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FEATURE
Black Artists on How to Change Classical Music
The New York Times: Zachary Woolfe and Joshua Barone
Nine performers describe the steps they recommend to transform a white-dominated field. Included in the group are Thomas Wilkins (Henry A. Upper Chair of Orchestral Conducting at the Jacobs School) and alumnus Lawrence Brownlee.
Are We Hearing a Crescendo of Anti-Racism in Classical Music?
Stitcher: Jonathan Van Ness
Dr. Kira Thurman and Ashleigh Gordon join Jonathan to discuss the remarkable work of Black classical composers and musicians through history and today.
That sound you’re hearing is classical music’s long overdue reckoning with racism
Washington Post: Michael Andor Brodeur
Data collected from 500 American orchestras for a 2016 study by the League of American Orchestras paints a starkly white picture when it comes to diversity in classical organizations. The proportion of Hispanic and Latino musicians grew from just 1.8 percent in 2002 to 2.5 percent in 2014; while over the same 12-year period, the proportion of black musicians languished at around 1.8 percent.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Opera Can No Longer Ignore Its Race Problem
The New York Times: Joshua Barone
As the industry rebuilds from the coronavirus pandemic, it must face long-simmering issues of representation.
Aaron Dworkin – With European Youth Orchestra President Marshall Marcus [EPISODE 3]
The Violin Channel
In this episode of ‘Arts Engines’, Aaron Dworkin sits down with European Youth Orchestra President, Marshall Marcus – to discuss the inescapable need for the arts.
To Make Orchestras More Diverse, End Blind Auditions
The New York Times: Anthony Tommasini
If ensembles are to reflect the communities they serve, the audition process should take into account race, gender and other factors.
The MP3 At 25: How A Digital File Dynamited The Music Industry
The Quietus: Eamonn Forde
A quarter of a century ago today, the MP3 was born. Eamonn Forde argues that this, not the invention of vinyl, was the most revolutionary format in musical history.
Playing Music Together Online Is Not As Simple As It Seems
NPR News: Nickolai Hammer and Colin Marshall
This video follows pianist and composer Dan Tepfer down the [latency] rabbit hole.
Arts groups leaped online during the pandemic. Who tuned in?
Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
An overview of the effectiveness of online performances in Pittsburgh
Theatregoers’ Willingness to Return Is Trending Down, Data Show
American Theatre: Rob Weinert-Kendt
As coronavirus numbers continue to rise in most U.S. states, the willingness of theatre patrons to return to their old theatregoing habits has plummeted, two tracking surveys show.
NATIONAL
Sphinx Organization Announces 2021 ‘Medals of Excellence’ Grant Recipients
The Violin Channel
The Sphinx Organization has announced the 3 recipients of its 2021 Medals of Excellence grants.
Saratoga Performing Arts Center ‘Reimagined’ – With Anne-Marie McDermott and the Escher Quartet
The Violin Channel
We’re coming to you from Saratoga Springs, New York – from the Saratoga Performing Arts Center ‘Reimagined’ Series – with the The Chamber Music Society of Lincoln Center.
Dallas’ Southern Methodist University Announces New Ensembles-in-Residence
The Violin Channel
Southern Methodist University’s Meadows School of the Arts has announced the VC Young Artist Viano String Quartet and VC Artist Marmen Quartet as the school’s new Ensembles-in-Residence.
Metropolitan Opera Will Livestream Its Biggest Stars
The New York Times: Zachary Woolfe
Starting on July 18, 12 professionally shot recitals will be broadcast from idyllic locations around the world. The price of admission: $20.
Violin Vigils Honor the Memory of Elijah McClain
The New York Times: Giulia Heyward
Mr. McClain, who played the violin, died while being detained by the police in Colorado last summer.
Marga Richter, Composer in a Male-Dominated Era, Dies at 93
The New York Times: Neil Genzlinger
During a career that began in the 1940s and stretched into this century, she often felt she and other women were slighted.
Bill Frisell Is a Rambler in Quarantine
Jazz Times: Mac Randall
From his Brooklyn home, the guitarist ponders a locked-down New York, the friends he’s lost to the coronavirus, and the power of instinct.
