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Yes, today was the first day back after the holiday break for us at the Oregon Symphony. It was also a double rehearsal day, and I was dog tired when I headed for my car after the second rehearsal of the day. One of the interesting things about working in an orchestra is how you [...]
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This scorching (but oh so appropriate) post from conductor Bill Eddins is required reading for every arts administrator out there in these times of “right-sizing” (or bottom-line-sizing, more accurately put):
I know that you’re supposed to be wedded to the bottom line but do keep in mind that the people who you are about to let [...]
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Friday we had our second set of rehearsals for our next Classical series concert with beloved violinist Itzhak Perlman at the helm. He’s really a genial guy, he acts like “one of the guys” with the orchestra and generally lets us do whatever we want to (within reason). He had a couple good comments during [...]
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More responses are coming in to the original blog post that started the online bickering over whether or not Gilbert Kaplan is a charlatan or a conductor – sometimes I ask myself, what’s the difference? – here’s a sampling:
At A Musical Rampage we get the opinion that Kaplan might not be a real [...]
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Norman Lebrecht has weighed in with his opinion of the blog post by the New York Philharmonic’s bass second trombonist David Finlayson which expressed in no uncertain terms Finlayson’s low regard for the conducting prowess and musical fitness of amateur conductor Gilbert Kaplan.
Read the Lebrecht posting and digest your initial reaction for a bit – [...]
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Towards the end of any orchestra’s season, you tend to hear a lot (make that a LOT) of armchair quarterbacking by the rank and file about the leadership of any conductor within rock throwing range. Some even make the entire organization’s woes solely the responsibility of the stick waver. I’m sure that’s gratifying [...]
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In the sporting world, if you’ve got depth on your team, then you’ve got a “great bench”. Supporting players that can come in at a moment’s notice and make a crucial difference when one of your first string players is unable to play.
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Conductor David Hattner has been appointed as the fifth conductor and music director of the Portland Youth Phiharmonic, known as America’s first established youth orchestra, founded in 1924.
Hattner’s first musical career was as a professional clarinetist, and his positions have included the Princeton Symphony, Cascade Music Festival Orchestra, New Jersey Opera Theater and the Key [...]
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We here at the OSO seem to the welcoming committee for conductors who are making their first forays into the North American market this year. Earlier this month we welcomed Pietari Inkinen of Finland, who was in his second week of being in America (after a week in Cincinnati).
This week we welcomed a visitor from [...]
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Atlanta Symphony music director Robert Spano and principal guest conductor Donald Runnicles have both had their contracts extended – Spano’s through the 2013-2014 season, and Runnicles’ through the 2010-2011 season.
Robert Spano
(photo courtesy Kirshbaum Demler & Associates )
Donald Runnicles
(photo courtesy San Francisco Opera)
Not much of a surprise, since this duo of conductors consists of two of [...]
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Today we had the first rehearsals for our upcoming classical series concerts with Finnish conductor Pietari Inkinen. He’s a guest conductor that we’ve never worked with before, and he’s very new to the U.S. conducting circuit – this is his second US orchestra ever, his first having been the Cincinnati Symphony in February.
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I was forwarded an online review of Hannu Lintu’s conducting debut with the New Jersey Symphony this past weekend. He’s an almost perennial favorite of the Oregon Symphony and its audiences, so I thought this might be of interest. I’m glad to hear that he’s on the radar for US conducting posts as [...]
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NSO bassist Jeff Weisner (with whom I was at Peabody Conservatory back in the day) has written an excellent blog post at Double Bass Blog concerning the delicate balance of chemistry that can make or break the relationship between orchestra and conductor. Since the National Symphony is, ahem, conducting a search for a new [...]
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For those of you who missed it, Gustavo Dudamel (music director-designate of the LA Philharmonic) was featured on 60 Minutes on Sunday evening. You can go here to see the video of the segment.
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Support the Oregon Symphony with your purchase of Symphony Blend coffee from Badbeard's! $2.00 of every purchase of this delicious blend of world-class Panama, Sumatra and Ethiopian coffees will be given to our local Oregon Symphony Orchestra. Our contribution to the forthcoming OSO debut in Carnegie Hall in 2011!
Local Portland pickup available (please specify when ordering!) at Sweet Masterpiece Chocolates in the Pearl district and Spella Caffe at the corner of SW 9th and Alder downtown.
A joint venture between Badbeard's Coffee and Spella Cafe, the smooth blending of notes in Symphony! will brighten any morning! 1 lb. bag $11.95 lb.
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