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MUSIC

How Cities Are Developing Policies To Promote Support For Musicians

As the cost of living continues to skyrocket and spaces for musicians to perform become fewer, some say municipal music strategies are becoming increasingly important. A municipal music strategy is a set of policies created by municipal governments to help bolster local musicians. - CBC

Concert Tickets Have Become Eye-Poppingly Expensive. Fans Are Struggling

In recent years, concertgoers have paid eye-popping prices for tickets to see popular artists like Beyoncé, Taylor Swift and Oasis on tour. But Gen Z fans — those born between 1997 and 2012 — are paying much more for concert tickets than previous generations did when they were young adults. - The New York Times

Los Angeles Chamber Orchestra Is Moving To Los Angeles

The group’s primary concert venue has been in Glendale in L.A. County rather than in the city proper, but starting next season, LACO will be performing in downtown Los Angeles at the Colburn School, right across the street from Disney Hall. - San Francisco Classical Voice

The Case For Playing Tchaikovsky With Period Strings And Bows

David Faber, cellist of the Dudok Quartet Amsterdam: “In the early days of recorded classical music, string players exclusively used gut strings. Musicians like Leopold Auer and Fritz Kreisler achieved a full, sustained sound closer to Tchaikovsky’s era than today’s practices.”  - The Strad

Writing Opera For Children Is Serious Business (And It Can Be Lots Of Fun)

“For contemporary classical composers, writing children’s opera (is) like casting a spell that lets them be both big and small. Artists with highly experimental aesthetics get to embrace their silly sides and reconnect with the childlike urge to create. … As (composer Thierry) Tidrow often says, ‘They haven’t read Adorno.’” - The New York Times

Is British Columbia Doing Enough To Help Musicians – And Music Venues – Survive?

Musicians say they and their venues are being priced out of Vancouver, and Victoria as well. - CBC

How Daniel Blumberg Made The Brutalist’s Disorienting Score

With hammers and screws, of course. Composer Daniel Blumberg, tipped to win tonight, “found himself in the novel position of actually having to write music about architecture.” - The Independent (UK) (MSN)

A Classical Music Guide To Dewokifying Your DEI Music

Yes, thanks to recent political and cultural developments, we now have the freedom to appreciate the work of various American heroes in a new, “common sense” way. There are countless composers we can reclaim from the far left. - Song of the Lark

For First Time Ever, ASCAP Tops $1 Billion In Revenue

“ASCAP … delivered a record-breaking $1.835 billion in revenue in the 2024 calendar year, an increase of $98 million, or 5.7% over 2023, with $1.696 billion available for royalty distributions — up by $104 million, or 6.5%.” - Variety

Why The Pittsburgh Symphony Should Play For The Opera And Ballet

 Since these organizations are giving fewer performances than previously, this no longer seems prohibitive or unworkable. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette

The Debut Of The Microphone, 100 Years Ago This Week

“On Feb. 25, 1925, Art Gillham, a musician known as 'the Whispering Pianist' for his gentle croon, entered Columbia Phonograph Company’s studio to test out a newly installed electrical system. Its totem was positioned in front of him, level with his mouth: a microphone.” - The New York Times

The Rare Conductor: Anthony Pappano

Pappano, 65, is a rarity in classical music: a maestro who never went to a music school. Born in England to Italian immigrant parents, then transplanted to Connecticut at 13, he learned through experience (and came away with an accent that remains charmingly jumbled to this day). - The New York Times

Viennese Institutions Compete To Celebrate Bicentennial Of “Waltz King” Johann Strauss II

There’s an entire new immersive exhibition dedicated to the composer, another show at the Theatermuseum, the city’s 30+ dance schools, and the venue that the composer’s great-grand-nephew considers most authentic: the House of Strauss, a museum situated inside a restored casino (which in Vienna means a small dance hall). - The Observer (UK)

Spotify Defends Itself: We’ve Helped Make The Music Business Healthy!

"It’s a misconception that Spotify ‘doesn’t pay well’ – as we’ve proved time and time again. The $10B we paid out in 2024 and $60B all time is industry-leading and record-breaking - the largest contribution to the music industry. “The music industry is healthier than ever.” - Music Radar

Michael Tilson Thomas Says His Final Concerts Will Be In April

“A coda is a musical element at the end of a composition that brings the whole piece to a conclusion. A coda can vary greatly in length. My life’s coda is generous and rich.” - AP

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