ArtsJournal: Arts, Culture, Ideas

MUSIC

Yuja Wang Appointed To Newly-Created Faculty Position At Curtis Institute

The superstar Chinese-American pianist, who herself studied at Curtis, won’t be a professor of piano giving weekly lessons. Her title, as of September next year, will be Artistic Collaborator; her duties, while not yet defined, will likely include master classes and chamber music, a favorite activity of hers. - The Philadelphia Inquirer

Recording Companies Adopt Book Publishers’ Tactics To Sue Suno Over Copyright Theft

The complaint suggests that Suno may have ‘stream-ripped’ millions of copyrighted sound recordings to train its model. The timing of the new allegations appears directly connected to Anthropic’s recent USD $1.5 billion settlement with authors, who claimed the service obtained pirated books to train its AI models. - Music Business Worldwide

After Eight Centuries, The World’s Oldest Surviving Pipe Organ Is Played Once Again

The organ was brought to Bethlehem sometime after the Crusaders’ conquest in 1099, and it was buried for safekeeping shortly before Saladin’s army reconquered the town around 1187. The instrument was excavated in 1908; restorers began work in 2019 and discovered that about half of the 222 surviving pipes were still playable. - AP

Internet Archive Settles Suit With Recording Companies Over ’78 Recordings Archive

For IA—which strove to digitize 3 million recordings to help historians document recording history—the lawsuit from music publishers could have meant financial ruin. Initially, record labels alleged that damages amounted to $400 million, claiming they lost streams when IA visitors played Great 78 recordings. - Ars Technica

The Harpsichordist And Conductor Who Has Revived The French Baroque

William Christie, who is turning 80 this year, “is venerated in France, where he played a key role in the revival of French baroque music and the reputations of composers like Lully, Charpentier, Couperin and Rameau.” - The New York Times

In Korea, You Can Be Fined For ‘Defaming’ Fictional K-Pop Band Members

“The defendant claimed that the comments were aimed at the fictional characters and not the real people behind them. But the court rejected the argument.” - BBC

Why Has Canada Banned Irish Rap Group Kneecap?

“Most of the group's lyrics are not explicitly political and are marked by goofy, satirical humour, while its concerts are high-energy affairs with a party-like atmosphere” - but the group fiercely opposes Israel’s actions in Gaza, and Canada claimed they support Hamas. - CBC

Vancouver Symphony Musicians Vote Overwhelmingly To Authorize Strike

The musicians, who voted 97.4% in favor of the authorization, have been without a contract since July and have been negotiating with management since April. Their main complaint is being paid roughly 25% less than their peer orchestras in Canada while living in one of the world’s most expensive housing markets. - CBC

Baltimore Symphony And Musicians Agree To Three-Year Contract

Base salary will increase by 12% from $92,811 to $101,350 over the next three years. The musicians’ union and orchestra management described the deal as the “most financially ambitious contract in more than a decade.” - The Baltimore Banner

Pandora – The Music Streaming Service That Won’t Die

In its first decade, Pandora users had created eight billion stations, logged 74 billion hours of listening, and rated 55 billion songs with its signature thumbs up and down buttons. - Fast Company

Internet Archive And Record Labels Settle $621 Million Lawsuit Over Old 78 RPM Records

The case, with Universal Music Group and Sony Music Entertainment as lead plaintiffs, targeted the Archive's Great 78 Project, an initiative to digitize, and make available for free online, more than 400,000 fragile shellac recordings made before the arrival of vinyl records in 1948. The labels sought damages for copyright infringement. - Rolling Stone (MSN)

The Italian Palazzo Where Broken Voices And Vocal Techniques Get Repaired

Marianna Brilla and Lisa Paglin spent years in Italy studying old vocal treatises and historical recordings to find the roots of bel canto technique. Now they run the New Voice Studio, where they combat the opera world’s obsession with power and volume, teaching instead “spontaneity, beauty, and freedom.” - El País (Spain) (in English)

San Francisco Symphony Musicians’ New Contract Hits The $200K Mark

The agreement, retroactive to Nov. 24, 2024 and ending on Nov. 20, 2027,  maintains the starting weekly base salary of $3,450, with biannual increases which rise to $3,960 (making an annual minimum salary of $205,920) in the last six months of the contract. - Riff Magazine (San Francisco)

Five Countries Say They’ll Boycott Eurovision Contest If Israel Is Allowed To Compete

Israel’s recent participation has been a divisive issue in Europe and its broadcasting community ever since Israel began its military campaign in Gaza Strip in late 2023. - Deadline

Des Moines Metro Opera Under Fire For Working Conditions

It sounds like boot camp. An 89.5 hour workweek. Back to back 14 hour days. Overtime pay a rarity (and lack thereof legally sanctioned). Working in a warehouse where temperatures exceeded 100. Bullying. - Broadway World

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