Julian Lloyd Webber recently wangled a royal title for his Birmingham Conservatoire. The city orchestra has struck back with a grass-roots school to improve music skills, back by its charismatic music director.
press release:
City Learning Trust, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra and Sandwell Council announce consultation for a new specialist Music School
The City Learning Trust is consulting on its proposal to open a new specialist music school in Sandwell, West Midlands, in association with the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, with ambitions to establish a global centre of excellence for music education.
The City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra (CBSO) is one of the world’s great orchestras, renowned internationally for its distinctive combination of artistic excellence and deep engagement with the local community. The orchestra performs at the most prestigious international concert halls, as well as in its home venue – Birmingham’s Symphony Hall.
Reflecting its ambition to offer access to world-class musical opportunities for everyone, the CBSO is working with Sandwell Council and the City Learning Trust – one of the most successful multi-academy trusts in the country – to submit a free school application as part of the next wave of applications to the Department for Education (DfE).
Subject to approval from the DfE, the new school would open in Sandwell in September 2020, coinciding with celebrations marking the CBSO’s centenary. It would cater for students aged 7 to 19, from primary through to secondary and sixth form. In addition to the normal academic curriculum, the school would specialise in classical, instrumental and choral music. Every child would have the opportunity to learn at least one musical instrument, and students would also benefit from regular projects with CBSO musicians. The school’s most talented young instrumentalists and singers would have access to opportunities through the CBSO’s extensive talent development programme, which includes youth and training orchestras and two youth choruses.
Stephen Maddock OBE, Chief Executive of the CBSO said: “The CBSO is committed to supporting and developing the musical abilities and interests of children and young people from early years groups to university students. We currently do this through an extensive – and internationally admired – programme of opportunities ranging from workshops by individual musicians in schools, through pathways to support and develop outstanding talent, to orchestral concerts for young audiences at Symphony Hall. Our partnership with the City Learning Trust is a logical extension of this programme, and the proposed new school would give us the opportunity to further use our musical expertise to support young people’s achievement and aspiration.”
Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, the CBSO’s acclaimed Music Director added “This school would give young people in Sandwell the chance to be inspired by our musicians throughout their education. I am thrilled that the CBSO is involved with the project”.
The Seattle Symphony has named Thomas Dausgaard to succeed Ludovic Morlot as music director in 2019.
Dausgaard is presently chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony Orchestra and the Swedish Chamber Orchestra (through 2019), as well as Honorary Conductor of the Orchestra della Toscana, and the Danish National Symphony.
From the press release:
‘For several years, it has been clear that Thomas’ partnership with our musicians is grounded in
deep mutual respect and admiration,’ said Leslie Jackson Chihuly, Seattle Symphony board chair. ‘His deepening relationship with the orchestra has produced some of the most electrifying concerts we’ve heard in Benaroya Hall these last few years. His work has been a wonderful complement to Ludovic’s exemplary artistic leadership. Ludovic and Thomas share many creative instincts which have shaped and contributed quite naturally to the exciting evolution of our music making. Thomas is simply the right leader for the next step in our artistic development. We greatly look forward to welcoming him to our Symphony family, and we know he will bring profound inspiration and warmth to our community.’
Deborah Borda at the New York Phil has persuaded the Lincoln Center to abandon its protracted and expensive renovation plan. A new model, say both sides, will be announced soon.
press release:
New York, NY (October 3, 2017) — After a concentrated period of deep review and thoughtful evaluation, Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts and the New York Philharmonic have decided to re-envision the strategy that will steer the forthcoming renovations of David Geffen Hall. The two organizations will forgo the original design proposal, and instead move forward with a new master plan—one that will be ambitious, but will center primarily on improving audience and artist experiences inside the hall, and will include phased renovations.
The goal of the project remains to create a welcoming and world-class concert hall, which will include a reimagined hall configuration, with a focus on acoustics, and enlivening the hall’s lobbies and other public spaces. This re-envisioning has the major advantage of keeping the Philharmonic in its home without prolonged periods of displacement.
