Soon after the orchestra was allowed back to work after a disastrous lockout, a local foundation gave $38 million. This week, an Atlanta couple have added $1.25 million to support the musicians’ endowment fund.

Money is flooding in to the orchestra. The city wants it to survive. Why did its management think otherwise? Why is the Woodruff Arts Center still being run by the same executives and board members who thought silencing the orchestra was a good idea?

Answers, anyone?

The daily disintegration continues.

David Lai, who took over as agent for one of IMG’s biggest earners after Elizabeth Sobol moved to Universal, has left the company of his own volition. We hear others are heading the same way.

Meanwhile, a directive is doing the rounds suggesting that agents should work at home to save headquarters costs.

Some day, this will make a good musical.

The city’s application for the title has gone in for 2025, by which time the Mayor, Helma Orosz, hopes Dresden will be seen as a bridge between east and west, rather than a barrier. Reacting to the latest Pegida rally, she said: ‘This is not our town, what’s happening here.’

Shocking statistics in a survey just published by The Stage. Half of the directors who responded to a survey earned less than £5,000 a year, many less than £1 an hour. Read here.

Charlie in Hebrew is…

(one for Mr Sondheim)

Derek James, a well-known trombone player in the London orchestras, died on New Year’s Eve, aged 85.

Born in Llandybie near Ammanford, South Wales, in 1929, Derek won the Trombone Solo Competition at the Welsh National Eisteddfod three years in a row. In 1955, he joined the Royal Opera House Orchestra, in 1964 the London Philharmonic, and in 1981 the Royal Philharmonic Orchestra.

Here are his tips for young players.

Our friend Holly Mulcahy, concertmaster at Chattanooga Symphony and Opera, has some useful tips for concertgoers.

Sample:

Afternoon Matinee Concert
Women: Pants are fine. Jeans are fine, just bump it up a notch. If you wear jeans, wear a dressier top, wear fancier shoes, and add an interesting piece of jewelry. Dresses and skirts are fine, but keep the sparkles for the evening concerts.
Men: Slacks or jeans with a button down shirt.

More here.

The National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America, founded by Carnegie Hall, is heading to China this summer. Dutoit conducts. Players to be announced in March.

(January 7, 2015; NEW YORK, NY)—Carnegie Hall today announced details for an extensive tour to China by the National Youth Orchestra of the United States of America (NYO-USA) in July 2015. This remarkable ensemble, created by Carnegie Hall’s Weill Music Institute, annually brings together some of the most talented young musicians from across the United States, ages 16-19, offering them an opportunity to train at the highest level with some of the world’s greatest artists while also serving as cultural ambassadors for their country, connecting with people around the world through their passion for music.

The orchestra will perform nine concerts in the US and abroad from July 10–26, visiting many of China’s greatest concerts halls in several different regions of the country, including the National Centre for the Performing Arts in China’s capital city, Beijing. This historic first visit to Asia by NYO-USA follows acclaimed inaugural year performances in Washington DC, Moscow, St. Petersburg, and London in 2013 and a coast-to-coast US tour in 2014.

The 2015 NYO-USA China tour schedule is as follows:
 

Celebrated conductor Charles Dutoit, Conductor Laureate of The Philadelphia Orchestra and Artistic Director of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, leads NYO-USA this summer, joined by internationally-renowned pianist YUNDI as guest soloist. The orchestra’s 2015 concert program to be performed at all tour venues will include the premiere of a new work from award-winning Chinese composer Tan Dun, commissioned by Carnegie Hall especially for NYO-USA as well as Beethoven’s Piano Concerto No. 5 (“Emperor”) with YUNDI; and Berlioz’s Symphonie fantastique.

Alison Pybus was one of three senior agents who were fired in IMG’s latest loss-cutting venture last September. She was vice president in charge of the vocal division.

Today, we hear from her that IMG are refusing to pay the reasonable travel and entertainment expenses she ran up in the course of her work.

Here’s what she says:

IMG Artists is refusing to pay me outstanding T & E expenses. They owe me well over $10,000 and refuse to respond to phone calls or letters from my attorney.

Another example of abuse of power by IMG and completely unacceptable. Upon termination at IMG after 20 years, I was asked to take trips to consolidate clients and smooth over relationships with them and IMG. Now they will not reimburse me.

Reflect a moment.

If this is how fraudster-owned IMG (pictured) treats its agents, imagine what they are doing to artists.

The orch has retrieved this pic from archives of the recently deceased Bess Myerson at its 1962 gala.

The beauty queen played Rach 2 with the Philharmonic at Carnegie Hall on May 31, 1946, exactly a year after she won the title. Not just a pretty face.

Kan (Khan) Bonfils, who played the King opposite Elaine Paige in London in 2000, has died during rehearsals for Dante’s Inferno at London’s Rag Factory.

His agent said: ‘During rehearsals for an upcoming performance, he collapsed and was unable to be resuscitated.’

Larry Johnson at South Florida Classical Review reports that Florida Grand Opera is pulling out of Fort Lauderdale.

Susan T. Danis, FGO boss, said if she doesn’t receive $400,000 from local donors by January 31, FL gets cut off.

‘It’s not the way I want to do it,’ said Danis. ‘But I’ve tried everything else.’

Losing Fort Lauderdale would confine FGO to Miami base and a shrinking supporter base.