When asked whether the fact that the last two Proms festivals in Britain have each featured only eight female conductors — compared with well over 40 males — meant progress had stalled, Alsop replied: “Stalled, that could define the quest for gender equality throughout history.” - The Times
“Woman With Eyes Closed was commissioned, completed ahead of deadline, cast and workshopped when the 2020 lockdown canceled Opera Philadelphia’s premiere. The (piece) was dropped again when the ailing company’s 2024 fall festival was put on hold.” The opera finally premieres this weekend — in Pittsburgh. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
“The understudy has landed the starring role. Ryan Fleur, after twice serving as interim leader, has been named president and CEO of the Philadelphia Orchestra and Ensemble Arts, the group announced Wednesday.” - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
I’m inclined to agree with Adorno on at least some of this. I am allergic to the suggestion that music needs to be attached to claims about something else to be worthwhile – be that its ability to make money, or aid focus (and productivity), or to optimise health. Can’t it just be for its own sake? - The...
Jacksonville University will cut music and theater programs from its curriculum in a reorganization that will affect about 100 students and cost 40 faculty members their jobs. The cuts, an effort to save $10 million, are intended to align the university’s courses with the needs of today’s working world. - Jax Today
“The annual Kronos Festival … introduces the Bay Area to the quartet’s latest incarnation, with violist Ayane Kozasa and violinist Gabriela Díaz taking over chairs held, respectively, by Hank Dutt and John Sherba for more than four decades.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
With a team that included Raj Patel, the acoustician who worked on the auditorium, Ney assembled a trio of pianos to choose from, all Model D Steinways but with distinct sounds based on when they were made and where. - The New York Times
“With many opera companies in a doom loop of shrinkage caused by rising costs and stagnant (or worse) earnings, Houston has proved an exception. Driven by creative leadership and generous donors, its programming budget has risen steadily, (as has) its endowment.” - The New York Times
“This month, Virginia Opera and Richmond Symphony will present the world premiere of composer Damien Geter and librettist Jessica Murphy Moo’s Loving v. Virginia, an operatic retelling of the events leading to the landmark 1967 Supreme Court decision that declared laws against interracial marriage unconstitutional.” - The Washington Post (MSN)
The livestreams haven't calmed the complaints about Coachella's lacklustre audiences — many who watch online have commented that the crowds aren't as hype as they believe they would be if they were in attendance. - CBC
“The Sonic Heritage project is a collection of 270 sounds from 68 countries, including from famous UNESCO-designated sites such as Machu Picchu and the Taj Mahal, … a monarch butterfly sanctuary, … wind turbines, rare whales and the Amazonian dawn chorus.” Also, sea lions who sound like drunk frat boys. - The Guardian
Since their return in 2021, the Taliban have waged a war on music, claiming that it causes “moral corruption”. According to figures from its own Ministry for the Propagation of Virtue and the Prevention of Vice, the group has destroyed more than 21,000 musical instruments over the past year. - Index On Censorship
“It’s not that these are great pieces that happen to be long; the length itself is the point. The language – ‘endurance’, ‘epic’, ‘marathon’ – is that of extreme sport. Test yourself, we’re implicitly urged. … In that moment, an act of artistic engagement … becomes solipsistic and a self-congratulatory cultural flex.” - The i Paper (UK)
The orchestra is facing “financial challenges driven by inflation, shifting consumer behavior, an increasingly competitive landscape and broader economic uncertainty.” - Nashville Business Journal
