RTÉ's cuts to National Symphony Orchestra are no accident

Dee Forbes wants to give the impression RTÉ is committed to maintaining two orchestras, but it has forced the NSO into a situation of atrophy

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What's the deal with music copyright law? 'Seinfeld' composer speaks to Penn Law students

Jonathan Wolff, the composer for 75 primetime network TV shows including Seinfeld, talked to Penn students about how he used the law to further his career at an event on Feb. 27.

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Danielle Perrett: Renowned harpist jailed for abusing schoolboy

A renowned harpist and her former partner have been jailed for sexually abusing a schoolboy in the 1980s.

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The Proms pledge 50:50 gender balance - but only for contemporary composers

The Proms has pledged to achieve a 50/50 gender balance by 2022 — but only among the contemporary composers whose work is performed.

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Why won’t you let me play, demands Tourette’s pianist Nick van Bloss (PAY WALL)

Yet over the past ten years Van Bloss has been snubbed by nearly all of Britain’s top orchestras. He has drawn the unhappy conclusion that classical music bosses are afraid to hire him because he has Tourette syndrome.

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Ever heard a conductor sing?

This is Barbara Hannigan at this week’s Victoires de la Musique.

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UK Music teachers’ salaries not keeping up with inflation, finds new survey

According to research by the Incorporated Society of Musicians (ISM), 57 per cent of self-employed teachers haven’t had a raise since September 2016

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Stolen Degas painting Les Choristes found on a bus

Les Choristes, meaning The Chorus, is 32cm (13 in) wide

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Derry Cathedral gets HLF funding to restore legendary hymn-writer's portrait

In 1848 Mrs Alexander published a slim volume of hymns which was to make her name renowned throughout the English speaking world. This was called “Hymns for Little Children” and included among others “All Things Bright and Beautiful”, “Once in Royal David’s City” and “There is a Green Hill Far Away”

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Mikko Franck, directeur musicale de l'Orchestre Philharmonique de Radio France devient ambassadeur de UNICEF France

Mikko Franck, nouvel ambassadeur de l'UNICEF France, un chef d'orchestre au service des enfants

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Creative Scotland boss 'profoundly sorry' over funding row

The organisation was heavily criticised over recent funding decisions, which saw board members resign in protest.

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Takács Quartet in Boulder announces retirement of founding member

The Boulder-based Takács Quartet announced Thursday that founding member and second violinist Károly Schranz will retire from the Grammy-winning ensemble — in residence at the University of Colorado College of Music since 1986 — effective May 1.

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Areta Zhulla to Become First Violinist of the Juilliard String Quartet Beginning September 2018

Joseph Lin to Step Down at the End of the 2017-18 Season and Remain on the Juilliard Faculty

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Romanian soprano rewarded with the Victoire d'Honneur for the entire career

Romanian soprano Angela Gheorghiu will receive the Victoire d'Honneur award on Friday, February 23, during the 25th edition of Les Victoires de la Musique Classique.

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When you don’t have a trumpet mute to hand, use a plastic bottle

Two trumpet players from the London Symphony Orchestra were playing Stravinsky’s The Rite of Spring, when the audience noticed something a little… odd.

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Record $1.8M donated to Arkansas Symphony (paywall)

An Arkansas native left $1.8 million to the Arkansas Symphony Orchestra, the largest individual donation in the group's history, to foster music education and endow the principal cello chair.

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LA Chamber Orchestra names Jaime Martín as music director

LACO is expected to announce Tuesday that Martín is the successor to Jeffrey Kahane, who stepped down in June after a 20-year tenure.

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Dallas Symphony Orchestra Is so Tight-Lipped, We're Gonna Have to Predict Its Next Music Director

One DSO employee told us that the conductor search is as secretive as the Vatican electing a pope.

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Letter: Classical music as crime deterrent a sad commentary

Your recent report concerning the weaponization of “classical music” by the 7-Eleven store on Main Street was a depressing comment on the state of current culture.

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Key mix-up at Met leaves tenor, conductor scrambling

A key mix-up at the Metropolitan Opera left the tenor and conductor scrambling at one recent performance. The mix-up occurred Friday night when tenor Michael Fabiano began Rodolfo's famous first act aria in Puccini's "La Boheme"

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Is there a future for Lyric Opera?

The Chicago company is looking for a way to survive in a changing world.

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'Black Panther' composer found his score by trekking Africa

Composer Ludwig Göransson previously collaborated with Ryan Coogler on Creed and Fruitvale Station, and for Black Panther, he knew he'd have to do a lot of research.

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Sheku Kanneh-Mason performs at the Baftas 2018 – and becomes first musician to perform at the awards twice

Sheku performed with five of his siblings during the 'In Memoriam' section of the awards, when the film and television world pays tribute to those who've died in the last 12 months. S

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Gibson guitar company, maker of the Les Paul, facing bankruptcy after 116 years in business

Gibson guitar company, which has been a staple brand among various musical instruments since 1902, is facing bankruptcy.

