"Maybe the New York Philharmonic can, as Paris Opera couldn't, become a new family. But he launched his career in L.A. He grew up and matured with the L.A. Phil, where he learned much of the standard repertory. In L.A., musical vistas opened up in ways it could nowhere else." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)
How the math nets out in the end remains to be seen. Last season’s production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra, for instance, had a higher average ticket price, but sold just 51% of available seats. Even if all three operas this season sell out, lower ticket prices will mean lower ticket revenue this season than. - Philadelphia Inquirer
The majority of your CDs have probably been downsampled perilously from studio to disc. And streaming has now righted that wrong; we can indeed enjoy ‘studio-quality’ music from the streams of the internet, given the right provider, the right source and the required bandwidth. -WhatHiFi
"AI-generated songs lack the fluidity of music created by humans. But musicians who experiment with AI can give themselves an edge in an evolving industry. AI can expedite their own creative work and provide inspiration." - Washington Post
Sophie Galaise, the orchestra's now-former managing director, reportedly attempted, along with the board's deputy chairman, to oust MSO chairman David Li after he expressed doubt about Galaise's expenditures for travel and consultants. Li grew up in China, and Galaise's efforts included considerable red-baiting. - The Australian Financial Review
In the decades since Richard Tognetti became ACO artistic director at just 25, he has amassed some of the world’s most valuable instruments and talented musicians. - The Guardian
Some tastemakers say today’s music scene is a soulless algorithmic wasteland — others say it’s more vibrant than ever. However you find it, don’t just rely on your Spotify or Apple Music algorithm to introduce you to new artists. - Washington Post
In 2024, both main parties recognise the positive power of music. While campaign songs and rally playlists encourage a sense of unity, they also send important messages to the wider electorate, reinforcing and differentiating the identity of the party and leader. - The Conversation
"The chair of the OA board, Rod Sims, said that Davies’s contract was prematurely severed by mutual agreement … due to 'differences of opinion about how Opera Australia should successfully balance artistic innovation, audience development and commercial imperatives moving forward'." Sources say a mediator had to be brought in. - The Guardian
After a worrisome dip in attendance in 2023 (to 97%), ticket sales to the summer Wagner mecca were up to a total of 58,000 this year. The festival's 2026 sesquicentennial will feature a special performance of the Ring tetralogy, the first Bayreuth production of Rienzi, and Beethoven's Ninth Symphony. - AP
"Together with the members of Abba, we have discovered that videos have been released where Abba's music has been used at Trump events, and we have therefore requested that such use be immediately removed and taken down." - BBC
78rpm discs were the way we learned about each other and entertained the world. It was a time when the world became a much smaller place. - Internet Archive
"Although the outside of Jacobs Music Center appears much the same as it did in March 2020, when the orchestra played its last concert there before the COVID-19 pandemic shutdown" and it was still Copley Symphony Hall, "the inside’s myriad top-to-bottom changes seem transformative and then some." - The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
Two miles of HVAC piping, two miles of plumbing, three tuning chambers, five miles of lifting cable, 300 cable pulleys, 85,000 pounds of rigging equipment, up to 150 workers a day, … - The San Diego Union-Tribune (MSN)
"Under the agreement, reached with (AFM) Local 342, the minimum salary for CSO musicians will increase from $45,861 to $53,709 over the course of the (three-year) contract. Beginning in year two of the deal, the number of working weeks will increase from 38 to 39." - QCity Metro (Charlotte)
