Did you guys pick up copies of the new BSO album releases when I first told you about them at the start of the year ( here )? If you didn't yet, you're going to want to now, because one of those recordings just earned the BSO three Grammy nominations. James Levine and the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s recording of Ravel’s complete Daphnis and Chloé, featuring the Tanglewood Festival Chorus, John Oliver, conductor, has been nominated for Grammy Awards in the categories of Best Classical Album... Read Full Story
[The Jamaica Symphony Orchestra in concert at the Assembly Hall, University of the West Indies, Mona, on Sunday. - Winston Sill/Freelance Photographer (Photo from The Gleaner)] Here are excerpts from an email from David Robinson, who is in Jamaica: “I am having a great time in Jamaica serving as artist-in-residence with the Jamaica Symphony Orchestra.” “It was founded by Chicagoan, Lisa Darby Walker. I met her at NANM in 1991 when she was a college student in grad school.” “She has been... Read Full Story
[Darryl Harris Sr., a doctoral student in musical arts at the University of Southern Mississippi, performs at the university’s Children’s Center for Communication and Development. (Southern Miss Marketing and Public Relations photo by David Tisdale)] Darryl Harris is an African American bassoonist with whom we have been in touch for some time. On Dec. 11, 2008 AfriClassical posted: “Bassoonist Darryl E. Harris, Sr. Plays at Children's Center for Communication and Development.” Darryl made a... Read Full Story
[Atlanta Symphony Orchestra's Talent Development Program; Photo from AtlantaSymphony.org] ATLANTA SYMPHONY ORCHESTRA’S TALENT DEVELOPMENT PROGRAM ANNOUNCES 2009 FALL MUSICALE Sunday, November 8, 2009 Annual Musicale Fundraiser-Recital To Feature TDP Student Musicians The Atlanta Symphony Orchestra’s Talent Development Program , which supports young African-American and Latino student-musicians, will hold its annual Fall Musicale on Sunday, November 8, 2009 at 6:00 p.m. at the Richard H. Rich... Read Full Story
Conductor James Levine is withdrawing from upcoming performances with the Metropolitan Opera and Boston Symphony Orchestra to have surgery for a herniated disk in his back. Levine has had a series of health problems in recent years. He tore his rotator cuff in March 2006 when he tripped and fell on the stage of Boston's Symphony Hall during ovations, and his right kidney was removed in July 2008 because of a malignant tumor. A hand tremor that was evident in the late 1990s appears to have... Read Full Story
MiamiHerald.com Maestro James Levine to undergo back surgery Boston Herald By AP Boston Symphony Orchestra conductor James Levine has been forced to withdraw from three upcoming performances as he undergoes surgery for a herniated disc. In a statement today, the BSO said the surgery was unanticipated and would take place ... James Levine to Undergo Back Surgery, Cancels Performances New York Times James Levine to undergo surgery, cancels Met, Boston Symphony gigs Baltimore Sun Metropolitan... Read Full Story
Opening night for the Boston Symphony Orchestra will feature a tribute to retiring harpist Ann Hobson Pilot, the orchestra's first and only African-American woman. Hobson Pilot retired this summer after 40 years with the orchestra. But she will return to the stage at Symphony Hall Wednesday night as a soloist in the world premier of composer John Williams' "On Willows and Birches." The orchestra says Williams wrote the piece as a tribute to Hobson Pilot, who's considered among the top harp... Read Full Story
Erich Kunzel, the award-winning conductor who headed the Cincinnati Pops Orchestra since it was founded three decades ago and who won international fame through sales of more than 10 million recordings, has died at age 74. Kunzel was diagnosed with liver, colon and pancreatic cancer in April but continued conducting while undergoing treatment. He died Tuesday morning at a hospital near his home in Swan's Island, Maine, said Chris Pinelo, a spokesman for the Cincinnati Pops. On July 4, Kunzel... Read Full Story
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
UPDATE (3:51 pm): In response to a request for comment on today's layoffs, the BSO released this statement from Managing Director Mark Volpe:
“Like other cultural institutions nationwide, the...
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