Conducting Business
200 episodes - English - Latest episode: almost 9 years ago - ★★★★★ - 8 ratingsThe latest articles from Conducting Business
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Arias in the Arena: Are Sporting Events Good for Opera?
July 02, 2014 20:41 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBWe're halfway into 2014 and opera has already worked its way into three of the year's biggest athletic events. For those keeping score, there was Renée Fleming's pop-tinged version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl; Anna Netrebko's take on the Olympic Anthem during the opening the Sochi Olympics; and on July 11th, two days before the finale of the World Cup, longtime soccer fan Placido Domingo will perform a concert in Rio de Janeiro with soprano Ana Maria Martinez (and pianist Lang L...
Arias in the Arena: Are Sporting Events Good for Opera?
July 02, 2014 20:41 - 16 minutes - 14.7 MBWe're halfway into 2014 and opera has already worked its way into three of the year's biggest athletic events. For those keeping score, there was Renée Fleming's pop-tinged version of the national anthem at the Super Bowl; Anna Netrebko's take on the Olympic Anthem during the opening the Sochi Olympics; and on July 11th, two days before the finale of the World Cup, longtime soccer fan Placido Domingo will perform a concert in Rio de Janeiro with soprano Ana Maria Martinez (and pianist Lang L...
Met's <em>Klinghoffer</em> Cancellation Reignites Old Debates
June 26, 2014 14:17 - 9 minutes - 8.36 MBThe Metropolitan Opera's decision last week to drop its HD and radio broadcasts of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer continues to draw strong responses – from newspaper editorial boards, anti-censorship groups, and music critics around the world. But this is only the latest chapter in the fraught history of this work. The opera's January 1991 premiere at the Théâtre de la Monnaie in Brussels took place in a tense atmosphere around the launch of the Gulf War, and patrons were gr...
Met's <em>Klinghoffer</em> Cancellation Reignites Old Debates
June 26, 2014 14:17 - 9 minutes - 8.36 MBThe Metropolitan Opera's decision last week to drop its HD and radio broadcasts of the John Adams opera The Death of Klinghoffer continues to draw strong responses – from newspaper editorial boards, anti-censorship groups, and music critics around the world. But this is only the latest chapter in the fraught history of this work.
When Art and Sensitivity Clash: The 'Klinghoffer' Broadcast Cancellation
June 19, 2014 20:08 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThe Metropolitan Opera's decision to cancel its global HD and radio broadcasts of John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer has stirred up heated responses from around the classical music world. Some have called the decision sensitive and sensible given the real-life subject matter. Others have said it showed a lack of courage of artistic convictions and principles. The Death of Klinghoffer centers on the 1985 hijacking of the Italian cruise ship Achille Lauro by Palestinian terrorists, who ...
When Art and Sensitivity Clash: The 'Klinghoffer' Broadcast Cancellation
June 19, 2014 20:08 - 15 minutes - 14.2 MBThe Metropolitan Opera's decision to cancel its global HD and radio broadcasts of John Adams's The Death of Klinghoffer has stirred up heated responses from around the classical music world. Some have called the decision sensitive and sensible given the real-life subject matter. Others have said it showed a lack of courage of artistic convictions and principles.
Behind Richard Strauss's Murky Relationship with the Nazis
June 05, 2014 19:58 - 18 minutes - 7.22 MBJune 11 is the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss's birth—an occasion to celebrate and also to raise questions about the composer and his actions during the Nazi era. In 1933, Strauss accepted a high-profile job from the Nazis, when propaganda minister Joseph Goebbels named him president of the Reichsmusikkammer, the State Music Bureau. Strauss wrote pieces for the Nazis including "Das Bächlein," a song dedicated to Goebbels. And he even wrote at least one letter pledging his loyalty to...
Behind Richard Strauss's Murky Relationship with the Nazis
June 05, 2014 19:58 - 18 minutes - 7.25 MBJune 11 is the 150th anniversary of Richard Strauss's birth—an occasion to celebrate and also to raise questions about the composer and his actions during the Nazi era.
Can Cleveland Really Attract the Country's Youngest Orchestra Audience?
May 29, 2014 14:45 - 9 minutes - 8.29 MBThe graying of audiences is a perennial, if growing concern for symphony orchestras. Recent data from the National Endowment for the Arts shows that senior citizens are the fastest-growing segment of the classical music audience, while 35- to 54-year-olds are turning way. One presumed reason for younger people's reluctance is the price of entry. Four years ago, the Cleveland Orchestra saw this as a significant problem and set itself an ambitious goal: to have the country's youngest symphon...
