astoria music festival returns June 9, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : chamber music, music, soloists & recitals, summer festivals, the orchestra world, add a comment
Arriving at the last minute, the Astoria Music Festival returns this summer in full force with a slate of varied offerings June 19-29 in Astoria.
Here’s a look at the concerts on offer this year: (more…)
executive and music director pay June 3, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : labor issues, the orchestra world, 7commentsDrew McManus has his annual compensation reports available over at adaptistration.com - I’d encourage you to take a look of how much we all get paid is of interest to you. What I found interesting was the relationship of executive and music director compensation to that of the orchestra members.
First, a bit of perspective. Here’s the ratio of average CEO compensation to average worker compensation from 1980 to 2006:
more flanagan report analysis April 8, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : research study, the orchestra world, add a commentBrian Rood, member of the Kansas City Symphony and ICSOM President, has written an interesting and accessible analysis of the methodology, history and findings of the by now practically infamous Flanagan Report. You can read it in its entirety after the jump. (more…)
no. 2 pencil definitely required March 7, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : music, the orchestra world, add a commentI heard some delicious gossip from a major midwestern orchestra the other day, namely that the music director re-seated the first violin section after the following series of events happened:
1) Gave instructions about dynamics to the violins, asking that they be noted in the parts.
2) Concerts came and went, dynamics were largely not played by said violin section.
3) Music director blows a gasket, looks at all the violin parts to see which ones had been marked, and which hadn’t.
4) Re-seated the violins so that every non-marker would sit with a marker.
5) Hilarity ensued.
I’m sure that (5) did not happen, and I haven’t heard confirmation of this story, but if anyone knows the real poop, I’d love to hear it from the horse’s mouth, so to speak…
first meetings March 6, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : conducting, music, the orchestra world, add a commentToday 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. (more…)
better living through chemistry March 3, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : conducting, music, the orchestra world, add a commentNSO 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 music director right now, his remarks are very prescient.
Here’s a sample: (more…)
grim-faced music making? January 25, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : music, the orchestra world, 1 comment so farI read with interest an archived review by Stephen Marc Beaudoin from the Willamette Week of the OSO’s last classical subscription concert, which featured the works of MacMillan’s The Confession of Isobel Gowdie and Mendelssohn’s Incidental Music to A Midsummer Night’s Dream. It was nice to hear that the MacMillan was appreciated (I even had a woman approach the edge of the stage at the end of intermission to thank me for that piece in particular), and the high state of artistic prowess that the orchestra acknowledged. (more…)
here’s some good news for a change January 21, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : music, the orchestra world, add a comment
The Kansas City Star reports that the Kansas City Symphony’s subscription sales for next season are up over last year’s record increases, and that major new outreach plans are in the works to revitalize the orchestra. (more…)
freeway philharmonic January 21, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : freelancing, music, the orchestra world, add a commentI just found out about a documentary which might provide great insight into the lives of musicians who are making ends meet in orchestras that are part-time. There is a group of orchestras in the extended Bay Area of California which are collectively known as the “Freeway Philharmonic”, because their musicians spend most of their time driving on the freeways from one gig to another to make a living. (more…)
columbus’ conductor takes a stand January 21, 2008
Posted by Charles Noble in : conducting, music, the orchestra world, add a comment
Photo credit: Koichi Miura
Photo courtesy of Frank Salomon Associates
Junichi Hirokami, the music director of the Columbus Symphony (who I hear is fantastic), has been interviewed by the Columbus Dispatch and made some telling remarks about the situation there. (more…)
