Arts Council England head Darren Henley told a parliamentary committee, "We are saying we would like to see an organisation with a base outside of London, but we absolutely recognise, with its business plan going forward, that the Coliseum is an important part of that." - The Stage
Nearby business owners said the Comcast Service Center has been playing loud music from a surveillance system with a speaker for about a month now. The loud music is described as classical or elevator music. - KOMO TV
Joshua Barone writes about becoming one of the throngs of supernumeraries in the Triumphal March of the Met's very grand production of Verdi's very grand opera Aïda. - The New York Times
The attack was discovered Tuesday morning and is ongoing; rehearsals and performances are going on more or less as scheduled. The perpetrators have not yet been identified (though there seems to be a widespread presumption, justified or not, that they are Russian). - The New York Times
The study of patterns and long-term variations in popular music could shed new light on relevant issues concerning its organization, structure and dynamics. More importantly, it addresses valuable questions for the basic understanding of music as one of the main expressions of contemporary culture. - Nature
Smaller ensembles are playing with battery-powered lamps, and attendance is capped at the number of people who can fit in the concert hall's bomb shelter, but musicians and audience alike are determined to carry on. - The New York Times
"Opinion locally is divided about whether the ENO should relocate. But the London-centricity of much outraged reaction to the story has generated irritation. ... Whatever the future holds for ENO, it seems unlikely that anyone would welcome it being dragged kicking and screaming up the M6." - iNews (UK)
Our base salary is some $70 per hour, as opposed to other parts of the university, where the average is about $130 an hour. Somebody might say, “$130, that’s incredible!” But this includes hundreds of hours of preparation, grading, and writing recommendations. - Van
When conductor Philippe Jordan steps down from the job in 2025, it will be eliminated, announced superintendent Bogdan Roščić. "Historically, the State Opera has been without a music director for much longer than with one," he said. "Both models can have major advantages and disadvantages." - OperaWire
British composer Julian Anderson was devastated by the fire. He "began channeling some of his despondence into 'Litanies,' a 25-minute meditation for cello and orchestra. In the second movement, a series of chords emerges then melts away." - The New York Times
Sir James MacMillan "had not even heard a rehearsal of the piece, which he had written in secret, and until the night before the funeral was not completely sure it would be performed." - BBC
Twenty years ago, high school students Thomas S. Nilsen and Steffen Ojala Soderholm created "nightcore." But it didn't take off until TikTok kicked into high gear. - The New York Times
Instead, it took a lot of planning and some carefully waged campaigns. "While syncs have previously boosted older singles, they’ve never generated this level of resurgence for a 37-year-old song." You can thank Sony's VP of creative, Amy Coles. -Variety
