Blog Archives - Classical Music Today

Dallas Opera sets program to train women conductors

2/27/2015

The Dallas Opera will host their first Institute for Women Conductors in November and early December. It's designed to further the careers of talented young women conductors as well as assisting women singers, accompanists and the like seeking to move into conducting.

Applications are competitive, and those selected will receive a stipend, housing, and a per diem while in Dallas. They will also conduct the Dallas Opera Orchestra in a public performance at the conclusion of their time there.

Learn more here.

If you're adventurous...

2/25/2015

...then you might be interested in this.

Beyond: Microtonal Music Festival--Feb. 27-March 1 in Pittsburgh at the Andy Warhol Museum and the University of Pittsburgh Department of Music.

Here's the rundown.

Russian ballet company to tour America

2/24/2015

The Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” will embark on a seven-city U.S. tour beginning in Milwaukee on Tuesday, March 31. Ten performances will showcase the classic fantasy ballet “Swan Lake,” featuring music by Tchaikovsky and an impressive cast of some of the world’s best dancers. The Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” continues to captivate audiences worldwide, adhering to the signature aspects of Russian ballet as a whole: true expressivity, dramatic presentation and impeccable technical presentation.

Created in 1990 by the family of professional ballet dancers, The Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” dynasty is more than 100 years old. Artistic Director Alexander Bruskin is a former soloist of the famed Kirov Ballet, a former classmate of the renowned Mikhail Baryshnikov, and a former student of legendary ballet instructor Alexander Pushkin.

Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” performers are graduates of Saint Petersburg’s prestigious Vaganova Ballet Academy, founded in 1738, and continue to perform on the oldest stages in Saint Petersburg. Consistently delighting sold-out audiences worldwide with world-class dancers and dazzling costumes, the Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” continues to make international touring a large part of its contribution to furthering Russian dance and culture.

The Saint Petersburg State “Russian Ballet” U.S. performance schedule, venue and ticket information is as follows:

Tuesday, March 31
Riverside Theater
116 W. Wisconsin Ave., Milwaukee
8 p.m. (doors 7 p.m.)
Tickets: On sale now | $60 | $80 | $100
Available at the Riverside Theater Box Office or pabsttheater.org.
Tuesday, April 7
Van Wezel Performing Arts Center
777 N. Tamiami Trail, Sarasota, Fla.
8 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now | $45 | $65 | $85 | $100 | $120
Available at the Van Wezel Performing Arts Center Box Office, vanwezel.org, or by phone at 941-953-3368.
Wednesday, April 8 and Thursday, April 9 – Two performances!
Lucas Theatre
32 Abercorn St., Savannah, Ga.
7 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now
Available via lucastheatre.com, or by phone at 912-525-5050.
Saturday, April 11 and Sunday, April 12 – Two performances!
Jones Hall for the Performing Arts
615 Louisiana St., Houston
7 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now
Available at the Jones Hall Box Office or houstonfirsttheaters.com.
Thursday, April 16
Lila Cockrell Theatre in the Henry B. Gonzalez Convention Center
200 E. Market St., San Antonio
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now $40 | $65 | $80 | $95 | $110
Available at the Alamodome Box Office, all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000.
Tuesday, April 21 and Wednesday, April 22 – Two performances!
AT&T Performing Arts Center Winspear Opera House – Margaret McDermott Performance Hall
2403 Flora St., Dallas
7 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now
$43.50 | $53.50 | $63.50 | $103.50 | $123.50 | $143.50 | $163.50
Available at the AT&T Performing Arts Center Information Center, ticketdfw.com, or by phone at 214-871-5000.
Thursday, April 23
Mahalia Jackson Theater for the Performing Arts
1419 Basin St., New Orleans
7:30 p.m.
Tickets: On sale now | $60 | $85 | $130
Available at the Mahalia Jackson Theater Box Office (day of show only), or in advance at all Ticketmaster outlets, ticketmaster.com, or by phone at 800-745-3000.

Famed musician Philip Pickett convicted of sex crimes

2/23/2015

Philip Pickett has been for decades a well-known musician, leader of early music ensembles, and teacher at the Guildhall School of Music. As of last Friday, he is also now a convicted sex offender. Reports are that he would lure young women into sound-proof practice rooms and then force himself on them. The incidents of which he was convicted occurred in the 1970s and 1980s, but recently received attention from authorities--after having been dismissed by school officials at the time.

Pickett, 64, will likely spend the next 11 years in prison.

The Guardian has the complete story here.

National Symphony to replace its conductor

2/19/2015

More Music in Austin

2/18/2015

Classical station KMFA in Austin is bucking the trend among classical stations of airing mostly syndicated classical programming. They are now airing 22 hours of locally created programming every weekday, dropping the classical service they were using. The only syndicated programming during the week will be Performance Today. Weekends will have a bit more, including the Metropolitan Opera, Sunday Baroque, some symphony broadcasts and the like.

It will be of great interest to those of us in the business to see how successful their efforts are.

KMFA's press release about the change should be available here.

The World's Most Accessible Orchestra

2/17/2015

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra bills itself now as the most accessible orchestra on the planet--and they might just be right. The orchestra is now broadcasting many of their concerts on the web free of charge. The initiative has been underway in some form for a couple of years or so, and the orchestra has had as many as 15,000 people viewing a single concert.

The next concert will be an all-Tchikovsky program, featuring Romeo and Juliet, the Symphony no. 3, and the suite from Swan Lake. You can view it at www.dso.org.

Valentine's Day music--one conductor's picks

2/12/2015

Conductor JoAnn Falletta shares her top 10 picks for Valentine's Day:

1. You Are So Beautiful (Joe Cocker)

2. Symphony no. 2 (Rachmaninoff)

3. The Way You Look Tonight (Jerome Kern)

4. Se (Ennio Morricone)

5. Oblivion (Astor Piazzola)

6. Romeo and Juliet (Tchaikovsky)

7. My Funny Valentine (Rodgers and Hart, as sung by Franks Sinatra)

8. Someone to Watch Over Me (Gershwin)

9. Misty (Erroll Garner, as sung by Johnny Mathis)

10. Adagietto (from Symphony no. 5 by Gustav Mahler)

The sad story of a pianist who fell on hard times

2/11/2015

Anne Naysmith was an English pianist who at one point showed some promise, but fell on hard times, first living in her car, and then on the street. I wish I could say the story has a happy ending, but she passed away today after being hit by a truck (or lorry, as they say).

Here's the story.

What makes one violin sound better than another?

2/11/2015

Why does a Stradivarius (Guarneri, et al) sound so good? Web site Phys.org, a site dedicated to science, research and technology, reports that scientists at MIT are on the case.

You can read about their work and the factors they believe contribute to the acoustic power of violins here.