FEATURE
Prompted by the Pandemic, Opera Philadelphia Innovates Online
NY Times: Seth Colter Walls
Opera Philadelphia pluckily spent 2020 commissioning new work and launching its own streaming service. OperaPhila.tv, which debuted in October and is available as an app for major streaming devices, so far features just one vintage broadcast: an engaging 2015 production of Verdi’s “La Traviata,” featuring a then-rising soprano Lisette Oropesa. Everything else, including a new version of David T. Little’s “Soldier Songs” that premiered recently, has been produced during the pandemic.
JSoM Alert! Student-led Local opera company to live-stream Poulenc
Herald Times (reposted on OECD blog): Connie Shakalis
Recently formed not-for-profit Bloomington Chamber Opera is preparing to live-stream Poulenc’s gripping one-singer opera “La voix humaine” (The Human Voice) on Jan. 29 and 31.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Can viral success make a music career? (in some cases, yes!)
BBC: Alex Taylor
“I was a postman on Friday. Now I have just signed to the biggest record label in… the world”. In the space of just a few weeks, Scottish postie Nathan Evans has quit his Royal Mail job and signed to Polydor records after storming TikTok with centuries-old sailor songs known as sea shanties.
Tokenism vs. Representation: How Can We Tell Them Apart?
Dance Magazine: Theresa Ruth Howard
The standards of what was once acceptable, or enough, no longer suffice.
Dancing While Black: 8 Pros on How Ballet Can Work Toward Racial Equity
Dance Magazine: Gabrielle Salvatto
Black dancers from several different ballet companies tell their stories as well as their insights on how ballet can work towards true equity and diversity.
With A Leap Across Gender Norms, A Rising Ballet Star Looks To Rewrite Rules Of Dance
NPR: Martha Ann Overland
Ballet itself is evolving. Choreographers are restaging classical ballets and incorporating modern dance techniques. They are embracing diversity, especially in terms of color, in order to be relevant as well as to attract a younger audience.
At Biden’s Inaugural Events, the Music Was Earnestly Reassuring
NY Times: Jon Pareles
Artists including Bruce Springsteen, Demi Lovato and John Legend tried to bring together an America that couldn’t gather in person, and irony and bombast were banished.
New Report: Audiences Want Vaccines and Masks Before They Return
American Theatre
The report also indicates that streaming content has been “overwhelmingly” enjoyed by those surveyed. Over 77 percent have watched online streaming content since the pandemic closures began, with less than 3 percent saying they did not enjoy watching these virtual events.
Dr. Fauci Suggests U.S. Theater Reopening Timeline
The Violin Channel
The top infectious disease expert in the United States stated that venues could potentially reopen sometime this coming fall.
‘Tiny Pretty Things’ Falls for Big Ugly Ballet Stereotypes
NY Times: Gia Kourlas
Why is it so hard to show the dance world as it is? This Netflix series about students at a ballet school is yet another cartoonish depiction.
Keep Beethoven Weird
New Yorker: Alex Ross
We’ve put the scowling composer in a box.
We Don’t Just Need A Review Of Music Streaming: We Need A Review Of The Entire Music Ecosystem
Forbers: Shain Shapiro
In the U.K., there is an ongoing soap opera, via the DCMS Digital, Culture, Media and Sport Committee’s enquiry into music streaming. Here’s the session.
Lubozhutz & Nemenoff, Tabuteau, and the Future of Classical Music Video
Nightingales Sonata: Thomas Wolf
The history of classical music and the advance of technology have always gone hand in hand. Just ask pianists how effectively they might be able to play Stravinsky’s “Petrouchka” Suite, let alone more contemporary works, on a piano made in Mozart’s time. The technical advances in piano building—as with many instruments—have made possible whole new possibilities not only in playing but in composing as well.
Playing Bach, Was He a Pioneer or a Reactionary?
NY Times: David Allen
The conductor and keyboardist Karl Richter’s legacy can be explored anew with a 100-disc box set.
Attend a Jazz Festival and Take a Superhero Yoga Class
NY Times: Katherine Cusumano and Emma Grillo
In celebration of Martin Luther King’s Birthday, revisit “The West Wing” and explore a new exhibit from the National Museum of Women in the Arts.
NATIONAL
Esa-Pekka Salonen and S.F. Symphony to debut a streaming service meant to go on beyond pandemic
Datebook: Kristen Loken
The orchestra has a designated home for its digital offerings — one that Music Director Esa-Pekka Salonen says will outlive the current constraints to become a regular part of the Symphony’s activities.
Composer Peter Boyer’s Piece Commissioned for Biden/Harris Inauguration
The Violin Channel
The United States Marine Band commissioned the American composer for a special fanfare to be performed at the U.S. Capitol on January 20th, 2021.
2021 Sphinx Competition Semi-Final Round
The Violin Channel
Hosted annually, the competition is open to American Black and Latino classical string soloists.
Louisville Orchestra Adapts COVID Safe Musician Setup
The Violin Channel
The ensemble has found ways to perform together safely in person, so as to record concerts for virtual viewing.
Pacific Symphony’s New Contract Paves the Way for Its Reemergence
San Francisco Classical Voice
The orchestra announced Thursday, Jan. 14, that its musicians and board of directors have settled on a four-year contract, through Aug. 31, 2024.
INTERNATIONAL
Raw, brave, wild and honest: why Germany is Europe’s greatest artistic nation
The Guardian: Jonathan Jones
Germany became a unified state 150 years ago this week – and no other country has produced such original, provocative and powerful art since, from Richter to Klee, from Dix to Höch
UK government rejects ‘musician passports’ as stars attack ‘shameful’ touring deal
The Guardian: Laura Snapes
Minister says UK is not pursuing a touring waiver, as stars including Elton John and Sting say musicians ‘shamefully failed’ by Brexit.
Finghin Collins: ‘Ireland has done extremely well for the arts online’
Irish Times: Michael Dervan
The pianist on Music for Galway and working on his repertoire during lockdown.
Basil Twist in Paris: When Puppets Meet Baroque Opera
NY Times: Laura Cappelle
Before his directorial debut in France, with Mondonville’s “Titon et l’Aurore” at the Opéra Comique, the virtuoso puppeteer discussed the challenges of working in a pandemic.
Violinist Lara St. John Launches New Live Concert Series
The Violin Channel
The Canadian violinist announced her new digital concert series, “The Atterbury House Sessions,” to be streamed on The Violin Channel.
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla to step down as CBSO Music Director in 2022
Graophone: Editorial Column
‘I have decided to give up my position of Music Director of the CBSO at the end of the 2021-22 season and have happily accepted the orchestra’s invitation to become Principal Guest Conductor in the 2022-23 season,’ Gražinytė-Tyla said.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
How one musician took on the world’s biggest TV network over copyright—and won
ArsTechnica: Chris Stokel-Walker
Copyright infringement on the Internet is as old as the Internet itself. Lax rules and the free spirit ethos that embodied the early days of the Web made it seem almost acceptable to share illicitly obtained copies of materials with fellow users.
Top 10 Business Trends for Arts and Cultural Organizations
The Violin Channel
The international arts management consultants, TRG Arts, released the Top 10 Business Trends for Arts and Cultural Organizations for 2021.
Aaron Dworkin — With Interlochen’s President Trey Devey
The Violin Channel
Aaron Dworkin sits down with Trey Devey, President of the Interlochen Center for the Arts, to discuss the power of arts education.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
How to Make Vegan Brie With Cellist Russhad Eggleston
The Violin Channel
Nomadic wild cello goblin, Rushad Eggleston’s, improvised explanations of the vegan cashew treat.
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