Music

Matthew Loden has reportedly decided to leave the role after accepting an offer to serve as Dean at the Shepherd School of Music at Rice University in Huston, Texas. – Ludwig Van

The A.I. Song Contest features three dozen or so teams that use artificial intelligence networks to create parts of, and sometimes all of, a song, along with a jury of scientists and songwriters led by Imogen Heap. And what did they come up with? – The New York Times

Researchers using an array of high-tech methods have found traces of alum, potash, lime, borax, and plain old salt in the wooden fronts of these old instruments — and the cellulose molecules in the spruce were rearranged by those treatments. – The Strad

As superintendent, and with Kirill Petrenko as music director, Nikolaus Bachler made the Bavarian State Opera a beacon of “artistic excellence, destination programming and, during the pandemic, fearless advocacy.” He’s stepping down this summer, and Joshua Barone has the exit interview. – The New York Times

The City of Dallas owns a classical radio station? Yep. WRR Classical 101 FM, which celebrates its 100th birthday next month, is operated by the municipal Office of Arts and Culture — for now. With revenue down because of COVID, the city is seeking a nonprofit to take over. – Inside Radio

It is understandable that musicians believe in extraterrestrial beings: after a year socialising over Zoom or from behind a mask, every interaction IRL feels like you need to relearn social skills after arriving from another planet. – The Guardian

There was “great appetite when we reopened,” but “it’s been a little bit flat now,” whether because of the health pass requirement or the good weather and the reopening of cafe terraces. – The New York Times

A visit to the dungeon (that’s what he calls it) of Tyler Thackray, proud proprietor of the Instagram account @violintorture, dismemberer of instruments, creator of Franken-fiddles, and champion troll of self-serious string players. – The New Yorker

“The company’s roughly 300 stagehands were locked out late last year because of a disagreement over how long and lasting pandemic pay cuts would be. But the opera house is in desperate need of workers … if it is to reopen in less than three months.” – The New York Times

The company’s endowment, which was $4.8 million when Executive Director David Bennett arrived in 2015, has nearly doubled to $8.8 million. – San Diego Union-Tribune

Fired from Amsterdam’s Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra in 2018, Gatti then had a stint as chief conductor at the Rome Opera. He now succeeds the 85-year-old Mehta as music director of the Maggio Musicale Fiorentino, which includes the city’s opera house and orchestra as well as the famous May festival. – Opera Wire

François-Xavier Roth and his orchestra, Les Siècles, like to play concerts with Rameau in the first half and Ravel in the second, or Debussy with Boulez, all on instruments from the composer’s era (and, where possible, nation). Here’s a Q&A where he talks about how that works and why such a band was his dream. – The New York Times

On Monday night, pieces of the building flew onto the ground; water flowed down the lighting rigs and flooded parts of the stage — all while 250 people were inside listening to lieder. Company superintendent Viktor Schoner told a reporter, “I’m standing underneath the roof and getting very wet.” – AP

The former soprano only became general director of the company in 2019, though she worked in administration starting in 2013 and started her career there as a resident singer in 2007. Dastoor earned quite a lot of praise for the innovative and decisive ways she moved Opera San Jose into digital media after the pandemic shut down live performance last year. – San Francisco Chronicle

At one point, Zukerman told a pair of students of Asian descent that their playing was too perfect and that they needed to add soy sauce, according to two participants in the class. – The New York Times

“I did watch the virtual class unfold live, and I can attest that this was the appropriate course.” – Violinist.com

A study undertaken over the past season by the Utah Symphony and University of Utah researchers found that a new seating arrangement could reduce the spread of aerosols by a factor of 100. The key principle? The equivalent of making a smoker sit by the window. – Smithsonian Magazine

Musiio is just one of many hi-tech firms changing the way songs are categorised, playlisted and promoted, to eventually reach the ears of millions. They’re fast, efficient and get attention for unheard-of acts. – The Guardian

The plot calls for a lot of music: “Teenage Luca lives underwater with his fish-finned family, but when he steps out of the water and into an Italian fishing village, he becomes a human boy in the very recognizable 1960s, a time period fixed by the pop music that is frequently blaring from tiny portable radios.” – Slate

And the virus killed two of the three “marimba healers” of Los Angeles, men who restored the old, cracked, broken marimbas of the area’s Guatemalan community. And “in addition to taking a devastating toll on the Central American community, the pandemic shut down indoor dining at Guatemalan restaurants where marimbistas would ply their trade.” Now, with vaccines, things are starting to change – and the instrument needs its one remaining healer. – Los Angeles Times

“Desert In is an operatic experiment. Co-produced by Long Beach Opera and by Boston Lyric Opera, which commissioned the work, the eight-episode streaming miniseries is the brainchild of LBO Artistic Director … James Darrah, composer Ellen Reid and [playwright christopher oscar] peña. … Episodes,” each with a different composer and scriptwriters, “are just 15 to 20 minutes long, but each packs a hefty dramatic and artistic punch — operatic excess reduced to an intensely rich sauce, served in small portions designed to leave audiences craving more.” – Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)

Oboist Nicholas Daniel: “This week, singer Andrew Watts and I will make our fourth attempt to give the world premiere of Sir John Tavener’s La Noche Oscura. The most surprising part of this is not that three scheduled performances have been cancelled over the last 12 difficult months, but that the work is getting its first performance [only now].” – The Guardian

Of those who participated in a virtual event, 88% said they plan to do so again even when in-person gatherings return. – Los Angeles Times