Sir Neville Marriner, 91 last month, has rallied past and present members of the Academy of St Martin in the Fields to play their hearts out in a London concert for the suffering people of Nepal.

Tickets will go on sale in a couple of days at this site: http://www.sjp.org.uk/evening-concerts.html. lease try to go send your friends, or call the box-office and make a donation.

Disaster comes knocking once more at the door of fraudster-owned IMG Artists. It has been announced that Joshua Bell, one of the agency’s highest earners, has made other arrangements, along with agent, Matthew Zelle.

Read all about it in the press release below.

UPDATE1: Bell’s PR adds: Park Avenue Artists is managing Joshua. IMG will continue to book Joshua and provide general management in Europe.

UPDATE2: IMG Artists have issued the following statement: ‘IMG Artists remains Mr Bell’s exclusive booking agent for North America.  IMGA Senior Vice President Alexander Monsey is his General Manager for Europe.’

Go figure.

press release:

MATTHEW ZELLE JOINS EXECUTIVE TEAM  AT PARK AVENUE ARTISTS, SIGNALING

NEW ERA FOR ARTIST MANAGEMENT COMPANY

Violinist Joshua Bell, Time for Three, Pianist Daniela Liebman Among Latest Artists to Join Park Avenue’s Roster

NEW YORK,   May 6, 2015 — Matthew Zelle has joined the executive team at Park Avenue Artists, the distinctive artist-management company. Zelle will hold the title of Executive Vice President at Park Avenue Artists (PAA), co-founded in 2011 by David Lai and Ross Michaels, who share the title of President.

“We are very excited to have Matthew join us. I have known and worked with Matthew for many years and am extremely pleased he will bring his expertise and counsel to Park Avenue Artists,” Lai says. Adds Michaels, “Matthew is an accomplished artist manager whose background and vision will foster new opportunities and growth for our wide ranging roster of artists. I am looking forward to having Matthew help us further the PAA mission.”

Zelle joins Park Avenue Artists at an exciting time as internationally acclaimed Grammy® Award-winning and Sony Masterworks recording artist violinist Joshua Bell, the innovative Universal Music Classics trio Time for Three, and the prize-winning young pianist Daniela Liebman join an eclectic roster, which includes two-time Drama Desk nominee (Side Show, Passion) and pops-orchestra star Ryan Silverman; Concord recording artist and ASCAP Award vocalist and bassist Kate Davis; Broadway (Mary Poppins, Beauty and the Beast) and pops-orchestra star Ashley Brown; Tommy Boy Records artist Pants Velour; and Flo Rida’s IMG/Strong Arm singer/songwriter Marco Foster.

Matthew Zelle brings to his new post more than a decade of experience in worldwide artist management. He began his career with Columbia Artists Management, Inc. (CAMI), working with such prestigious opera singers as sopranos Hei-Kyung Hong and Anna Netrebko; mezzo-sopranos Denyce Graves and Frederica von Stade; and bass Samuel Ramey. After joining IMG Artists LLC, Zelle rose to the position of Senior Vice President, managing a roster of five internationally recognized artists –Joshua Bell, legendary flautist Sir James Galway, the nine-time Grammy® Award winning Emerson String Quartet, soprano Dame Kiri Te Kanawa, and pianist Conrad Tao – among others.  

A native of Iowa, Zelle developed his passion for the business side of music at Clarke University in Dubuque, IA, where he was awarded a B.A. in Music, with a Business minor. Internships with the Dubuque Symphony Orchestra, Glimmerglass Opera in Cooperstown, NY, and at the Kennedy Center in Washington led him into arts administration. Upon graduation, Zelle accepted a position at CAMI and moved to New York. In the eleven years he spent at IMG Artists, he held a variety of posts, eventually becoming one of the youngest vice presidents in the company’s history. Zelle maintains a close connection with Clarke University, which in 2014 named him the winner of its Rising Star Award, presented by the University’s Alumni Association for alumni 35 years of age and younger who have made an impact in their career fields.