Can Cleveland Really Attract the Country's Youngest Orchestra Audience?
May 29, 2014 14:45 - 9 minutes - 8.28 MBThe graying of audiences is a perennial, if growing concern for symphony orchestras. Recent data from the National Endowment for the Arts shows that senior citizens are the fastest-growing segment of the classical music audience, while 35- to 54-year-olds are turning way. One presumed reason for younger people's reluctance is the price of entry.
Orchestras Move at Adagio Pace in Hiring Black and Latino Musicians
May 22, 2014 18:00 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MBWhen news broke that Anthony McGill would be the New York Philharmonic’s next principal clarinetist, much of the attention centered on the political intrigue – that he was filling a longstanding vacancy and the perception that he'd been "poached" from the Met Orchestra. But there's also this fact: McGill, a widely respected musician, will be the Philharmonic's first African-American principal player – and part of the roughly two percent of U.S. orchestra musicians who are black. In this po...
Orchestras Move at Adagio Pace in Hiring Black and Latino Musicians
May 22, 2014 18:00 - 21 minutes - 19.4 MBWhen news broke that Anthony McGill would be the New York Philharmonic’s next principal clarinetist, much of the attention centered on the political intrigue – that he was filling a longstanding vacancy and the perception that he'd been "poached" from the Met Orchestra. But there's also this fact: McGill, a widely respected musician, will be the Philharmonic's first African-American principal player – and part of the roughly two percent of U.S. orchestra musicians who are black.
What's Gone Wrong with Encores?
May 15, 2014 17:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBEvery concert-goer has experienced this at one time or another: a performance that is so exhilarating or so transcendent that after the final notes, the audience cheers, leaps to its feet and demands to hear more.
What's Gone Wrong with Encores?
May 15, 2014 17:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBEvery concert-goer has experienced this at one time or another: a performance that is so exhilarating or so transcendent that after the final notes, the audience cheers, leaps to its feet and demands to hear more. But what follows can be maddeningly routine, insipid and uninspired, says David Oldroyd-Bolt, a writer and pianist who recently covered the phenomenon for the Telegraph. "I think it's not only what has gone wrong with encores, it can be seen as a wider symptom of what's gone w...
Orchestras Issue Their Own Recordings: Vanity or Good P.R.?
May 08, 2014 21:24 - 20 minutes - 18.7 MBThe Berlin Philharmonic announced last week that it is launching an in-house record label, starting on May 23 with concert recordings of the complete Schumann symphonies conducted by Simon Rattle.
Orchestras Issue Their Own Recordings: Vanity or Good P.R.?
May 08, 2014 21:24 - 20 minutes - 18.8 MBThe Berlin Philharmonic announced last week that it is launching an in-house record label, starting on May 23 with concert recordings of the complete Schumann symphonies conducted by Simon Rattle. Days later, Daniel Barenboim said that he's getting his own record label – a digital-only venture called Peral Music – which starts with the conductor's third Bruckner symphony set, recorded by the Staatskapelle Berlin. That same week, the Seattle Symphony released the first CDs in its new in-ho...
Colorado Symphony Sparks Up a Concert Series for Marijuana Users
April 30, 2014 14:57 - 9 minutes - 9.03 MBWhen Colorado legalized pot this year, millions of music fans fantasized about the far-out musical experiences that will take place in the "Mile High" city of Denver. Now, the Colorado Symphony may have answered their wishes. In a bid to attract a new and younger audience, the Denver-based orchestra has announced "Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series," four pot-themed fundraising concerts from May through September.
Colorado Symphony Sparks Up a Concert Series for Marijuana Users
April 30, 2014 14:57 - 9 minutes - 9.02 MBWhen Colorado legalized pot this year, millions of music fans fantasized about the far-out musical experiences that will take place in the "Mile High" city of Denver. Now, the Colorado Symphony may have answered their wishes. In a bid to attract a new and younger audience, the Denver-based orchestra has announced "Classically Cannabis: The High Note Series," four pot-themed fundraising concerts from May through September. The orchestra has partnered with Edible Events Co., a Denver pot pro...
Ivory Ban Good for Elephants, a Headache for Musicians
April 24, 2014 04:00 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBNew Federal rules aimed at protecting Africa's endangered elephants are sending shock waves through parts of the music world.
Ivory Ban Good for Elephants, a Headache for Musicians
April 24, 2014 04:00 - 17 minutes - 16.2 MBNew Federal rules aimed at protecting Africa's endangered elephants are sending shock waves through parts of the music world. Under new regulations that began to take effect in February, musical instruments that have even the smallest amount of ivory are banned from entering the U.S. unless it can be proved that they were purchased before 1976. That includes any violin bows with a small piece of ivory at the tip, and also some bassoon bells and piano keys. “In the string world, it’s the h...
