WEEKLY DIGEST | 11/18/2019
News, Research, & Opinion

Indiana University Jacobs School of Music 2019-20 Review: Parsifal
Opera Wire: Logan Martell
This epic work was brought to life through a fascinating mixture of traditional and modern techniques, both styles supporting each other and lending a wealth of meaning to the unfolding story.

From Religion To Rock, A New History Says Music Has Always Been Subversive
artandseek.org: Jerome Weeks
Music is downright dangerous, according to music historian Ted Gioia [pronounced JOY-uh]. It encourages sex, incites violence and can make you hallucinate – in other words, everything your parents warned you about. Art & Seek’s Jerome Weeks reports the Plano author has written a provocative new book about all the stuff most music histories leave out.

Rising Execs From Spotify, Downtown, Capitol Among Music’s New Leaders
Variety: Jeremy Helligar and James Patrick Herman
See who Variety has identified as the next generation of leaders in the entertainment business, looking for representatives in the creative community, film, TV, music and digital.

Music management ‘increasingly unsustainable’, report says
Arts Professional
New research suggests the expanding role of music managers and an outdated earnings model means “we run the risk of losing many of these talented professionals altogether”.

VC INTERVIEW | Violinist Grace Park – Carnegie Hall Debut Recital
The Violin Channel
VC recently caught up with 2018 Naumburg International Violin Competition 1st prize winner, violinist Grace Park.

Ice cello performance comes to Huddersfield
The Strad
An ice cello, dyed black with food colouring, will be played by a cellist in a wetsuit, as part of this year’s Huddersfield Contemporary Music Festival.

Scholars Now Believe Saul Threw Spear At David For Playing Christmas Music Well Before Thanksgiving
The Babylon Bee
"If you play 'Little Drummer Boy' one more time, I'm going to pin you to the wall," King Saul reportedly growled. "I double-dog dare you."

New award to honor arts and activism named after Lena Horne
Associated Press: Mark Kennedy
The Lena Horne Prize for Artists Creating Social Impact will recognize those who “promote awareness and create social change.” The inaugural winner will be honored in February. The recipient will receive a $100,000 donation to be directed to a charity of their choice.

Lil Nas X makes history as first openly gay black artist to win at Country Music Association Awards
LA Times: Dorany Pineda
His hit “Old Town Road,” a collaboration with veteran country singer Billy Ray Cyrus, was named the musical event of the year. The song similarly made history, ruling at No. 1 on Billboard’s Hot 100 chart for 19 weeks, until Billie Eilish’s “Bad Guy” dethroned it in August.

5 things the Baltimore Symphony needs to do right now, according to ‘turnaround king’
The Baltimore Sun: Mary Carole McCauley
Michael Kaiser, who has been described as a “turnaround king” for troubled arts groups, recently offered provocative advice that appears to contradict strategies BSO administrators have recently trumpeted.

BSO music director Marin Alsop criticizes how symphony is run, hints she is “nearing the end” of her tenure
The Baltimore Sun: Mary Carole McCauley
In a rare public expression of frustration, music director Marin Alsop criticized aspects of the way the Baltimore Symphony Orchestra is being run and hinted that her stint as the organization’s music director might end in two years when her contract expires.

Detroit Symphony to give musical instrument to any child who wants to learn to play
The Detroit News: Michael Hodges
Detroit Harmony, as the project is called, represents a bid to dramatically expand music education throughout the city, one that hopefully will generate demand for an entirely new workforce of music teachers and craftsmen to repair and refurbish used instruments.

A Young Conductor Makes a Major Philharmonic Debut
NY Times: Anthony Tommasini
Just 34, Santtu-Matias Rouvali led the NY Phil in works by Tchaikovsky, Sibelius and Bryce Dessner. The fast-rising artist serves as chief conductor of the Gothenburg Symphony in Sweden. In 2021, he will become the principal conductor of the Philharmonia Orchestra in London

Talented, vulnerable children: How the Curtis Institute of Music may have been ripe for abuse | Analysis
Inquirer: Peter Dobrin
A law firm has been hired to take a hard look at the overall culture that made conditions ripe for any abuse that may have occurred over the years. 

BREAKING | 4 1st Prizes Awarded at Young Concert Artists International Auditions
The Violin Channel
4 1st prizes have been awarded at the 2019 Young Concert Artists International Auditions - in New York City.

'Setting us up to fail': funding uncertainty in Australia brings arts companies to a crisis point
The Guardian: Ben Eltham
A quarter of Australia’s small cultural organizations will lose their federal money in new Australia Council allocations.

Belgian Cultural Sector Reels from Proposed Funding Cuts
VRT
Major cuts in arts funding proposed has been met with consternation form Flanders’ cultural institutions.

Classical Streaming Service IDAGIO Launches Free Service
Billboard: Marc Schneider
Classical music streaming service IDAGIO has released an ad-supported free tier as part of its efforts to make the hard-to-pigeonhole genre more accessible. IDAGIO Free launches today in 190 countries, featuring 2 million recordings.

New Ideas In The Digital Marketplace
The Future of What (podcast)
On this episode, we’re highlighting new tech companies like Ursa Music, Corite, and Pitch who are creating new revenue streams for artists and labels, rather than cannibalizing the old ones and taking a cut.

Lil Buck with Icons Of Modern Art
Nowness
Check out this phenomenal video of hip-hop/ballet dancer Lil Buck, in response to a modern art museum. A video directed by London-based Andrew Margetson, through the Louis Vuitton building, designed by Frank Gehry.