At Park Avenue Artists, Zelle will renew his long association with Joshua Bell. Bell recently became affiliated with the management company after many years of collaborating with David Lai, who has served as A&R and/or producer for his recordings on the Sony Masterworks label since 2006.

Also new to Park Avenue Artists’ roster are: 

 Time for Three, the outside-the-box trio of American musicians that records for Universal Classics and will be the subject of a PBS special later this year. Time for Three is also the resident trio at the Indianapolis Symphony Orchestra.

 Daniela Liebman, the brilliant young pianist from Mexico who has won first prize in a string of international competitions – Night in Madrid International Youth Music Festival in Madrid (2011); Lang Lang Telefonica in Berlin (2011); Russian Music International Piano Competition in San Jose, CA (2012); and the Lang Lang Junior Music Camp Competition in Munich (2013).

Lai and Michaels founded Park Avenue Artists in 2011 to offer a distinctive range of artist management services – from career development and guidance, to the strategic worldwide development of established artist brands across all platforms – for a selective roster of classical, Broadway and pop performers.

Lai and Michaels bring more than thirty combined years of diverse industry experience to Park Avenue Artists. They have produced special projects, events and recordings with such artists as violinist Itzhak Perlman, pianist Emanuel Ax and soprano Renee Fleming, in addition to its own roster. Other credits include many video specials including PBS specials for Time For Three, Itzhak Perlman, and Renee Fleming; music for an upcoming DVD workout line for fitness trainer Shaun T, and PBS and HBO programs for Joshua Bell.

David Lai, a multiple Grammy nominee and winner in 2009 as producer of the Masterworks Broadway cast recording of the Broadway revival of West Side Story, recently produced for Universal the original cast recording for Lincoln Center Theater’s acclaimed, Tony®-nominated revival of The King and I. 

International Piano, which lost its editor last week, will get (as we predicted) a part-time replacement. Owen Mortimer, the new editor, will continue his other duties as associate editor of Opera Now.

press release:

Rhinegold Publishing Ltd is delighted to announce that it has appointed a new editor of International Piano, one of its flagship publications.

Owen Mortimer will be taking up his post from the July/August issue of the bi-monthly magazine, which is the leading industry title for performers, students, manufacturers and enthusiasts in the piano world.

Owen, who is currently the deputy editor of Opera Now, said: ‘I’m excited to be at the helm of such an important magazine, which enjoys a loyal and enthusiastic following around the world.

‘I intend to build on International Piano’s reputation as an authoritative and lively forum for every aspect of this versatile and constantly evolving instrument, from profiles of leading soloists to informative resources for amateur players. I’ve recently returned to playing the piano myself, so look forward to picking up some helpful tips along the way!’

Owen holds an MA in music from Oxford University, where he gave his Finals recital on the French horn. He is an accomplished amateur pianist with a particular interest in late 19th- and early 20th-century repertoire. He takes up his new post after three years as deputy editor of Opera Now, a high-profile title in Rhinegold Publishing’s respected stable of performing arts publications, available in print and digital formats.

Ciaran Morton, managing director of Rhinegold Publishing, said: ‘Under Owen Mortimer’s editorship, we are confident that International Piano will expand its coverage and activities to reflect the growing global market in keyboards and piano playing among professional pianists and serious amateurs alike. Owen’s considerable experience of the music industry makes him ideally placed to lead this next phase of development.’ He added: ‘I would also like to acknowledge the huge contribution made by International Piano’s outgoing editor, Claire Jackson, and we wish her every success in her future career.’

Owen will continue his involvement with Opera Now as associate editor, as part of an ongoing consultancy with C Sharp Partnership, which provides editorial and content management services to Rhinegold Publishing. 

Musicians in the Colorado Symphony Orchestra have filed to decertify from their union, the American Federation of Musicians., from representing them in contract negotiations.

The causes of dissension are obscure and both sides are staying tight-lipped, but a petition has been filed here and a vote is expected soon.

