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For opera fans

12/20/2018

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If you're an opera fan, there's an organization called the Bel Canto Society that I've run across.  They are a non-profit, and they focus a lot on the history of opera and opera singing, and offer books, DVDs, and more.

You can find them here.
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Well, it CAN be a "classical" instrument

12/19/2018

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The banjo has been used as a concert instrument, but that isn't its typical use.  At any rate, this seems interesting.  (from a press release, of course)

BOSTON, Dec. 19, 2018 /PRNewswire/ -- Emerson College announces the creation and launch of a first-of-its-kind digital museum devoted to the banjo – an instrument that uniquely reflects America's complicated and contested social history. The Banjo Project, set to launch in June 2019, was created by Associate Professor Marc Fields, and produced by Fields and Assistant Professor Shaun Clarke. Fields is a Visual & Media Arts Professor and Emmy-Award winning writer/director/producer for PBS, most recently for the documentary Give Me the Banjo. The digital museum, built on a searchable archive of over 300 hours of original media, archival footage, stills and recordings, will serve as a public, online cultural resource devoted to the instrument's colorful and complicated history.

The digital museum, in beta form at banjo.emerson.edu, is supported by a $100,000 National Endowment for the Humanities grant, which is the largest NEH grant received in the college's history. The award is part of $14.8 million in grants announced on December 12 by NEH for 253 humanities projects nationwide.
"The banjo has symbolized patriotism and protest, pain and pleasure, low entertainment and sophisticated leisure. It's been a black instrument, a white instrument, a laborer's pastime and a socialite's diversion, a young person's fad and an old-timer's friend. But mostly it's been a snubbed instrument," said Fields, who aims to showcase the banjo's rich and diverse music and players in their historical context.
Brought to the Americas by enslaved Africans, the banjo is the product of three centuries of cultural exchanges, appropriations and interactions and has shaped many American and transnational musical forms including the minstrel show, ragtime and early jazz, folk, blues, bluegrass, country, and world music. The instrument's complex history also resonates with current social issues and struggles in our society.
"The Banjo Project highlights many of the issues at the heart of American society today, including lingering conflicts around race, class, gender, regionalism and the collisions between folk and pop music," Fields said.
The Banjo Project combines interactive documentary, up-to-date research, curated, professionally produced content and rare archival footage and recordings and serves as a hub for partner institutions, scholars and collectors. The digital museum, developed over 15 years, is a public resource allowing users to discover the stories about America's instrument.

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100 Years of the Cleveland Orchestra

12/17/2018

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The Cleveland Orchestra is looking back at their 100th season with a video you can see here.

This season (upcoming--their 101st), the Orchestra and music director Franz Welser-Möst will make their return to Asia in March and April 2019. This tour’s repertoire includes Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No.5, with soloist Daniil Trifonov; Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony; Strauss’s Ein Heldenleben, and Prokofiev’s Symphony No. 3. This will be the nineteenth international tour under Welser-Möst’s direction, with eleven performances set across seven cities: Taipei, Macao, Shenzhen, Shanghai, Nanjing, Wuhan, and Beijing. 


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Michigan string teacher accused of harrassment

12/14/2018

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Stephen Shipps of the University of Michigan has been accused of multiple occasions of sexual harrassment over a period of almost 40 years.  He is currently on leave from his position as chair of strings.

A report from The Michigan Daily can be found here.
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Profile of the Dover Quartet

12/12/2018

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The Dover Quartet is a young ensemble that's been doing quite well for themselves in the last few years.  Laurence Vittes has written a nice profile of the group for Bachtrack, which you can link to here.
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The Classical Grammy Nominees

12/7/2018

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Here's the new list of nominees in the Classical category for the Grammy awards:

75. Best Orchestral Performance
Award to the Conductor and to the Orchestra.
  • BEETHOVEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3; STRAUSS: HORN CONCERTO NO. 1
    Manfred Honeck, conductor (Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra)

  • NIELSEN: SYMPHONY NO. 3 & SYMPHONY NO. 4
    Thomas Dausgaard, conductor (Seattle Symphony)

  • RUGGLES, STUCKY & HARBISON: ORCHESTRAL WORKS
    David Alan Miller, conductor (National Orchestral Institute Philharmonic)