Lincoln Center and the Philharmonic are grateful to the early design team for its completed work, which helped to reveal and clarify many complexities, both logistical and technical, in the project. These complexities compelled the two organizations to perform additional due diligence on the vital project and, as a result, to develop a new approach to renovate the iconic structure.
Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic will announce complete details of the new plan at a future date.
From a correspondent:
Five people were arrested in Cluj-Napoca National Opera for disrupting the opening season performance of “The Armed Man- A Mass For Peace” by Karl Jenkins (pictured).
The protest took place during “The Call to Prayers (Adhaan)”. Five members of Noua Dreapta (The New Right Wing) started singing the Romanian National Anthem and shouting “no mosque should be built on Romanian lands” or “Prayers in Arabic language used by Muslim terrorists shan’t be used in a cultural institution”.
Watch:
We are distressed by news of the death of Janos Solyom, a Hungarian soloist who made his home in Sweden. He was 78.
When I floated the idea of an all-day Mahler cycle in Stockholm, played in the piano reductions, Janos was among the first to volunteer, playing the fifth symphony with great brio.
My sympathies to his wife, Camilla, and nephew Stefan.
Jennifer Spencer, who quit HP last year to manage Ivan Fischer’s orchestra tours, has formed a loose arrangement to operate as a boutique agent within IMG.
Frying pan to fire alarm?
The official version: In May 2017, a lunch with fellow artist manager Kathryn Enticott inspired a plan for Jenny to return to Artist Management. Kathryn could fully understand Jenny’s desire for a professional change. In 2014, she resigned from her role as IMG Artists’ Managing Director of Artist Management to found Enticott Music Management. Through EMM, Kathryn continues to manage artists in association with IMGA, but this venture gives her the freedom to explore new projects and avenues within other areas of the performing arts. It is the best of both worlds: the flexibility and freedom of a boutique firm with the benefits that a global network, team and back-office functions provides.
Next month, Delos will release what may be his final recording of a full opera.
From the press release: On November 10, 2017, Delos releases Rigoletto [DE 3522], a new full-length studio recording of Verdi’s beloved opera featuring internationally acclaimed baritone Dmitri Hvorostovsky in the title role. Renowned conductor Constantine Orbelian leads the Kaunas City Symphony Orchestra, Men of the Kaunas State Choir, and a distinguished cast including rising star soprano, Nadine Sierra (Gilda); tenor Francesco Demuro (Duke of Mantua); bass Andrea Mastroni, (Sparafucile); and mezzo-soprano Oksana Volkova (Maddalena). The recording also credits the invaluable contribution of Artistic Consultant John Fisher.
The Telegraph has run a slightly queasy feature titled ‘What to wear for a stylish night at the opera’ (as distinct from the usual dowdy nights).
So far as I can see not much has changed in half a century, but a quick search leads me to this busily entertaining debate on the ROH website, where one patron advises ‘put your good jeans and that nice shirt of yours on’ and another sniffs: ‘If people can afford the eye-watering Opera prices – and, to a lesser extent, the cost of a ballet ticket – they can afford to dress sufficiently well not to cause offence. ‘
Enjoy.
The death is reported of Klaus Huber, an immensely influential composer and teacher whose Basle students included Brian Ferneyhough, Wolfgang Rihm and Kaija Saariaho. He was 92.
A frontrunner in the European avant-garde, Huber was published by Ricordi and collected by Paul Sacher. No single work stands out as a path-breaker but the totlity of hos outputn sits at the heart of the modernist project.
This week’s Nielsen sales show a new low for classical recordings in the US.
The best-selling record is a compilation of ‘most relaxing classical music’. Next is the Star Wars soundtrack, followed by two releases by the crossover violinist Lindsay Stirling and another by the Piano Guys. Not a single integral classical work in the top 20.
ForumOpera reports the passing of André Mallabrera, an ornament of the Paris Opera.
Dmitry Smolski, the foremost Belarussian symphonist, died on September 29, aged 80.
He leaves 15 symphonies, two operas and an oratorio, My Motherland.
His son, Victor Smolski, was guitarist of the German metal band, Rage, and now of Almanac.
