Issue:
Issue: May 2014
By now you are aware that the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra, still shell-shocked and wary, but strengthened in countless ways by our unity and resolve, returned to the stage of Orchestra Hall in early February. At the musicians’ request, Maestro Stanislaw Skrowaczewski, conductor emeritus and music director from 1960 to 1979, was invited to conduct the first pair of “homecoming” concerts. … [Read more...]
Issue: Chairperson's Reports
Recently I was speaking with a group of young musicians preparing to embark upon their professional careers. We were covering many of the issues that symphonic musicians must confront and exploring the important role that advocacy will play for the next generation of orchestral players. Of course, the musicians were interested in the recent, well-publicized difficulties in the field, such as last … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2014
The North Carolina Symphony, Music Director Grant Llewellyn, and cellist Zuill Bailey joined forces to celebrate Benjamin Britten’s centenary with a release of his Symphony for Cello and Orchestra. The recording, released in January on the Telarc label, debuted No. 1 on the Billboard Traditional Classical Albums Chart and is a top New York Times Classical Playlist pick. Writing in the Huffington … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2014
As has been true over the past two years, the Minnesota Orchestral Association (MOA) played its most recent decision close to the vest. That may be because the outcome remained unpredictable. Ever since productive negotiations began in earnest last December, we were told that the steps needed to mend a broken organization would have to follow a sequence. And indeed, the three foundational bricks … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2014
During the summer of 2013 it became increasingly clear to the management and board of the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra that there would be a substantial operating deficit for the 2012–2013 fiscal year (which ended on August 31). This was due in large part to the withdrawal of several major annual gifts that functioned as bridge funding. A large annual deficit would be a problem in and of itself; … [Read more...]
Issue: Editor's Reports
In 2013, poachers used cyanide to poison a water hole in Hwange National Park, Zimbabwe’s largest game reserve, indiscriminately killing an unprecedented number of elephants and other safari animals. The reason for this horrendous massacre is simple: African elephant tusks (ivory) are still worth money on the black market, even though commercial trade in ivory has been banned by treaty since … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2014
At the 3rd FIM (Fédération Internationale des Musiciens) International Orchestra Conference, held in Oslo, Norway in February, Chairperson Bruce Ridge participated in a panel that explored the following topic: “While some orchestras are impacted by a drop in resources or by budgetary cuts, others continue to develop and flourish. What responsibility do politicians have?” Below are his … [Read more...]
Issue: May 2014
On February 21, 2014, 70 years to the day after New York City Opera’s first performance, the musicians of the New York City Opera Orchestra joined other artists associated with the company in a gala concert dubbed 70 Years of the People’s Opera. The location of the concert was the New York City Center, where the New York City Opera opened in 1944. Of course, “People’s Opera” refers to the moniker … [Read more...]
