Justin Davidson profiles Will Livermore, a 33-year-old baritone who'd been specializing in comic parts such as Papageno and Figaro. Now he's taking on the role of the furious Charles in composer Terence Blanchard's adaptation of Charles Blow's memoir Fire Shut Up in My Bones. - New York Magazine
While global market leader Spotify still has a healthy lead — its most recent total paid subscribers was around 165 million, announced earlier this year — No. 2 Apple Music may feel YouTube nipping at its heels. - Variety
"Founded in 1984 by American immigrants Shoshanna and Micah Harrari, the tiny workshop" — called King David Harps and located near Jerusalem — "was known internationally for its instruments, which are modeled after archaeological findings and specifications found in Talmudic and biblical verses." - Tablet
"According to new research … violins made by Antonio Stradivari and his contemporary, Giuseppe Guarneri, were treated with proprietary blends of mineral salts, which may have forever altered their physical structures." Why were they treated? Worms. - Popular Science
Timothy Redmond, who assumed the job in July 2019, lives in London and most of his work is in England. He said in a statement, "I've made the decision that commuting to Winston-Salem is not sustainable for me (or the planet) anymore." - Winston-Salem Journal (North Carolina)
The tech giant will take Primephonic offline next week and, it says, work on integrating the service's catalog and specialized search engine, with a new Apple classical app launching next year. Current subscribers will get a refund and six free months of Apple Music. - The Hollywood Reporter
Graffman, now 92 and formerly the music school's director and president, had been its leading piano teacher, with Yuja Wang and Lang Lang among his students. Higdon, a Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning composer, cited musical and family commitments for her departure. - The Philadelphia Inquirer
Sounds gloriously picturesque: "There’s a tall lamp standing on the stone quayside at a lock in rural Co Carlow on a warm and clear evening. Beside it, a cream and green barge is moored, with a mixing desk on the bow and a few cables trailing on to the bank up towards the lamp." - Irish Times
Australian tenor Stuart Skelton on Wagner: "Singers are like athletes doing long-distance competitions. You get to the point where you’ve reached your physical limits. You hit the wall. Then it’s a mental game of trying to dig deep into your technical resources to keep going." - The Observer (UK)
Ask Sweden. But also, ask Delta. And keep up the safe behavior: "From an infection prevention standpoint, it is still the safest to gather outside, masked and physically distanced. The other important aspect is vaccination. When vaccinated, and wearing a mask, it is safer to gather at outdoor events." - Seattle Times
"The students are very fearful about their future - not just of their education and their programme, but also about their life. They do not feel safe in Afghanistan." - BBC
From the first Nocturne ever published (by John Field in 1814), to Chopin and Debussy and Britten, on to Max Richter's "eight-hour lullaby" Sleep, Anna Meredith's Four Tributes To 4am, and Craig Armstrong's new Nocturnes for two pianos, here are suggested soporifics for the stressed-out. - BBC
