This came over the PRNewswire today (thanks to Elaine for bringing it to my attention): Detroit Symphony Musicians Targeted for Deep Slashes; Will Other Symphony Orchestra Musicians Also Be Under Gun? DETROIT, July 29 /PRNewswire/ — Salary cuts upwards of 28 percent, drastic cuts in their health insurance, elimination of contributions to their retirement benefits,
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I have taken quite a bit of time thinking about the question of whether or not cutting arts organization budgets is a good way to their improved health. It’s a complicated question, one that the best minds in the industry can spend time arguing over ad infinitum. I’ve come to the conclusion that cost-cutting is
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
It shows how quickly the blog-based news cycle moves, that I delay a response to something I’ve read and I’m beat to my reply by a fellow violist (or as Robert Levine would put it: Bratsche Blogging Brother) in Minneapolis! David Stabler wrote an article on July 25 in the Oregonian about the cuts made
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Today I did my ride with the most climbing to date. My legs are definitely coming into shape now, just have to keep up the riding while I start doing more time on the axe as well…
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Life sucks in Pittsburgh – link. It sucks in SW Florida, too. – link. El Sistema in the US – link.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Many of you may not know that I did a little bit of free lance writing for the Strad magazine back in the early 00′s. Here’s an cover feature that I wrote about Curtis Institute of Music President Roberto Dìaz from 2003. Click here to download it in PDF format.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The Oregonian reports that Oregon Symphony and the other major arts organizations in Portland have managed to stay in the black in this tough year, largely due to belt-tightening in their budgets. For the first time in five years, the Oregon Symphony balanced its budget, although the exact numbers won’t be known until an audit
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Willamette Week has its Best of Portland issue out this week, and in the People section, they are featuring OSO husband-and-wife cellists Marilyn deOliveira and Trevor Fitzpatrick under the rubric of “Best Love Story”. Read it here.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Lorely Zgonc, concertmaster of the Portland Opera and Oregon Ballet Theatre orchestras, passed away July 11 after a long battle with pancreatic cancer. David Stabler has a lovely tribute article here.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
The famed “Vieuxtemps” violin made by Guarneri del Gesu is up for sale. Interested? Hopefully you’ve got deep pockets, the asking price is a record $18 million.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
There is a great article on the blog TechDirt that discusses why musicians (in this case, non-classical musicians) rarely make very much money from even astronomical album sales. Here’s a great graphic from the post:
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
I was alerted to this letter to the editor in last month’s Oregonian by a colleague on Facebook: Last week I had the pleasure of visiting the fabulous new auditorium connected to the Beaverton Arts and Communication school. The principal was so proud of every phase of the project from the new piano, to ballet
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Happy Bastille Day! Now that the festivals are over (until Sunriver) for me, it’s time to enjoy the freedom from upcoming playing responsibilities. I’ve been getting up early to either ride or watch the Tour de France on television, and enjoying a leisurely cup of coffee for a change, instead of choking something down in
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
After the final chords of Mendelssohn’s mighty Elijah reverberated into the Hult Center’s auditorium this past Sunday afternoon, it dawned on me that this was most likely the last performance for my poor, beleaguered tailcoat.
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
Ever played the flute? Were a pretty hot player or were you really bad at it? It doesn’t matter, you can take part in Flute Fandango (on Friday, August 6, 2010), which is a fundraiser for the Music Education Assistance Project, and aims to assemble the world’s largest flute ensemble in a bid for the
{ Comments on this entry are closed }