As Record Store Day Returns, Where Can Classical Buyers Shop?
April 17, 2014 18:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBLast week, J&R unceremoniously closed its store in Lower Manhattan after 43 years in business. The iconic electronics and music retailer is vowing to reopen “totally reimagined and redeveloped.” But for now at least, it has gone the way of Tower Records, HMV, Virgin Megastore, Sam Goody and other brick-and-mortar shops that used to make New York City a music superstore haven.
As Record Store Day Returns, Where Can Classical Buyers Shop?
April 17, 2014 18:00 - 15 minutes - 14 MBLast week, J&R unceremoniously closed its store in Lower Manhattan after 43 years in business. The iconic electronics and music retailer is vowing to reopen “totally reimagined and redeveloped.” But for now at least, it has gone the way of Tower Records, HMV, Virgin Megastore, Sam Goody and other brick-and-mortar shops that used to make New York City a music superstore haven. Steve Smith, a freelance music critic for the New York Times, believes that online shops have filled much of ...
Are American Orchestras ‘Blatantly Ignoring’ American Music?
April 10, 2014 15:57 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBBarber’s Violin Concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are among a small handful of American works that have become staples of the orchestra repertoire. Since the United States has nurtured a good century-and-a-half of orchestral compositions, there are those who feel that this is not just an oversight, but a disgrace. Earlier this month, a group of composers and academics decided to confront the issue where it starts: with the major orchestra in their cit...
Are American Orchestras ‘Blatantly Ignoring’ American Music?
April 10, 2014 15:57 - 24 minutes - 22.2 MBBarber’s Violin Concerto, Gershwin’s Rhapsody in Blue and Copland’s Appalachian Spring are among a small handful of American works that have become staples of the orchestra repertoire.
San Diego Opera Crisis Underscores Need for Fresh Business Models
April 03, 2014 15:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBWhen San Diego Opera recently announced its plans to fold after 49 years in business, a wide swath of the California arts community was stunned, including the musicians of the San Diego Symphony, which doubles as the opera company’s pit orchestra.
San Diego Opera Crisis Underscores Need for Fresh Business Models
April 03, 2014 15:00 - 12 minutes - 11.5 MBWhen San Diego Opera recently announced its plans to fold after 49 years in business, a wide swath of the California arts community was stunned, including the musicians of the San Diego Symphony, which doubles as the opera company’s pit orchestra. “It surprised everyone,” said James Chut, the music and art critic for U-T San Diego, the region’s major daily newspaper. “People were reading it online and there wasn’t even an announcement.” On Monday, facing an outcry from employees, fans and...
Soprano Sharleen Joynt on Resuming an Opera Career After Reality TV's 'The Bachelor'
March 27, 2014 17:19 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBWhen Sharleen Joynt, a coloratura soprano from Canada, was selected to be a contestant on ABC's reality dating show “The Bachelor," she knew it had the potential to be more bizarre than many opera plots. One of the show’s pivotal scenes, after all, has her stepping out of a limousine, dressed to the nines, to meet someone who ostensibly could propose to her within a few weeks. But, as she discusses on this edition of Conducting Business, there was a “fear of missing out” when the oppor...
Soprano Sharleen Joynt on Resuming an Opera Career After Reality TV's 'The Bachelor'
March 27, 2014 17:19 - 25 minutes - 23.1 MBWhen Sharleen Joynt, a coloratura soprano from Canada, was selected to be a contestant on ABC's reality dating show “The Bachelor," she knew it had the potential to be more bizarre than many opera plots. One of the show’s pivotal scenes, after all, has her stepping out of a limousine, dressed to the nines, to meet someone who ostensibly could propose to her within a few weeks.
In a Rough Job Market, More Conservatories Stress Business Skills
March 20, 2014 04:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBIn the current violinist-eat-violinist atmosphere for graduates of conservatories and university music schools, some institutions of higher musical learning are trying to bring academic training closer to the realities of the job market. "Curricula that might have been relevant in 1890 or 1990 might not be as relevant today,” Richard Kessler, dean of the Mannes College, The New School for Music, explains in this Conducting Business podcast. Mannes, one of New York’s three big conserv...
In a Rough Job Market, More Conservatories Stress Business Skills
March 20, 2014 04:00 - 26 minutes - 24.6 MBIn the current violinist-eat-violinist atmosphere for graduates of conservatories and university music schools, some institutions of higher musical learning are trying to bring academic training closer to the realities of the job market.
