During the 15 months of the Minnesota Orchestra’s lockout of its musicians, some new shoots sprouted. Students and schoolchildren, irked by the terrible silence, formed Young Musicians of Minnesota and went around playing and campaigning for a resumption of concerts.

They wrote to the musicians, telling them how much they were missed. They formed a flashmob outside the building where the Minnesota board were meeting. They kept the music alive.

And their efforts did not end when the ice melted and the music returned: This summer, YMM held a music festival, free to advanced music students looking for a performance opportunity. Now with 72 students, up from last summer’s 46, the youth orchestra rehearsed for four hours on Sundays, with members coming from as far away as Rochester and Owatonna. They’ll perform their summer finale concert this Friday, with music by Wagner, Glazunov and Tchaikovsky.

Lovely report from Minnesota by Pamela Espeland. Read it here.

The death has been announced of Dick Wagner, guitarist and songwriter for Alice Cooper, Lou Reed and Aerosmith. He was 71.

Some ideas are so glaringly obvious, you wonder why they don’t catch on. Gustav Kuhn is performing the complete Ring as a weekend holiday package in the Tirol. Rheingold on Friday night, the rest over Saturday and Sunday. Read here (auf Deutsch). Tickets still on sale.

Russian media are reporting a small, hostile reception that greeted the ballet company at Saratoga Springs, where it retreated after a two-week residency at Lincoln Center. The Saratoga demonstrators said they plan to turn out for all Bolshoi performances until August 1.