. - Limelight (Australia)

Since It Gave Up Government Funding, Finances At London’s Wigmore Hall Are Stronger Than Ever

The city's most respected chamber music venue has seen a 25% increase year-on-year in ticket sales since it left the funding portfolio of Arts Council England, artistic director John Gilhooly said. - The Stage

L.A. Phil’s Next Music Director: Daniel Harding

The 50-year-old British conductor and part-time Air France pilot is currently chief conductor at Rome’s Accademia Nazionale di Santa Cecilia and has held similar positions at the Orchestre de Paris, Swedish Radio Symphony, and Mahler Chamber Orchestra. He begins his initial six-year term in 2027. - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)

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