It’s a Tough Time to be a Street Musician With a 900-Pound Piano
The New York Times: Alex Vadukul, photos by Dawn Bottoms
The pandemic has been brutal to buskers. It’s even harder when you have to haul a Steinway alll over New York City.
INTERNATIONAL
Third of UK freelancers considering leaving industry – report
The Stage: Giverny Masso
The statistics come from the Big Freelancers Survey, conducted by Stage Directors UK, Freelancers Make Theatre Work and Curtain Call in June 2020.
Proms to open with Beethoven ‘mash-up’
BBC Music: Mark Savage
A six-minute “mash-up” of Beethoven’s nine symphonies will launch the 2020 Proms season on Friday night. The new piece will be played by 323 musicians from the BBC’s choirs and orchestras, all playing remotely due to restrictions necessitated by Covid-19.
France’s Strasbourg Philharmonic Announces New Music Director
The Violin Channel
The Strasbourg Philharmonic has announced the appointment of 32-year-old Uzbek conductor Aziz Shokhakimov as its new Music Director.
Academy of Ancient Music returns to concert stage for first post-lockdown performance
The Strad
The performance is part of VOCES8’s Live from London festival.
Violinist with cerebral palsy becomes manga star
The Strad
Mizuki Shikimachi’s life story has been turned into a comic book for Japanese readers.
Royal Opera House cuts all casual staff jobs
The Strad
The ROH said that it would soon begin redundancy consultations affecting permanent staff.
Socially distanced UK audiences to return for indoor performances from 1 August
The Strad
Extra safety measures taken will include increased deep cleaning and the use of e-tickets to help with track and trace.
Fire at French cathedral in Nantes destroys famed organ
AP: Laetitia Notarianni
French officials launched an arson inquiry Saturday after a fire broke out in the famed Gothic Cathedral of St. Peter and St. Paul of the western French city of Nantes.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Facebook to launch officially licensed music videos in the US next month
Tech Crunch: Sarah Perez
Facebook is preparing to launch officially licensed music videos on its social network in the U.S. next month, in a direct challenge to YouTube.
Spotify and the reimagined audio walled garden
Sparrow One
How their ‘Audio-First’ strategy fits squarely into platform domination plans.
SiriusXM Is Buying Stitcher in Deal Worth Up to $325 Million
Variety: Todd Spangler
E.W. Scripps Co. clinched a deal with SiriusXM to sell podcast network and producer Stitcher, which includes Scripps’ other podcast-related businesses, for up to $325 million.
Generative algorithms are redefining the intersection of software and music
Tech Crunch: Rish Joshi
What if you could mix and match different tracks from your favorite artists, or create new ones on your own with their voices? This could become a reality sooner than later, as AI advances.
Why Spotify needs Russia
Music Industry Blog
Spotify’s delayed Russia launch finally happened this week. While it did not drive a stock price growth like the Josh Rogan deal did (the stock closed just 1 cent higher than the previous day’s close) it will actually prove much more important in the medium term.
OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL
Jascha Heifetz – ‘How Not to Play Vieuxtemps’ [LOL]
The Violin Channel
Who said ‘Heifetz never sounded bad?’
On Site Opera Offers Live Performances Over The Phone For Just 1 Person At A Time
NPR News: Jeff Lunden
Have a listen – On Site Opera, a company that stages performances in unlikely places, has changed its format during the pandemic. Now it organizes live performances for an audience of just one — over the phone.
Gibson offering $59K for help finding a piece of Les Paul guitar history
Tennessean: Matthew Leimkuehler
Nashville-based Gibson guitars launched Tuesday a campaign to find missing shipment ledgers from 1959 and 1960, when the company crafted one of the most sought-after models in six string lore: The ‘59 Les Paul Standard.
Every Scarlatti Sonata, Ranked
Van US: Jeffrey Arlo Brown, Illustrations by Carine Kuntz
For my [Jeffrey Arlo] sanity, I’ve ranked the works by category, instead of giving each Sonata a unique number. For your sanity, I haven’t described every piece—instead, I’ve only included my notes which either added to the description from the category or which I otherwise found interesting or funny.
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