FEATURE
Ballet’s New Mandate: Change or Die
San Francisco Classical Voice: Lou Fancher
What are dance artists and organizations willing to change, and will it be enough to sustain the art form? Read an interview with Trey McIntyre, Amy Seiwert, and Gregory Dawson, three choreographers/artistic directors whose work has risen to prominence and receives considerable local, national and international attention.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
FEATURING JSoM: Commanding Conservatories in the Time of COVID-19: How 9 Music Schools Are Adapting As They Reopen This Fall
WQXR: Heather O’Donovan
music schools around the country are opening their doors — whether literally or figuratively — for the new semester. Unlike six months ago, however, they’re prepared to face the challenges.
Ruth Bader Ginsburg Loved Opera, and Opera Loved Her Back
NY Times: Zachary Woolfe
Francesca Zambello, the director of that company and the Glimmerglass Festival, in upstate New York, speaks about Justice Ginsburg and her passion for opera.
Black Scholars Confront White Supremacy in Classical Music
The New Yorker: Alex Ross
The field must acknowledge a history of systemic racism while also giving new weight to Black composers, musicians, and listeners.
Black Excellence Series | Pianist James Price Johnson
The Violin Channel
JDW Sheet Music released a new episode of their ‘Black Excellence Series’ – focusing on introducing international audiences to black composers and musicians.
Aaron Dworkin – With Composer Jessie Montgomery
The Violin Channel
Aaron Dworkin sits down with American violinist and composer, Jessie Montgomery to get a better understanding of her creative process.
Dear Black Music Executives
Billboard: Anonymous
“There’s more than one side: Black creatives who are in the trenches every day want to sit down with you and have meaningful conversations about sustainable change.”
Has Music Become a Disposable Commodity?
WQXR: Lukas Krohn-Grimberghe
Our relationship to recorded sound has changed a lot. So has the way we listeners interact with the artists we’re most devoted to.
Beyond High Concept, Beyond Algorithms: Classical Recording Artists Go “Off the Leash”
WQXR: David Patrick Stearns
After decades of respectful, even beatific enshrinement, classical repertoire is being challenged, tested, and “tough loved” by its fondest champions.
The Power of Dance to Help Us Cope With Trauma
Dance Magazine: Wendy Zamora
A journey to discover what it is about dance that helps people cope with trauma and loss. Does dance transcend other activities and provide us with a deeper connection to our own humanity?
The Problem With Redemption for Wagner
The New Republic: Adam Kirsch
Willa Cather, Thomas Mann, and WEB Du Bois all drew on his work. Hitler was his most fateful disciple. Has the composer’s legacy been misunderstood?
The Thrills and Frustrations of a Rediscovered Thelonious Monk Recording
The New Yorker: Richard Brody
Thelonious Monk’s artistry is woven into the very core of jazz history. “Palo Alto,” a new release, offers its own distinctive and illuminating pleasures.
NATIONAL
Columbia Marching Band Shuts Itself Down Over ‘Offensive Behavior’
NY Times: Corey Kilgannon
The decision highlights the intense atmosphere on college campuses across the country as students scrutinize behavior and incidents that might have attracted less attention in the past.
American Clarinetist Anthony McGill Awarded Lincoln Center’s $100,000 Avery Fisher Prize
The Violin Channel
In May, 2020, Anthony McGill launched a powerful musical protest video urging people to #TakeTwoKnees in demonstration against the death of George Floyd and historic racial injustice.
The Hard-Hit Arts Sector Is Facing a Brain Drain as Ambitious Workers Seek Greener Pastures
ArtNet: Zachary Smal
Dissatisfied cultural workers are leaving the field in droves—and museums may pay the price.
Dance Out In The Wild – NYCB And Martha Graham Dancers Out Of The Theatre And Online
NY Times: Brian Seibert
A review of the premiere by BalletCollective of “Natural History,” a new work by Troy Schumacher, a City Ballet soloist who has long presented his choreography through the independently run collective, which he founded in 2010.
New York’s Wittenberg Artists Signs Four New Artists
The Violin Channel
Two of the artists were previously signed with Columbia Artists Management, Inc., which shut down all operations last month.
New York’s 92Y announces autumn season
The Strad
The series of nine streamed concerts features violinists Midori and Tai Murray, double bassist Xavier Foley and the Emerson String Quartet.
Gary Karr and François Rabbath donate treasured items to help bassists in need
The Strad
Four of Karr’s bows and Ten of Rabbath’s paintings will be donated to raise funds for Project.
INTERNATIONAL
How the Kanneh-Masons hope to demystify classical music
BBC: Rebecca Jones
The siblings, including the cellist who played at the wedding of Prince Harry to Meghan Markle, just recorded an album “aimed squarely at children. It is all part of their mission to demystify classical music, especially for young people.”
Let the healing begin: how can the Festival of Brexit unite Britain?
The Guardian: Tim Jonze
How can a festival possibly unite the country given the enduring bitterness between leavers and remainers? Last week, organizers put out a call for creative minds to come up with “daring, new and popular” ideas aimed at conjuring instant national harmony.
Rapid Covid-19 test supports London Symphony Orchestra’s return to live performance
The Strad
he new Covid-19 test delivers results in just over an hour.
BBC orchestras and choirs announce autumn program highlights
The Strad
A mixture of online and live performances with small, socially-distanced audiences make up the autumn season.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Vinyl records outsell CDs in US for first time since 1980s
The Guardian: Ben Beaumont-Thomas
Report on first half of 2020 finds that vinyl makes up 62% of physical music revenue.
Is TikTok a Music Industry Friend or Troll?
NY Times: Jon Caramancia
The app’s potential is huge as a hit generator. But its relationship to the business is far more complex.
OFF THE BEATEN TRAIL
Japan’s young musicians rally to save dying art of shamisen music
The Guardian: Justin McCurry
The makers of this ancient instrument were near to closure. But could it get a new lease of life?
Leave a Reply