WEEKLY DIGEST, APRIL 13, 2020
THE COVID-19 EFFECT CONTINUES
Why Music is So Relatable Right Now
The Philadelphia Inquirer: David Patrick Stearns
Why has the Philadelphia Orchestra’s BeethovenNOW concert, with two full symphonies webcast from an empty Verizon Hall on March 12, up to 771,000 YouTube views? Or why the Rotterdam Philharmonic’s abbreviated Beethoven 9th video — with each instrumentalist playing separately from home, titled From Us to You, is closing in on 2 million views since its March 20 posting?
Can Classical Music’s Streaming Present Become Part of Its Future?
WQXR: David Patrick Stearns
Classical music activities are developing at such a speed that last week seems like last year. And the era of packed concert halls, not so long in the past, feels like history — as the online presence among artists and institutions enter a fascinating though haphazard “wild west” phase of activity.
The Coronavirus Pandemic Has Cost American Arts Organizations a Collective $4.5 Billion So Far
ArtNet: Taylor Dafoe
When social distancing measures are lifted, arts and cultural organizations will be vital to righting the ship.
How the World Will Look After the Coronavirus Pandemic
Foreign Policy: multiple authors
The pandemic will change the world forever. We asked 12 leading global thinkers for their predictions.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Has Coronavirus Turned Instagram Into What It Actually Should Be?
Dance: Theresa Ruth Howard
Now instead of jetéing across streets or showing themselves off looking wistful and half naked, some of the world’s premiere dancers are posting videos of themselves doing or giving at-home class, offering tips and advice for how to maintain your strength, flexibility and technique while on lockdown.
Kate Maroney: Bring Back the Federal Music Project for the Digital Era.
The Middle-class Artist: Zach Finkelstein
Music in the Time of Corona.
THE SCOOP | Global Online Music Streaming Soars With 32% Year-Over-Year Growth In 2019
Ludwig Van Toronto: Michael Vincent
According to a new study by Counterpoint Research, online steaming has grown 32 percent year-over-year, reaching 358 million subscribers.
Livestreaming Rehearsals Keep Arts Organizations on Track During Lockdown
San Francisco Classical Voice: Janos Gereben
San Francisco Ballet is surging ahead with livestreamed video classes for all dancers.
The Day the Music Stopped: Standing Still Together
I Care If You Listen: Lara Downes
It was a Thursday, the day the music stopped. For us musicians, the emails and phone calls started as a trickle that turned into a flood. Two weeks of dates cancelled, and then before we knew it, two months. Every single concert, opera, festival, club date–our calendars were wiped clean.
Learning to Listen to, and Beyond, the Siren’s Call
The New York Times: Lindsay Zoladz
A music critic’s soundscape has been reshaped by the wail of ambulances. But she’s learning to hear in unexpected ways.
Bach in My Heart, and My Heart in His Hands
The New York Times: James R. Oestreich
A consoling composer’s music reminds our critic of a surgeon who once helped him and is now on the front line of New York’s coronavirus crisis.
Tarisio announces auction to benefit musicians affected by Covid-19
The Strad
Tarisio presents GiveBack, a special auction to benefit the musicians who have been profoundly affected by COVID-19.
IN MEMORY OF THOSE WE’VE LOST….
Met Opera Violist Vincent Lionti Has Died From Coronavirus
Judy Drucker, impresario who brought the stars of concert music, opera and dance to Miami
John Prine, Who Chronicled the Human Condition in Song Died from Coronavirus
Hal Willner, Music Producer Who Melded Styles
Ahmed Ismail Hussein, Venerable Somali Musician Died of Coronavirus
UK cellist Martin Loveday dies of coronavirus
French double bassist Gildas Delaporte has died
The Unique Sadness of Mourning the Musicians Who Helped Us Grieve
M Gen: Hanif Abdurraqib
With the deaths of Ellis Marsalis, Adam Schlesinger, and John Prine, I’m left wondering whether music really can help us heal.
NATIONAL
Atlanta Opera Costume Shop To Produce COVID-19 Medical Supplies
The Violin Channel
The Atlanta Opera will turn their efforts to producing medical masks for hospitals in need to COVID-19 pandemic personal protective equipment.
New Music Emergency COVID-19 Solidarity Fund Increased to $270,000
The Violin Channel
The New Music Solidarity Fund, an initiative aimed to grant emergency funding to musicians impacted by COVID-19, has increased its funds to $270,000.
National Endowment for the Humanities Announces New Grants
The New York Times: Jennifer Schuessler
The agency, which recently received $75 million as part of the coronavirus stimulus package, announces new funding for 224 projects across the country.
Kennedy Center and NSO musicians reach agreement to avert furloughs
The Washington Post: Peggy McGlone
The deal includes immediate pay cuts until early September, a wage freeze and a delayed pay increase and extends the current contract for a year, to 2024, according to the arts center. It avoids the open-ended furlough that was supposed to have started Monday.
New York’s Lincoln Center Cancels All Programming Through The End Of August
NPR: Anastasia Tsioulcas
The cancellations include a three-week outdoor dance party with live bands called Midsummer Night Swing, the classical music-focused Mostly Mozart Festival and the artistically wide-ranging, multi-week festival called Lincoln Center Out of Doors.
