Lina Gónzalez-Granados was 5 "when she joined a 'tuna' — a musical group traditionally made up of college students who ... stand in a semi-circle wielding Spanish guitars of various sizes and shapes and singing ballads." That was her first lesson in the physical nature of music. - Los Angeles Times
For one thing, "New York has yet to see tourism fully rebound, and attendance at many performing arts organizations has lagged. The reconfigured hall is seen as an opportunity to try to lure old concertgoers back, and to bring new audiences in." - The New York Times
Greek-Russian conductor Teodor Currentzis was a polarizing figure even before the Russian invasion of Ukraine. Some considered him classical music’s biggest charlatan. Others thought he was the only one who could save the field. But that discussion always focused more on his appearance than on music. - Van
Midwest states hosted 27 percent of U.S. orchestra performances, even though they were home to only 19 percent of concerts overall. The Midwest doesn’t necessarily have more orchestras than the rest of the country, but it does seem to have bigger and more active ones. - Washington Post
The more you study the history of music, you realize that composers were not marching in lockstep in the interest of fulfilling a linear narrative prescribed by music historians. - The Imaginative Conservative
"It is a white-owned and white-run institution with a self-described mission to 'preserve, protect and perpetuate' one of the nation's greatest Black cultural legacies. ... A place where all the knotty questions of race and culture ... that face New Orleans and all of America are on blaring display." - The New York Times Magazine
We identify with Tár’s admirers, both because we feel empathy for her calculating misuse of them and because, like them, we can’t stop wanting her to really be everything she presents herself as: the uncompromising artist, the intellectually generous mentor, the loving parent and devoted spouse. - Slate
"Within a week of former Australian Consumer and Competition Commission chair Rod Sims (becoming board chairman) at Opera Australia, ... its artistic director of 13 years, Lyndon Terracini, ... (is) leaving the company next Friday, 14 October." - The Guardian
“What is respect for a score? Is it to play exactly what is written, or is it to play what is written and put your own life in it, your emotions, your feelings, which means sometimes you might need to take a bit of time? Why not?” - The New York Times
“Increasing demand for content from streaming services and social media make iconic music IP a scarce and irreplaceable asset,” said Angelo Rufino, a managing partner at Brookfield, pointing to how music is being licensed to Peloton, TikTok and the metaverse. - The Wall Street Journal
Michael Andor Brodeur: "I can at least say without getting too subjective or getting in any trouble that the difference in sound is immediate and arresting. ... Not once did I find myself leaning forward in my seat or squinting with my ears. The sound finds you." - The Washington Post
In the 1990s, Thielemann, now 63 and one of the world’s most acclaimed maestros — as well as one of the most divisive and drama-prone — appeared regularly with American orchestras and opera companies. - The New York Times
On the same day that he won a Gramophone Award for Lifetime Achievement, the conductor and pianist announced, "My health has deteriorated over the last months, and I have been diagnosed with a serious neurological condition. I must now focus on my physical well-being as much as possible." - BBC
The Bavarian State Opera also took honors for Hans Abrahamsen's The Snow Queen and, under Petrenko's baton, Mahler's 7th Symphony. Among other winners were Mitsuko Uchida's Beethoven Diabelli Variations; Quatuor Ebène's "Round Midnight"; singers Michael Spyres, Asmik Grigorian, and Emily D'Angelo; and the Raphaël Pichon/Pygmalion Bach St. Matthew Passion. - Gramophone
