Imagine how it would have been pronounced otherwise.

The BBC’s Lyse Doucet has an interview with Gaswan Zerikly, who plays on at the Damascus opera house in the thick of civil war. ‘I could stay at home,’ he says, ‘but that wouldn’t change anything.’ Watch the report here.

Zerikly, 60, has worked for Syrian Radio and TV since 1977. He is also a professor at the Cairo Conservatoire.

In mid-October, Opera News – journal of the Metropolitan Opera Guild – hired the experienced Pamela Dunaway as its new publisher, responsible for ‘all areas of the magazine’s operations.’

Today, we hear, she’s gone.

What happened, anyone know?

We reported at the weekend that Yosuke Kawasaki, concertmaster of the National Arts Center orchestra in Ottawa, had his violin and bows seized by Customs on entering Canada and was facing a C$120,000 fine to release them.

The seizure took place in 2012 and the violin and three bows were released several weeks later, after Yosuke made an interim payment of $20,000, plus tax, for their release. But the full fine is still hanging over his head.

The matter has now come to light as Yosuke is taking it to court, claiming that Customs wrongfully seized his instruments.

CBS has the court documents here. This could be an important test case for all musicians seeking to enter Canada.

The idea is to stop kids watching Miley Cyrus. But what about the little opera buffs?

An A-rating for some of these?

My review of a new Delius release as Album of the Week on Sinfinimusic.com prompted a broader reflecion on the English tendency to throw up unequal pairs of composers. Few imagine the names above to be of comparable genius. Yet a substantial number of listeners and scholars will always take the minority view. Where do you stand? Read on here.

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photo (c) Lebrecht Music&Arts