L.A. Phil cancels rest of its season; Hollywood Bowl prospects uncertain
Los Angeles Times: Jessica Gelt
The L.A. Phil’s music and artistic director, Gustavo Dudamel, will take no compensation during the cancellation period, the orchestra said.
Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra suspends payment for musicians
The Strad
The orchestra has cancelled all performances until 27 May and is placing its musicians in unpaid furlough.
New York’s Lincoln Center Cancels All Programming Through The End Of August
NPR News: Anastasia Tsioulcas
On Thursday, New York’s Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts announced that it was canceling all of the summer performances and activities.
Judge Dismisses Case Against Universal Music Over Losses in 2008 Fire
The New York Times: Ben Sisario
A group of high-profile musicians and estates had sued the Universal Music Group over a fire that destroyed thousands of archived recordings.
Philharmonic Players, Fired on Misconduct Grounds, Are Reinstated
The New York Times: Zachary Woolfe
The firings of Liang Wang and Matthew Muckey, over allegations of unspecified sexual misconduct, were overruled by an independent arbitrator.
INTERNATIONAL
Yo-Yo Ma & Youth Music Culture Guangdong – Bach’s ‘Air’
The Violin Channel
Yo-Yo Ma and 30 Youth Music Culture Guangdong festival alumni, fellows and faculty members performing Bach’s ‘Air from Orchestral Suite No. 3’.
Where can UK musicians find support at this time?
The Strad
A round-up of UK and US-based organizations offering financial support to musicians during these challenging times.
Suyeon Kang – Michael Hill International Competition 1st Prize Winner
The Violin Channel
VC Artist Suyeon Kang is building an international reputation as one of the new generation’s most promising and gifted young concert soloists.
Kronberg Academy Has Announced Cancellation of 2020 Chamber Music Festival
The Violin Channel
The Kronberg Academy has announced the cancellation of its 2020 ‘Chamber Music Connects the World’ festival – due to the looming threat of the COVID-19 virus.
Cecilia Bartoli Announces Cancelation of 2020 Salzburg Whitsun Festival Owing to Pandemic
Opera News
CECILIA BARTOLI, mezzo-soprano and artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival, announced today that this year’s festival has been canceled following a ban on all public events in Austria.
LPO appoints Karina Canellakis as principal guest conductor
The Guardian: Imogen Tilden
The US-born musician, 38, will take up the role at the London Philharmonic in September.
Budapest Festival Orchestra Saved by Government
Opera Wire: Francisco Salazar
For months the orchestra has been dealing with insolvency and music director Ivan Fischer has been speaking out against the populist ideas of Hungary’s leader Vitor Orbán.
Help Comes Hard for the Orchestra With No Home
The New York Times: Alex Marshall
The Mahler Chamber Orchestra’s musicians, split across 14 countries, are dependent on support from their local governments to make ends meet during the coronavirus crisis.
Benedetti Foundation announces online daily music lessons
The Strad
As part of the programme, Nicola Benedetti is to host three sessions a week ‘Live at Five’ on her channels every Tuesday, Thursday and Sunday.
St John’s Smith Square introduces free ticket scheme for NHS staff
The Strad
‘Pay it forward’, a new project at the London concert venue, aims to fund free tickets for National Health Service workers.
BBC Proms delays announcement of season
The Strad
In response to the uncertainty resulting from the Covid-19 crisis, the BBC Proms have delayed the announcement of their 2020 season.
Nicola Benedetti is to release a new Elgar album and ‘Salut d’Amour’ project
The Strad
The British violinist is releasing an Elgar album on Decca Classics in May, following a ‘Salut d’Amour’ online project in April.
Jennifer Koh commissions new works for ‘Alone Together’ project
The Strad
The violinist has commissioned 21 composers to donate a new work and to nominate 21 freelance composers for new commissions.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Global Online Music Streaming Grew 32% YoY to Cross 350 Million Subscriptions in 2019
Counterpoint: Abhilash Kumar
This is driven by the availability of exclusive content like podcasts, originals which attracted people towards the platform and eventually turned them as subscribers. Also, promotional activities like price cuts in subscriptions in emerging markets, bundled offers from telcos added to the growth. We expect that online music streaming subscriptions to grow more than 25% YoY to exceed 450 million subscriptions by the end of 2020.
The legal underbelly of livestreaming concerts
Patreon Blog
Is there an emerging market for live-streaming and licensing? We cannot talk about the financial longevity of livestreaming in the music business without also talking about rights.
New technology turns violins into digital music creators
The Strad
Inventors Alessandro Baticci and Rafal Zalech have begun a Kickstarter campaign to launch the product.
Violin Channel Living Room Livestream Concerts
The Violin Channel
We’re coming to you live from living rooms all around the globe.
OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL
The Beat Goes On: High School Choirs Improvise In The Age Of Coronavirus
NPR News: Sequoia Carrillo
The resulting video is a huge online success, with 100,000 views and counting. It was picked up by local news and even featured on Access Hollywood!
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