June 22, 2012  |
| | | Thought of the Day | | Be kind whenever possible. It is always possible.
--Dalai Lama
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| Quote of the Week | | Let him that would move the world first move himself. --Socrates
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| | Sydney Opera House to Pipe in Orchestra | | 
As iconic an architectural landmark as it is, the Sydney Opera House is notorious for its mercilessly cramped orchestra pit. In order to pull off Korngold's Die tote Stadt, with the score's requirement for harmonium, piano, organ, two harps, and an outsized wind section - not to mention strings and percussion - Opera Australia has decided to put the entire 88-piece orchestra and 60-member chorus in another room and pipe the sound into the auditorium. Christian Badea conducts. The singers will wear microphones, but only for the audio feed going to orchestra members' headphones. The audience will hear the voices unamplified. Conductor Badea will be visible to the cast via stage monitors. Other than the singers being unamplified, this is precisely what has been going on for years in Broadway houses. The entire orchestra for A Chorus Line was in the basement of the theater. Such is the case as well with the current Jersey Boys band, except that the percussion section is in yet another space, across the street from the theater. Because of its physical requirements, Die tote Stadt will be making its Australian debut with these performances. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
Cologne Opera Intendant Fired; Music Director Quits |  BERLIN -- The City of Cologne has dismissed Opera Intendant Uwe Eric Laufenberg with immediate effect following months of conflict. Laufenberg threatened to resign last April unless the City met his demand for an additional two million euros in the budget, delaying the announcement of the 2012-13 season. Authorities eventually capitulated and, last the media heard, extended his contract through 2018. Apparently they have changed their mind. According to KIZ-Nachrichten, Laufenberg will contest the decision legally and has stated his intention to carry through with plans to stage three new productions in the coming season. Meanwhile, just yesterday, Markus Stenz ended his contract as both artistic director of the Gürzenich Orchestra and general music director of the City of Cologne two years before it was set to expire in 2014. American conductor James Gaffigan was recently named the Gürzenich Orchestra's first principal guest conductor starting next season. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
| | | 'Déjà Vu' at Naumburg Violin Finals |  NEW YORK -- It was "déjà vu all over again" as I arrived at the Manhattan School of Music's Borden Auditorium the afternoon of June 12 to hear three finalists compete for first prize in the 2012 Naumburg Violin Competition. First, I saw Robert Mann, the Walter W. Naumburg Foundation's president, who himself won the Competition's top prize in 1941. Peter Winograd and Leonidas Kavakos, whom I heard in Carnegie Hall when they both won prizes in 1986, were now members of the jury, which also included John Corigliano, Nicholas Mann, Joel Smirnoff, Masao Kawasaki, Mark Sokol, and Elmar Oliveira, also a onetime Naumburg winner. The three finalists were Kristin Lee, a native of South Korea and an alumna of the Juilliard School; Elly Suh, also a South Korean native and Juilliard alumna; and Kentucky-born Tessa Lark, a recent graduate of the New England Conservatory. Her account of Bartók's Sonata No. 1 was hands down the finest playing of the entire event, so it was no surprise to hear Nicholas Mann announce her name from the stage as the winner. The launch of a promising career.
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Oregon Symphony Chief Executive to Leave | | 
Elaine Calder will leave her post as executive director of the Oregon Symphony Aug. 31. She plans to return to her native Canada and to her job as director of the Shaw Festival, which she ran from 1990 to 1994. Calder extended her contract by four years in 2010, so the departure is somewhat unanticipated.
She is credited with turning the orchestra's finances around completely since her arrival in 2006. At the time, the organization faced a $1.6 million deficit and had long-term debt of $7.2 million. Bankruptcy was a possibility. Now, the symphony routinely ends the fiscal year with a small surplus.
Music Director Carlos Kalmar has had a hand in the orchestra's success as well, especially after the positive reviews he and the symphony received last year at Spring for Music in Carnegie Hall. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
Audra McDonald Leaves Porgy for Awhile | NEW YORK -- Bess is taking a rest. Audra McDonald is temporarily stepping down from her Tony Award-winning role in The Gershwin's Porgy and Bess while she recovers from inflamed vocal cords. She is due to return July 3. Says her spokesman: "No one is more frustrated and disappointed than she is that she will be out of the show through the end of June, but she must adhere to her doctor's orders." At this month's Tonys, McDonald was named best lead actress in a musical and her show was named best musical revival. MA.com subscribers read the full story |
Eugenia Zukerman's Tanglewood Vlog |  | | My Tanglewood Vlog |
I love Tanglewood and the Berkshires, and it's a privilege to help celebrate the 75th anniversary of this fabulous festival. In my Tanglewood Vlog you'll find conversations with conductors, soloists, orchestra members, composers, BSO administration, and students, along with interviews at some of the many restaurants, art galleries, museums, hotels, and shops in the area. I'll be posting new videos, with accompanying text, several times each week from now through September 2 to illuminate Tanglewood's powerful appeal, while also giving you a glimpse into some of the area's best known gems and hidden treasures. Here's to happy summer days and nights filled with great music! |
| Is A Choral Group Required To Have Workman's Compensation? |  To submit a question to FTM Arts Law write to LawAndDisorder@MusicalAmerica.com Dear Law & Disorder: We have a non-profit choral group.One of our local public television stations has sent us a contract to record and broadcast one of our concerts this December and they have an item that requires us to have workman's comp on our entire group. We currently only have 3 staff employees (all part-time) and the performers themselves are not employees. As a non-profit, are we required by law to carry workman's comp on members of our group? We are wondering if we can sign this agreement if we don't carry workman's comp insurance.
Read the full story |
| A Roman Candle | 
From A Rich Possession by James Conlon
About a week ago I witnessed a heart-warming spectacle in Rome. Imagine 750 kids between the ages of five and twelve, screaming, giggling, squealing with delight, singing, dancing while running on and off the stage of a theater. It lasted about an hour and ten minutes in all. They were grouped together by age and filled almost the entire orchestra level of a theater. The adults are allowed to sit in the back and in the balcony, where the teachers could watch their students from a distance and their parents could videotape freely and take as many photos with their iPhones as their hearts desired. Read the full story
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| Latest Roster Changes | |  Musical America is helping presenters keep up with its advertisers! Managers whose rosters appear in the 2012 edition of the Musical America Directory should write to listings@musicalamerica.com with the names of artists and attractions that have been either added or removed, and please be sure to indicate "added" or "removed."
NEW THIS WEEK Burdenko, Roman, baritone, added, Fletcher Artist Management (North American representation)
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