  • SCHUMANN: SYMPHONIES NOS. 1-4
    Michael Tilson Thomas, conductor (San Francisco Symphony)

  • SHOSTAKOVICH: SYMPHONIES NOS. 4 & 11
    Andris Nelsons, conductor (Boston Symphony Orchestra)
76. Best Opera Recording
Award to the Conductor, Album Producer(s) and Principal Soloists.
  • ADAMS: DOCTOR ATOMIC
    John Adams, conductor; Aubrey Allicock, Julia Bullock, Gerald Finley & Brindley Sherratt; Friedemann Engelbrecht, producer (BBC Symphony Orchestra; BBC Singers)

  • BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS
    Michael Christie, conductor; Sasha Cooke, Jessica E. Jones, Edwards Parks, Garrett Sorenson & Wei Wu; Elizabeth Ostrow, producer (The Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)

  • LULLY: ALCESTE
    Christophe Rousset, conductor; Edwin Crossley-Mercer, Emiliano Gonzalez Toro & Judith Van Wanroij; Maximilien Ciup, producer (Les Talens Lyriques; Choeur De Chambre De Namur)

  • STRAUSS, R.: DER ROSENKAVALIER
    Sebastian Weigle, conductor; Renée Fleming, Elīna Garanča, Günther Groissböck & Erin Morley; David Frost, producer (Metropolitan Opera Orchestra; Metropolitan Opera Chorus)

  • VERDI: RIGOLETTO
    Constantine Orbelian, conductor; Francesco Demuro, Dmitri Hvorostovsky & Nadine Sierra; Vilius Keras & Aleksandra Keriene, producers (Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra; Men Of The Kaunas State Choir)
77. Best Choral Performance
Award to the Conductor, and to the Choral Director and/or Chorus Master where applicable and to the Choral Organization/Ensemble.
  • CHESNOKOV: TEACH ME THY STATUTES
    Vladimir Gorbik, conductor (Mikhail Davydov & Vladimir Krasov; PaTRAM Institute Male Choir)

  • KASTALSKY: MEMORY ETERNAL
    Steven Fox, conductor (The Clarion Choir)

  • MCLOSKEY: ZEALOT CANTICLES
    Donald Nally, conductor (Doris Hall-Gulati, Rebecca Harris, Arlen Hlusko, Lorenzo Raval & Mandy Wolman; The Crossing)

  • RACHMANINOV: THE BELLS
    Mariss Jansons, conductor; Peter Dijkstra, chorus master (Oleg Dolgov, Alexey Markov & Tatiana Pavlovskaya; Symphonieorchester Des Bayerischen Rundfunks; Chor Des Bayerischen Rundfunks)

  • SEVEN WORDS FROM THE CROSS
    Matthew Guard, conductor (Skylark)
78. Best Chamber Music/Small Ensemble Performance
For new recordings of works with chamber or small ensemble (twenty-four or fewer members, not including the conductor). One Award to the ensemble and one Award to the conductor, if applicable.
  • ANDERSON, LAURIE: LANDFALL
    Laurie Anderson & Kronos Quartet

  • BEETHOVEN, SHOSTAKOVICH & BACH
    The Danish String Quartet

  • BLUEPRINTING
    Aizuri Quartet

  • STRAVINSKY: THE RITE OF SPRING CONCERTO FOR TWO PIANOS
    Leif Ove Andsnes & Marc-André Hamelin

  • VISIONS AND VARIATIONS
    A Far Cry
79. Best Classical Instrumental Solo
Award to the Instrumental Soloist(s) and to the Conductor when applicable.
  • BARTÓK: PIANO CONCERTO NO. 2
    Yuja Wang; Simon Rattle, conductor (Berliner Philharmoniker)

  • BIBER: THE MYSTERY SONATAS
    Christina Day Martinson; Martin Pearlman, conductor (Boston Baroque)

  • BRUCH: SCOTTISH FANTASY, OP. 46; VIOLIN CONCERTO NO. 1 IN G MINOR, OP. 26
    Joshua Bell (The Academy Of St. Martin In The Fields)

