One of my favorite young composers, Nico Muhly, was writing last week about the marked differences between working with instrumentalists and singers (specifically, opera singers,) and his take made me think about the seemingly widening gulf between the concert hall … Continue reading →
I should be backstage at Orchestra Hall right now, warming up for the concert that begins in 24 minutes. I was there this morning for the last rehearsal of the week, and even stuck around afterward for a chamber music … Continue reading →
One of the few pleasures of travel these days is that the endless flight delays at least afford me the luxury of catching up on my reading. At the top of the stack this afternoon is the most current edition … Continue reading →
It goes without saying that times are hard in the orchestra business, although there are modest signs that we may have gotten through the worst of it in a larger sense. (Then again, I’m just an eternal optimist…). What makes … Continue reading →
Pictured is the Orchestra during a touch-up rehearsal onstage at the Philharmonie in Cologne. The stage is clearly a departure from what we know back in Minneapolis – for the last two concerts, we’ve been in venues that are “in … Continue reading →
I’ve often bemoaned the slow pace of change in large arts organizations, particularly in relation to 21st century media. Which was why I was both delighted and fascinated by a recent article in the New York Times about a new … Continue reading →
Chicago-area violinist Holly Mulcahy has an article up over at The Partial Observer that has been making me cringe all week. The title is “How to Alienate Your Audience In 10 Easy Steps,” and it’s a full frontal assault on … Continue reading →
In yesterday’s post, I talked a bit about conductors and arrangers who “speak the language” of orchestra musicians, and how important that can be to the success of a non-classical orchestra performance. And that got me thinking back to an … Continue reading →
No, not some sort of esoteric reference, but a neew arts website. Ruminations from the Orchestra’s first rehearsal of the season can be seen at the September 17 post, “the start of the season”. I like the sports analogy, which … Continue reading →
Composer/critic Greg Sandow had an interesting post over at his ArtsJournal blog this weekend, positing, with photographic evidence, that the formal dress sported by orchestras is an outdated remnant of a time when ordinary citizens of a certain class dressed … Continue reading →
