Based in Orange County, California, the Pacific Symphony is likely to be the next orchestra to go on strike.  Among the issues are scheduling, and the fact that the musicians are paid per-service, meaning that they are paid based on the number of concerts they play.  Most orchestras of this size hire musicians on a full-time basis, and guarantee a salary.

The strike could begin next week. 

The Orange County Register has a story here.

The Metropolitan Opera cancelled a performance at intermission on Saturday--and a performance to follow that evening--because they saw someone sprinkling a powdery substance into the orchestra pit during intermission.

Turns out the powder was (more than likely) someone's ashes.

The New York Times reports here.

The Atlanta Symphony has suffered financially in recent years, as have many orchestras.  The last round of negotiations with musicians left the orchestra short of the full complement of players, with a commitment that the organization would raise enough funds to restore the orchestra to full size by 2018.

Thanks to a $2.5 million gift from Delta Airlines, the orchestra is now fully funded ahead of schedule.

Details are on the ASO web site, which you can access here.

(from a press release)

Opera companies, schools and organizations across North America will celebrate the eighth annual NATIONAL OPERA WEEK from Friday, October 28 through Sunday, November 6, 2016, with nearly 200 opera activities and announcements in their communities. Part of National Opera Week for the second year, OPERA ADVOCACY DAY (November 1), empowers individuals to take action to support the art form. National Opera Week and Opera Advocacy Day are coordinated by OPERA America, the national service organization for opera and the nation’s leading champion for American opera.

OPERA America is delighted to announce that famous designer and beloved television personality ISAAC MIZRAHI is serving as the Honorary Chairman of National Opera Week 2016, encouraging audiences to explore opera.
 
“The more you know about opera, the more you know about life,” stated Mizrahi. “Opera is as important to me as sports are to other people — an opera season is like Wimbledon or the World Series. The power of great singing is more than any other physical effort and ten times as gratifying.”

Mr. Mizrahi welcomes audiences to National Opera Week in a video message, viewable at operaamerica.org/OperaWeek.

The Interlochen Center for the Arts has just named its new President: Trey Davey, who will be coming from Cincinnati where he is President of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra.

The whole story can be found here.

(from a press release)

This January, Daniel Barenboim and the Staatskapelle Berlin make their long-awaited return to Carnegie Hall, performing for the first time in the venue’s history a complete cycle of Anton Bruckner’s numbered symphonies in a single season (Jan 19–29). Presented chronologically in nine concerts, six of them completed by Mozart piano concertos led by the conductor-pianist from the keyboard, this epic undertaking celebrates the 60th anniversary of Barenboim’s Carnegie Hall debut. Since then, he has built an unparalleled career as a conductor, pianist, and public intellectual, proving himself not only, for many, “the world’s greatest living musician” (Financial Times), but also one of its most influential cultural pioneers. Whether addressing the Arab-Israeli conflict, the reunification of Germany, innovative educational projects, or the current migration crisis, he remains a staunch and visionary advocate for music’s transformative humanity. As he has explained:

“Harmony in personal or international relations can also only exist by listening, each party opening its ears to the other’s narrative or point of view. … People who listen to each other, both musically and in all other ways, can achieve greater things.”

Barenboim’s ideals are further exemplified in two of his newest initiatives in Berlin: the Barenboim-Said Academy, which builds upon the vision of the West-Eastern Divan Orchestra by offering training in music and the humanities to students from the Middle East and Europe; and the Pierre Boulez Saal, a Frank Gehry-designed concert hall opening in March 2017. Both are being built across from the home the of the Staatsoper Berlin, the Unter den Linden theatre, which is in the final stages of a renovation and will reopen in fall 2017.

You can see Barenboim talking about the event on You Tube: www.youtube.com/watch?v=pzOXuaAUPWs

Supreme Court Justice Ruth Bader Ginsburg will make her operatic debut on November 12, appearing in a production of "The Daughter of the Regiment" with Washington National Opera.  She won't be singing, but she will have a speaking part.

The Washington Post has more here.

Musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony remain on strike, unable to come to terms with management.

The only official event presented by the organization so far this season has been their annual fundraising gala back in September.

The Pittsburgh Post-Gazette has an update here.

A new service called Groupmuse offers an opportunity for up and coming young classical musicians to perform in homes, providing an opportunity for them to not only perform in an intimate setting and get immediate feedback, but to make a few bucks along the way as well.

There's a story about the service in Wired, which you can find here.

In addition to naming Yuja Wang as Artist of the Year, Musical America is recognizing the following:

Composer of the Year: Andrew Norman

Conductor of the Year: Susanna Malkki

Vocalist of the Year: Eric Owens

Ensemble of the Year: Eighth Blackbird