  • GLASS: THREE PIECES IN THE SHAPE OF A SQUARE
    Craig Morris

  • KERNIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO
    James Ehnes; Ludovic Morlot, conductor (Seattle Symphony)
80. Best Classical Solo Vocal Album
Award to: Vocalist(s), Collaborative Artist(s) (Ex: pianists, conductors, chamber groups) Producer(s), Recording Engineers/Mixers with 51% or more playing time of new material.
  • ARC
    Anthony Roth Costanzo; Jonathan Cohen, conductor (Les Violons Du Roy)

  • THE HANDEL ALBUM
    Philippe Jaroussky; Artaserse, ensemble

  • MIRAGES
    Sabine Devieilhe; François-Xavier Roth, conductor (Alexandre Tharaud; Marianne Crebassa & Jodie Devos; Les Siècles)

  • SCHUBERT: WINTERREISE
    Randall Scarlata; Gilbert Kalish, accompanist

  • SONGS OF ORPHEUS - MONTEVERDI, CACCINI, D'INDIA & LANDI
    Karim Sulayman; Jeannette Sorrell, conductor; Apollo's Fire, ensembles
81. Best Classical Compendium
Award to the Artist(s) and to the Album Producer(s) and Engineer(s) of over 51% playing time of the album, if other than the artist.
  • FUCHS: PIANO CONCERTO 'SPIRITUALIST'; POEMS OF LIFE; GLACIER; RUSH
    JoAnn Falletta, conductor; Tim Handley, producer

  • GOLD
    The King's Singers; Nigel Short, producer

  • THE JOHN ADAMS EDITION
    Simon Rattle, conductor; Christoph Franke, producer

  • JOHN WILLIAMS AT THE MOVIES
    Jerry Junkin, conductor; Donald J. McKinney, producer

  • VAUGHAN WILLIAMS: PIANO CONCERTO; OBOE CONCERTO; SERENADE TO MUSIC; FLOS CAMPI
    Peter Oundjian, conductor; Blanton Alspaugh, producer
82. Best Contemporary Classical Composition
A Composer's Award. (For a contemporary classical composition composed within the last 25 years, and released for the first time during the Eligibility Year.) Award to the librettist, if applicable.
  • BATES: THE (R)EVOLUTION OF STEVE JOBS
    Mason Bates, composer; Mark Campbell, librettist (Michael Christie, Garrett Sorenson, Wei Wu, Sasha Cooke, Edwards Parks, Jessica E. Jones & Santa Fe Opera Orchestra)

  • DU YUN: AIR GLOW
    Du Yun, composer (International Contemporary Ensemble)

  • HEGGIE: GREAT SCOTT
    Jake Heggie, composer; Terrence McNally, librettist (Patrick Summers, Manuel Palazzo, Mark Hancock, Michael Mayes, Rodell Rosel, Kevin Burdette, Anthony Roth Costanzo, Nathan Gunn, Frederica von Stade, Ailyn Pérez, Joyce DiDonato, Dallas Opera Chorus & Orchestra)

  • KERNIS: VIOLIN CONCERTO
    Aaron Jay Kernis, composer (James Ehnes, Ludovic Morlot & Seattle Symphony)

  • MAZZOLI: VESPERS FOR VIOLIN
    Missy Mazzoli, composer (Olivia De Prato)
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Watch Verdi's Otello online

12/3/2018

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The Bayerische Staatsoper has opened  Verdi’s Otello, in a new production directed by Amélie Niermeyerunder and led by General Music Director Kirill Petrenko,  with sold-out performances through December 2018 and further performances on July 12 and 15, 2019. The cast features Jonas Kaufmann (Otello), Anja Harteros (Desdemona), Gerald Finley (Iago) and Evan Leroy Johnson (Cassio), among others.

International audiences can watch
 Otello on STAATSOPER.TV, the Staatsoper’s free streamable HD video service.  The stream will be available on-demand from Monday, December 3 at 12pm CET to Tuesday, December 4 at 11:59am CET.  All STAATSOPER.TV programming is available internationally for free and includes exclusive behind-the-scenes footage during intermissions.  

The viewing window is open, and you can view it here.

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    I'm a classical radio announcer, blogger, and musician.

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