FEATURE
Bloomington-Based Secretly Canadian Co-Founder Chris Swanson Looks Back on the Label’s First 25 Years
Variety: Jonathan Cohen
The company, which was founded by brothers Chris and Ben Swanson in 1996 and is still based in Bloomington, will celebrate its 25th anniversary this year via an extended campaign of reissues and new releases, all bolstered by a major hometown charity component.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Can Beethoven temper the political tensions between U.S. and China? | Trudy Rubin
The Philadelphia Inquirer
The PBS documentary “Beethoven in Beijing,” premiering Friday, portrays the historic Philadelphia Orchestra visit to Beijing, and music’s role in China’s fraught relationship with the U.S.
JSoM Alert! Sphinx Organization & Young Concert Artists Present: Illuminate Series
The Violin Channel
This series discusses three essential conversations on the subject of music education, artist activism, and the LGBTQIA+ with saxophonist Steven Banks (JSoM alumnus), violinist Randall Goosby, and flutist Anthony Trionfo.
When John Adams’ Most Playful Piece was Booed
NY Times: Joshua Barone
In the early 1980s, John Adams’s “Grand Pianola Music” defied the seriousness of classical music. Not everyone liked that.
Fifth of all songs streamed in UK in 2020 were rap and hip hop
BBC
Data from the BPI – the UK’s association of independent and major labels – shows over a fifth of songs streamed were rap and hip hop. When BPI started recording data like this in the 1990s, rap music only counted for 3.6% of the singles market. In 2020, it was 22%.
The Worst Genre of Music
12tone (video)
“Art Music” is garbage and here’s why.
NATIONAL
JSoM Alert! Prizes Awarded at 2021 Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition
The Violin Channel
Dior Quartet takes silver! The Zelter String Quartet has been awarded the Lerman Gold Prize at the 2021 Chesapeake Chamber Music Competition in Easton, Maryland.
400 Days Later, the New York Philharmonic Returns
NY Times: Zachary Woolfe
The orchestra’s first indoor concert for a live audience in 13 months was a quietly joyful celebration.
The Cleveland Orchestra Reopens Blossom Music Festival
The Violin Channel
Following last year’s cancellation due to the pandemic, ten weeks of concerts and picnics at the Blossom Music Center will return in the summer of 2021.
Hollywood Bowl to Reopen in May 2021
The Violin Channel
The outdoor venue in Los Angeles just announced plans to reopen with free concerts for front-line workers.
The Juilliard School Awards Honorary Doctorates
The Violin Channel
The five awards will be presented during the 116th commencement ceremony for the Class of 2021.
San Diego Symphony to Open New $85 Million Outdoor Venue
The Violin Channel
Called “The Shell,” the ambitious new concert hall will be opening once COVID-19 restrictions loosen and architects make finishing touches.
National Endowment for the Humanities Announces New Grants
NY Times: Sarah Bahr
The first round of funding for the year totals $24 million and will support 225 projects across the country.
Lincoln Center’s Plaza Is Going Green. Really.
NY Times: Matt Stevens
Lincoln Center, whose theaters remain closed by the pandemic, will cover the plaza around its fountain with a synthetic lawn as it pivots to outdoor performances.
INTERNATIONAL
Sony Music Africa launches new business skills programme
Sunday World
The programme is the latest in a series of global initiatives, launched through Sony Music Entertainment’s $100 Million Social Justice Fund, which focused on addressing social inequality and injustice around the world.
Gustavo Dudamel is Paris Opera’s next music director. What does this mean for L.A.?
Los Angeles Times: Mark Swed
Gustavo Dudamel will become music director of Paris Opera beginning Aug. 1, the company is expected to announce Friday morning, and Los Angeles will share the conductor with the City of Light for at least five years.
Important Mozart discovery to be auctioned in Berlin on 16 April
The Strad
Previously part of a German private collection, the manuscript sheds light on the genesis of two Mozart compositions.
Eddy de Pretto Is the Proud Sound of a New France
NY Times: Jason Farago
Born in the Paris suburbs, the singer has made waves with two albums that draw as much from ’60s chanson as contemporary hip-hop.
London’s Wigmore Hall to Reopen in May 2021
The Violin Channel
With COVID-19 restrictions relaxing in England, Wigmore Hall will be once again welcoming public audiences on May 17.
London’s Barbican Hall Announces Audience Returns for May 17
The Violin Channel
Abiding by COVID-19 restrictions, Barbican will be open to only 50 percent capacity.
Tokyo’s NHK Symphony Appoints New Chief Conductor
The Violin Channel
The Japanese orchestra announced the appointment of Fabio Luisi as its Chief Conductor, effective in September 2022.
Royal Swedish Opera Shuts Down Due to COVID-19 Outbreak
The Violin Channel
After an outbreak of 15 COVID-19 cases, the Stockholm-based opera has needed to shut down to investigate and trace.
Violinist Anne-Sophie Mutter to Become President of German Cancer Aid
The Violin Channel
This new position holds great personal significance when Mutter lost her first husband, Detlef Wunderlich, to lung cancer in 1995.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP
Aaron Dworkin — CEO of the European Union Youth Orchestra, Marshall Marcus
The Violin Channel
Aaron Dworkin sits down with Marshall Marcus, the CEO of the European Union Youth Orchestra, to discuss the connection between the UN Sustainable Development Goals and the mission of arts organizations.
15 Years of Spotify: How the Streaming Giant Has Changed and Reinvented the Music Industry
Variety: Kristin Robinson
How streaming, led by Spotify, the brainchild of Swedish entrepreneurs Daniel Ek and Martin Lorentzon, changed the industry.
Juilliard launches streaming initiative to share performances with a global audience
The Strad
The Livestream Performance Schedule includes over 250 recitals from April to June.
African futurism through Sahel Sounds
New Frame: Atiyyah Khan
Through DIY technology and a futuristic use of cellphones that is particular to Africa, the Sahel Sounds label has released roughly 60 albums in the past 10 years.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
World’s Longest Melody Played by a Model Train
The Violin Channel
The German-based attraction, Miniatur Wunderland, has won its third Guinness World Record for this feat.
Is It Possible For an Opera Singer to Break Glass with Their Voice?
Yahoo! News: Video
In movies, opera singers can shatter a wine glass using just their vocal cords, but it’s apparently a lot harder than it looks.
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