Singer James Taylor plans to donate his $500,000 in earnings from a 5-day music festival at Tanglewood next week to the Boston Symphony Orchestra. Taylor's association with the orchestra dates back more than 15 years. His wife, Kim, is a former public relations director and current trustee for the Orchestra. Taylor tells The Boston Globe that he decided to donate his earnings because he and his wife are concerned about diminishing support for classical music. The newspaper reports that the... Read Full Story
[ Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still ; Denver Oldham, piano; Koch 3 7084 2H1 (1991); The American Scene; Manhattan Chamber Orchestra; Margaret Astrup, soprano; Richard Auldon Clark, conductor; Newport Classic NCCD 85596 (1995)] The Tribune-Democrat Johnstown, Pennsylvania Published: May 22, 2009 01:32 pm 'Gala Opening' | Symphony's new season offering place for music lovers BY RUTH RICE “For the 81st year, members of Johnstown Symphony Orchestra will provide a place for music lovers... Read Full Story
The Boston Symphony Orchestra has announced the launch of its Symphony+ program, designed to enhance your concert experience. These series include pre- and post-concert events offering social and educational opportunities to concertgoers. Symphony+ events for the 2009 season include opportunities to meet the artists, discussions, film series, dinners and receptions, and a fashion event - Project Mozart. New events will be added throughout the season. Most events are free and open to all... Read Full Story
A Youth or Family Concert is sure to be a memorable experience for children, parents, and teachers alike. This year's theme is "Dance...March!" The program will showcase dances and marches from many different styles of classical music — from Mozart to Berlioz to John Williams — that will highlight the clear rhythmical structure of dance and march music. You will hear dances that are slow, fast, happy and sad, and marches that are funny, scary, and serious. Put on your dancing or marching... Read Full Story
[Mariana Green Hill; Tony Rymer (Photo by Glenn Triest)] Project STEP “Tony Rymer, a 19-year old cellist who received his pre-conservatory music training through ProjectStep (String Training and Education Program) and is currently a second year student at New England Conservatory, won the 12th Annual Sphinx Competition, February 1 at the Max M. Fisher Music Center in Detroit. His winnings include a $10,000 prize, a one year contract for career management, a professional CD from Naxos, and an... Read Full Story
Cash-strapped orchestras across the United States are under threat, as the economic crisis forces drastic austerity measures to avoid closure. The global economic downturn that has savaged financial institutions and wrecked marquee manufacturing brands is also being felt in brass sections and on conductor's podiums across the country. The depth of the crisis last month forced the Boston Symphony Orchestra -- one of the five most important in the United States -- to cancel a European tour... Read Full Story
I got to go to my very first press conference last week - I was very excited. I went to the dress rehearsal in the morning and then the BSO press conference afterwards. They had two big announcements for us. First, the '09-'10 BSO lineup was announced - it's going to be amazing. Keep an eye out for tickets to opening night - I will fight you for tickets to that show. There's going to be a world premiere of a new John Williams piece called "On Willows and Birches" and Evgeny Kissin is going to... Read Full Story
[ Photo of Tai Murray from StocktonSymphony.org ] GreenwichTime.org Diversity in the orchestra, the start of a conversation The Advocate Staff Posted: 12/28/2008 07:25:27 AM EST “ Draw a mental image of a symphony orchestra concert. Blacks and Latinos don't fit the sketch as musicians or audience members, do they? Actually, multiplicity doesn't play into the photographs of most professional orchestras, either, save for a growing number of Asians in the string sections. Diversity is a hot... Read Full Story
[ Africa: Piano Music of William Grant Still ; Denver Oldham, piano; Koch 3 7084 2H1 (1991)] InterchangingIdioms.blogspot.com/ F riday, 27 February 2009 “ March 22 Concert at Lincoln Center Conducted by Leon Botstein : 'Revisiting William Grant Still' Presents Still’s Remarkable Darker America, Africa , and Symphony No. 2 Complemented by Edgard Varèse’s Offrandes and George Whitefield Chadwick’s Rip Van Winkle Overture "The pioneering African-American composer William Grant Still (1895... Read Full Story
[Leo Brouwer; Samuel Akpabot: The Odyssey of a Nigerian Composer-Ethnomusicologist by Godwin Sadoh] AfriClassical appreciates the link in this post from Bob Shingleton's highly influential blog On An Overgrown Path to the AfriClassical.com page on Samuel Ekpe Akpabot (1932-2000). The original post features photos of floating performance stages used by the American Wind Symphony Orchestra: On An Overgrown Path Tuesday, February 03, 2009 “Bringing classical music to the people The search... Read Full Story