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Gaetano Donizetti opera lost for 200 years set for London premiere

Eight years of detective work will culminate in July's first performance of 'amazing' tragedy by great Italian composer.

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Rare cello returned after knifepoint theft in Paris

After putting an appeal on Facebook, she received an anonymous call saying it was in a car outside her home. She found a window smashed but the instrument in "good condition".

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French musician robbed of million-euro cello at knifepoint

Award-winning soloist Ophélie Gaillard said the 18th-century cello was on loan from CIC bank.Theft alert: Gofriller cello is snatched on a Paris street

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It's hard to believe, but classical music is finally getting somewhere with its race problem - (paywall)

Late last month (actually 31 Jan), in a sea of bad or worrying news, there was actually something to cheer about. The names of the young musicians who’ve made it through to the category finals of the BBC Young Musician 2018 were announced. Among them were a fair sprinkling of musicians from a BME (black and minority ethnic) background.

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Kraków celebrates composer Penderecki's jubilee

Polish composer Krzysztof Penderecki, who turns 85 later this year, will be honoured in Kraków, a city with which he has forged close bonds throughout his career.

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African-American presence growing 'slowly but surely' in classical music, say visiting musicians

Fewer than 2 percent of musicians in professional orchestras in the U.S. are African-American, and the Florida-based Ritz Chamber Players are eager to change that.

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Diversifying the audience by having a diverse group of people on stage

Half a century has passed since the New York Philharmonic hired its first black musician, and yet the percentage of black and Latino players in top US orchestras remains woefully low. Vivien Schweitzer reports on the organisations taking action towards greater inclusivity

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Bassoonist settles age-discrimination lawsuit against symphony

John Wetherill, 63, filed sued the Indiana Symphony Society Inc., the not-for-profit that oversees the ISO, in March. The 17-page complaint alleged years of age discrimination and harassment by ISO music director and conductor Krzysztof Urbanski, and said ISO leadership knowingly allowed the behavior to occur.

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Parent penguins serenaded with violinist and red roses for Valentine's Day 'to encourage breeding'

Arabel and Pablo, who had baby penguin chicks last year as part of a program to save the Gentoo penguins from extinction, enjoyed a performance by a Royal Birmingham Conservatoire violinist.

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All the Times Renée Fleming Was Featured on a Film's Soundtrack

Renée Fleming, born on Valentine's Day, is widely known in pop culture. Perhaps more than any other singer in the world, her voice has become a signature of the mainstream when people refer to opera.

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Sharing the spotlight: Could West End job shares help actors?

Florence Andrews, who plays school principal Rosalie Mullins in the show, set up an online forum calling for job shares in the West End. It now has more than 300 members.

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Musician gunned down and killed leaving orchestra practice; friends hope for justice

Caroline Morton-Hicks, 59, had finished practicing with the Pinellas Park Civic Orchestra at the Pinellas Park Performing Arts Center when authorities said there was an altercation between her and someone else.

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San Diego Symphony names Rafael Payare as its next music director

Payare will be the 15th conductor since 1910 to guide the symphony, which gained long-term financial security in 2002 following a landmark $120 million pledge from Qualcomm founder Irwin Jacobs and his wife, Joan.

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'If someone says “I can't get used to women conductors”, at least I know what I'm dealing with': Marin Alsop

The great Marin Alsop spoke to our very own Catherine Bott backstage at the Southbank Centre, ahead of a masterclass for young conductors.

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Dallas Symphony Orchestra's Conductor Jaap van Zweden Says Goodbye With No Replacement in Sight

Hard to believe it was 10 years ago that the Dallas Symphony Orchestra heralded the arrival of a new conductor with billboards and banners implying the man only frowned and only stood in dark lighting.

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The Paris Opera At 350 Years: Innovation Keeps A Grand Institution Young

The French Revolution did away with the “royal” in the title, but the Paris National Opera and Ballet (Operadeparis.fr) exists today 350 years later thanks to its traditions created by is founding administrator Pierre Perrin and the music of Jean-Baptiste Lully, music and dance master to the king.

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Artistic differences lead to dueling Bach festivals

Portland is getting a double dose of Bach, back to back.

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Jóhann Jóhannsson: Award-winning Icelandic composer dies aged 48

Icelandic composer Jóhann Jóhannsson, who won a Golden Globe for his score to the film The Theory of Everything, has died aged 48, his manager says.

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Who Were the Singers at the Opening Ceremony of the Winter Olympics?

The theme of the ceremony was “Peace in Motion,” which was highlighted by musical performances from some notable South Korean artists.

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Carmen, Royal Opera House — a wake-up call met with boos and cheers (PAYWALL)

It does not take a gypsy fortune-teller to predict that a new production of Carmen is likely to be flawed.

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Flute camp chief stands by flutist accused of sex misconduct -

A prestigious flute camp in North Carolina is standing behind an instructor who was the subject of a University of Cincinnati sexual harassment investigation.

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Conductor Stilian Kirov commits to another year with BSO

Looks like Bakersfield Symphony Orchestra conductor Stilian Kirov will be sticking around for quite a while.