Can Gustavo Dudamel and El Sistema Navigate Venezuela's Upheaval?
March 13, 2014 20:00 - 21 minutes - 19.2 MBAs the Los Angeles Philharmonic arrives in New York to give a pair of concerts on March 16 and 17 at Lincoln Center, its music director, Gustavo Dudamel, faces an increasingly difficult political situation back in his native Venezuela. It’s been a month since violent clashes between opposition demonstrators and government forces in Venezuela first grabbed global headlines. Protests rage on with no sign of ending. Dudamel himself has been pressured to speak out on the situation, notably by ...
Can Gustavo Dudamel and El Sistema Navigate Venezuela's Upheaval?
March 13, 2014 20:00 - 21 minutes - 19.2 MBAs the Los Angeles Philharmonic arrives in New York to give a pair of concerts on March 16 and 17 at Lincoln Center, its music director, Gustavo Dudamel, faces an increasingly difficult political situation back in his native Venezuela.
With NYC School Reforms, a Plan for Arts Programs?
March 06, 2014 14:49 - 8 minutes - 7.92 MBGraphic: How Four Arts Disciplines are Taught in NYC High Schools New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has put education reform at the top of his agenda, with a particular focus on universal pre-kindergarten, charter schools and after-school programs. But last week there was other news about the city's schools that may trouble education advocates: high school students aren’t getting nearly enough arts. An audit by state Comptroller Thomas DiNapoli found that two-thirds of students don’t m...
With NYC School Reforms, a Plan for Arts Programs?
March 06, 2014 14:49 - 8 minutes - 7.91 MBGraphic: How Four Arts Disciplines are Taught in NYC High Schools New York City Mayor Bill de Blasio has put education reform at the top of his agenda, with a particular focus on universal pre-kindergarten, charter schools and after-school programs. But last week there was other news about the city's schools that may trouble education advocates: high school students aren’t getting nearly enough arts.
Vienna Philharmonic: Facing its Nazi Past But Struggling with Diversity
February 27, 2014 16:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBPossibly no orchestra has prompted more hand-wringing and ambivalence than the Vienna Philharmonic. The 172-year-old orchestra is recognized the world over for a very specific sound that’s changed little over the decades, and a playing style that has been passed down from generation to generation.
Vienna Philharmonic: Facing its Nazi Past But Struggling with Diversity
February 27, 2014 16:00 - 20 minutes - 18.9 MBPossibly no orchestra has prompted more hand-wringing and ambivalence than the Vienna Philharmonic. The 172-year-old orchestra is recognized the world over for a very specific sound that’s changed little over the decades, and a playing style that has been passed down from generation to generation. But critics charge that it’s just that exclusive philosophy that may explain why there are few women and virtually no minorities in its ranks. Indeed, 16 years after the Philharmonic became one o...
'Japan's Beethoven': Understanding the Ghost Composer Scandal
February 13, 2014 19:56 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBLeonard Bernstein, Paul McCartney and Osvaldo Golijov all wrote high-profile music that wasn't entirely theirs. They used orchestrators (Bernstein in West Side Story), musical collaborators (McCartney's concert works) and assistant melodists (Golijov’s Sidereus) to help get their thoughts on paper. But while many composers farm out tasks to students and assistants with full transparency, the scandal surrounding the Japanese composer Mamoru Samuragochi goes far deeper. The man known as “Ja...
'Japan's Beethoven': Understanding the Ghost Composer Scandal
February 13, 2014 19:56 - 20 minutes - 19.1 MBLeonard Bernstein, Paul McCartney and Osvaldo Golijov all wrote high-profile music that wasn't entirely theirs. They used orchestrators (Bernstein in West Side Story), musical collaborators (McCartney's concert works) and assistant melodists (Golijov’s Sidereus) to help get their thoughts on paper.
Russia's Classical Stars Expected at Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony
February 05, 2014 16:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBDespite efforts to keep the content of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics under tight wraps, a few details have emerged about the musical lineup planned for Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia on Friday.
Russia's Classical Stars Expected at Sochi Olympics Opening Ceremony
February 05, 2014 16:00 - 13 minutes - 12 MBDespite efforts to keep the content of the opening ceremony of the Winter Olympics under tight wraps, a few details have emerged about the musical lineup planned for Fisht Olympic Stadium in Sochi, Russia on Friday. Several Russian performers have been linked to the ceremony, including conductor Valery Gergiev, violist Yuri Bashmet, and Mariinsky Theater ballerina Ulyana Lopatkina. They'll join a parade of athletes and other pageantry to create what is reportedly the most expensive openin...
Classical Commercials: Can Gounod Sell Shampoo? Actually, Yes.
