FEATURE – 2020 In Review
The New Yorker takes a look at the most extraordinary year
Click on this link to see the full list!
Notable Performances and Recordings of 2020
Alex Ross
Although I saw only three in-person events after mid-March, this COVID-19 year still brought music that was beautiful and melancholy, scrappily joyous, and everything in between.
My Thirty Favorite Albums of 2020
Sheldon Pearce
The artists who helped me navigate a lost plague year.
Ten Great Performances of 2020
Michael Schulman
As large swaths of creative expression were wiped off the map, these great performances, one way or another, helped us stay connected, mark time, and have a laugh.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Arts Funding Is Facing an Existential Crisis. To Survive, Cultural Organizations Must Change How They Frame Themselves to the Public
ArtNet: Melissa Cowley Wolf
The rising generation of donors is skeptical about the power of the arts to create a better world.
The Stubborn Classism of Classical Music
Critical Mass: Robert Jackson Wood
What critics get wrong about the genre’s long-standing diversity problems.
The Behind-the-Scenes Assist That Made Beethoven’s Ninth Happen
NY Times: Patricia Morrisroe
Louis Antoine Duport, the Nureyev of his day, also managed the theater where the great choral symphony had its premiere.
‘Take Five’ Is Impeccable. ‘Time Outtakes’ Shows How Dave Brubeck Made It.
NY Times: Giovanni Russonello
An album of previously unheard recordings from the “Time Out” sessions in 1959 reveals the making of a masterpiece.
Commentary: Black music matters, and classical companies are misfiring on diversity
Los Angeles Times: Mark Swed
The YOLA Center, which is intended to serve music students from Inglewood and surrounding communities, is neither something lost nor something found during our disastrous year with coronavirus. Youth Orchestra Los Angeles is, instead, Gustavo Dudamel’s educational initiative begun in 2007, shortly after he was appointed music director of the L.A. Phil.
No, I Am Not Getting Rid of My Thousands of CDs
NY Times: Anthony Tommasini
Our chief classical music critic writes in praise of going to a shelf, pulling out a recording and sitting down to listen.
Eos Quartet wins 2020 Orpheus Chamber Music Competition
The Strad
The Italian foursome receives the CHF5,000 first prize at the Zurich competition.
‘Evermore,’ Taylor Swift’s ‘Folklore’ Sequel, Is a Journey Deeper Inward
NY Times: Jon Pareles
The singer and songwriter’s July album traded glossy sheen for an acoustic-Minimalistic palette. A second album with the same collaborators moves even further from her pop past.
NATIONAL
Dallas Opera plans live spring performances in the Winspear Opera House — with big differences
Dallas News: Tim Diovanni
Operas will last no more than 90 minutes, and audiences will be reduced to 30% capacity.
Philadelphia Orchestra Names Principal Guest Conductor
The Violin Channel
The ensemble announced the appointment of Nathalie Stutzmann as principal guest conductor for three years, effective in the 2021–22 season.
New York Philharmonic Musicians Take 25% Pay Cut
The Violin Channel
The ensemble has agreed to a four year contract that includes significant salary cuts.
Charleston Symphony Announces New Healthcare Workers Partnership
The Violin Channel
The South Carolina-based ensemble announced a new healthcare and testing partnership with the Medical University of South Carolina Health.
Carnegie Hall Stands By Its Chairman, Despite Tax Violations
NY Times: Robin Pogrebin
Robert F. Smith has acknowledged his involvement in a 15-year scheme to hide more than $200 million in income and evade taxes, but he retains the support of the hall’s board.
Nashville Symphony Musicians Set for Weekly Stipend
Nashville Scene: William Williams
Agreement for furloughed players includes funding from Nissan and Amazon.
Metropolitan Opera to Lock Out Stagehands as Contract Talks Stall
NY Times: Julia Jacobs
After reaching a bargaining impasse, the shuttered opera company said it would lock out the workers needed to build sets for next season’s productions.
INTERNATIONAL
ISM report highlights devastating impact of COVID-19 on music education
The Strad
The report reveals that almost 10% of primary and secondary schools are not teaching classroom music at all.
Canadian Betty Webster Award Winner Announced
The Violin Channel
Orchestra Canada, the organization that sponsors the prize, announced conductor Yannick Nézet-Séguin as this year’s winner.
London’s Wigmore Hall to Reopen to Live Audiences
The Violin Channel
The historic London venue will open its doors again today to live audiences.
Dutch Chamber Music Award Winner Announced
The Violin Channel
The Delta Piano Trio is this year’s recipient of the €50,000 prize.
Violinist Hande Kueden joins Berlin Philharmonic
The Strad
The Berlin Philharmonic has confirmed the appointment of Hande Kueden as a member of its first violin section. The violinist was born in Adana, Turkey, and has performed with the orchestra since late last year. She was previously a member of its Karajan Academy.
London Symphony Orchestra to return to Barbican Hall
The Strad
The program consists of two performances of the same repertoire on every concert day.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Aaron Dworkin – With Cleveland Orchestra Artistic Officer Mark Williams
The Violin Channel
Aaron Dworkin sits down with Chief Artistic Officer of the Cleveland Orchestra Mark Williams, to discuss the importance of change in the orchestral world.
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Pivot Online Brings Accessibility
NPR: All Things Considered
Atlanta Symphony Orchestra principal cellist Rainer Eudeikis explains how the pandemic has changed the way they’re bringing music to their audience.
OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL
The Watermelon Pianist
The Violin Channel
Introducing artist MEZERG and his EDM watermelon piano.
The Kreisler Workout
The Violin Channel
Violinist David Castrobalbi maximizing his time during quarantine.
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