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Flute students accuse ex-University of Cincinnati professor of 2 decades of sexual misconduct

Garner, who was already prominent in the music community as the first flutist to receive a doctoral degree from Juilliard, was hired in 1992 to build the CCM flute studio's reputation and attract top-quality students. And he did.

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Junge Starpianistin darf in Berlin bleiben

Berlins Innensenator Geisel kassiert den Abschiebebeschluss gegen Anastassiya Dranchuk. Für die Musikerin war die Geschichte eine gute PR-Aktion

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The Bournemouth Symphony Orchestra welcomes the six musicians in its new disabled-led ensemble

Following auditions in November 2017, the BSO is delighted to announce the six founding musicians of its new ensemble; Siobhan Clough (violin/ viola), Phillip Howells (percussion), Roger Preston (cello), Kate Risdon (flute), Matthew Scott (clarinet) and Charlotte White (LinnStrument).

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BBC Radio 3 To Celebrate Female Composers For International Women's Day

And for the first time this year, the station has had a call-out for young female composers on the BBC Introducing page.

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Meet the composer who was also a suffragette: Ethel Smyth

Ethel Smyth was born in 1858 and rose to become one of the most prominent composers of the time – as well as a leading figure in the movement for women's suffrage.

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All Aboard: North Korea's Favorite Ferry is Carrying 140-Member Orchestra to Olympics, Sailing through Sanctions

South Korea temporarily lifted some sanctions on North Korea to allow a ferry belonging to the Kim ruling family to transport the country's 140-member orchestra to two scheduled performances in the country.

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Speech by composer Mikis Theodorakis stirs controversy

A speech at Sunday's "Macedonia" protest rally in Athens by veteran composer Mikis Theodorakis, widely respected for his resistance to Greece's junta, provoked debate on Monday.

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SAS now charging $60 cello booking fee on top of extra seat price, complains cellist

'But this rule change will leave it unaffordable for any cellist student or freelancer (i.e. those who pay for their own tickets) to use the airline.'

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Seoul may seek exemption from May 24 measures for orchestra visit

Seoul is considering seeking an exemption from the so-called May 24 measures to allow the arrival of a North Korean art performance squad to the South via ferry, the unification ministry announced on Monday.

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Sheku Kanneh-Mason breaks UK chart record

Cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason has scored the biggest-selling British debut of the year to date with his classical album, Inspiration.

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Montreal orchestra board chair 'moved' as musicians recall working with Dutoit

Several musicians have told Montreal media outlets La Presse and Le Devoir that Charles Dutoit would repeatedly insult, humiliate and verbally lash out at musicians when he was the orchestra’s artistic director from 1977 to 2002.

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Warsaw cello competition enters second stage

Nineteen cellists from 10 countries have qualified for the second stage of the Witold Lutosławski International Cello Competition in Warsaw.

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Opera world rallies round director John Copley sacked 'over joke' -

Opera singers have rallied behind an eminent British director dismissed by the New York Met for alleged “inappropriate behaviour”.

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Musical instruments in art, chosen by Marin Alsop, conductor

Music, although we rarely think of it as such, is the most abstract of art forms. That is why I love it. Where words can be confining in their literalness, music is flexible, malleable, adaptable: the same notes can be interpreted differently by every individual.

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Britain's leading opera director John Copley has been sacked from his job at the New York Metropolitan Opera

Britain's leading opera director John Copley has been sacked from his job at the New York Metropolitan Opera after what his supporters claim was a misunderstanding about a "naked" ghost.

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Austin Opera fires artistic director for alleged harassment

Austin Opera says it has fired its principal conductor and artistic director, Richard Buckley, for inappropriate behavior that violated the company’s policy on harassment.

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Veteran opera director fired for 'inappropriate behaviour'

In the latest jolt to the classical musical world, New York's Metropolitan Opera has fired the veteran British stage director John Copley after receiving a complaint about what the company described as "inappropriate behaviour in the rehearsal room".

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A tale of two cellists: Meet Laura van der Heijden and Sheku Kanneh-Mason

What are the chances? You wait years for debut albums by cello-playing former winners of the BBC Young Musician, then two come along at once.

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Robert Rattray: classical music has lost a man of verve, brilliance and generosity

The agent, manager and assistant general manager at New York’s Metropolitan Opera died suddenly this week. Tenor Ian Bostridge pays tribute to a dear friend

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Poland to post Chopin collection online

Fryderyk Chopin Institute (NIFC) on Tuesday said it would make its entire collection devoted to the 19th-century composer available online for free by 2020.

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'90% of players in West End orchestras are men' – Musicians' Union

Just one in nine players in West End orchestra pits are women, according to figures from the Musicians' Union. The statistics have prompted calls for diversity pledges in the theatre industry to extend to its orchestra pits.

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Funeral of Signor Verdi - archive, 1901 - The Guardian

The funeral of Signor Verdi this morning was most grand and imposing, notwithstanding the private and simple character given to the ceremony in accordance with the wishes of the Maestro himself.

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