January 30, 2014 17:00 - 15 minutes - 14.6 MBSunday’s Super Bowl will feature 55 commercials and chances are, some of them will feature a symphony or an opera aria embedded in the soundtrack. Classical music in advertising goes back decades but its purpose has changed – becoming more self-referential, ironic and often comedic in its use.
Classical Commercials: Can Gounod Sell Shampoo? Actually, Yes.
January 30, 2014 17:00Sunday’s Super Bowl will feature 55 commercials and chances are, some of them will feature a symphony or an opera aria embedded in the soundtrack. Classical music in advertising goes back decades but its purpose has changed – becoming more self-referential, ironic and often comedic in its use. "Classical music is very serious in its nature and so often the use is polarized,” said Randall Foster, the director of licensing and business development at Naxos, which supplies recordings to adver...
Rebounding Minnesota Orchestra is 'Still Mad at Itself'
January 23, 2014 21:00 - 9 minutes - 8.3 MBSo, what comes next for the Minnesota Orchestra in the wake of the contract agreement that ended the bitter 15-month lockout and returns the musicians to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Feb. 7?
Rebounding Minnesota Orchestra is 'Still Mad at Itself'
January 23, 2014 21:00So, what comes next for the Minnesota Orchestra in the wake of the contract agreement that ended the bitter 15-month lockout and returns the musicians to Orchestra Hall in Minneapolis on Feb. 7? Short answer: a considerable amount of work. Settling the lockout is only the first mountain in a series of precarious peaks that the Minnesota Orchestra has to climb on its way to a healthy future, says Graydon Royce, classical music critic of the Minneapolis Star-Tribune. “Somehow the social fa...
The Puzzling Revival of the Vinyl LP
January 16, 2014 19:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBToday's Throwback Thursday looks at the continued strength of the vinyl revival. Tune in during the 8 am hour when Jeff Spurgeon plays a special vinyl track. The numbers are striking: CD sales declined nearly 15 percent last year. But vinyl sales moved in the opposite direction: up 32 percent from 2012, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Trendy retailers such as Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods are stocking vinyl records. Sales of turntables are up and artists like conductor Gustavo Dudamel, p...
The Puzzling Revival of the Vinyl LP
January 16, 2014 19:00 - 21 minutes - 19.3 MBToday's Throwback Thursday looks at the continued strength of the vinyl revival. Tune in during the 8 am hour when Jeff Spurgeon plays a special vinyl track. The numbers are striking: CD sales declined nearly 15 percent last year. But vinyl sales moved in the opposite direction: up 32 percent from 2012, according to Nielsen SoundScan. Trendy retailers such as Urban Outfitters and Whole Foods are stocking vinyl records. Sales of turntables are up and artists like conductor Gustavo Dudamel, p...
The Best and Worst of Classical Music in 2013
December 22, 2013 05:00 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBThe year 2013 saw plenty of headline-making moments in classical music. Protesters came to the opening night of the Met, while a stagehands strike cancelled the opening night at Carnegie Hall. There were heated debates over women conductors and some complicated celebrations for Richard Wagner. It was another tough year for some orchestras but a good one for Benjamin Britten fans.
The Best and Worst of Classical Music in 2013
December 22, 2013 05:00 - 27 minutes - 25.6 MBThe year 2013 saw plenty of headline-making moments in classical music. Protesters came to the opening night of the Met, while a stagehands strike cancelled the opening night at Carnegie Hall. There were heated debates over women conductors and some complicated celebrations for Richard Wagner. It was another tough year for some orchestras but a good one for Benjamin Britten fans. In this edition of Conducting Business, three experts talk about the past year: Anne Midgette, classical music ...
Symphonies for Snoozing? When it's OK to Be Bored in Concerts
December 12, 2013 15:45We've all had moments when our mind has wandered during a Wagner opera, a Bruckner symphony or perhaps a long Mozart recitative. Some of us have even dozed off. But maybe we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when our thoughts drift to a grocery list or an e-mail we forgot to send earlier. Boredom in the concert hall may actually be a good thing, says John Crace, a features writer for the Guardian newspaper. In a recent article he argued that the slow, tedious moments in classical music make the ...
Symphonies for Snoozing? When it's OK to Be Bored in Concerts
December 12, 2013 15:45 - 24 minutes - 22.7 MBWe've all had moments when our mind has wandered during a Wagner opera, a Bruckner symphony or perhaps a long Mozart recitative. Some of us have even dozed off. But maybe we shouldn’t beat ourselves up when our thoughts drift to a grocery list or an e-mail we forgot to send earlier.