The move is part of a growing disaffection in classical orchestras with the AFM under the flamboyant leadership of Ray Hair. Last year, the Charleston Symphony Musicians left the AFM and we hear of further troubles brewing in Montreal and Los Angeles.

Watch this space.

The US-based pianist and composer Gabriela Montero has launched her fiercest attack yet on the political involvement of El Sistema and its leaders with the unpleasant regime that rules her native country, Venezuela.

Montero, Venezuela’s best-know female musician, describes the regime’s institutional violence, racism and abuse and argues that El Sistema is complicit by acting as a propaganda instrument. She describes Gustavo Dudamel as ‘the face of Sistema’ and says that ‘what he does is collaboration’.

Read the interview here (auf Deutsch).

Montero’s new recording of her Venezuela lament, ‘Ex Patria’, is released today.

The Caracas government has announced plans to nationalise food distribution, with the aim of controlling widespread shortages.

We hear that Pieter Nuytten is leaving the Berlin radio orchestra to return to his former seat as principal bassoon in the Rotterdam Philharmonic. Pieter was two months into a year-long trial in Berlin when changes back home appear (friends say) to have changed his mind.

Rotterdam, after prolonged stagnancy, was sorting out its future with Yannick Nézet-Séguin and hiring players of high quality. An extra bassoon, David Spranger, was recruited from the Beethoven Orchestra Bonn. Auditions are now being held for principal horn, trumpet, viola and leader of the second violins. In the autumn there will be auditions for principal flute and clarinet. This is an orchestra that is moving forward with confidence, enjoying three years more with a popular music director before he assumes an honorary role.

Rotterdam Philharmonic, or Berlin? On balance, it was not that tough a choice.

The conductor was in reflective mood last night with friends, enjoying a post-birthday dinner – he turned 62 at the weekend – and mourning the death of his close friend, the ballerina Maya Plisetskaya.

He said: ‘It was the worst birthday. In the morning Maya and Rodion (Shchedrin) congratulated me, and in the evening Plisetskaya was dead. I can not talk about it until now, I accepted the Munich orchestra largely because of them. Maya fed me all the time.’

The Shchedrins, Gergiev’s closest musical friends, moved to Munich in 1991 after the collapse of the Soviet Union.

It has been announced that Yannick Nézet-Séguin will leave the Rotterdam Philharmonic as principal conductor after ten years, in 2018. He will accept, like Valery Gergiev before him, the title of honorary conductor and will return at frequent intervals. This deal has been sold to the players as ‘Yannick stays’. Actually, it’s Yannick goes.

Yannick has struggled to balance Rotterdam with two other posts in Philadelphia Orchestra and with the Orchestre Métropolitain in Montreal.

He said in an official statement: ‘What will continue after 2018 is my unique, deep and wonderful connection with the Rotterdam Philharmonic, and this is very meaningful to me. The format of our collaboration will change; plans are under active discussion and details will be announced at a later stage.’

The Rotterdam Phil has been unsettled by a long dispute with its general manager, who went on sick leave last year and was finally eased out in January. The orchestra presently has Hans Pott as acting chief exec.

Andrew Jowett, who has run Birmingham’s Symphony Hall since it opened – and in tandem with the historic Town Hall – has just announced his retirement. He has been in the job for 28 years and created the most efficient and focused pair of concert venues in the country, with regular visits from the world’s great artists and orchestras.

Andrew Jowett said today: ‘It has been an enormous privilege to have been part of the team which created Symphony Hall – the greatest concert hall to be built in the 20^th century – and then to re-open and manage Birmingham’s historic Town Hall following its £5million renovation in 2007.’

It will be a helluva job to fill.

Career note:

Andrew Jowett, OBE

Andrew Jowett has worked in the arts for over 30 years. On graduation from the University of Salford, he was appointed Assistant General Manager at The Crucible Theatre, Sheffield. From 1979-1981 Andrew was Director of Darlington Civic Theatre, and from 1982-1988 he was Director of the Arts Centre, University of Warwick. Since 1989 Andrew has been Director of Symphony Hall, Birmingham and is responsible for its artistic programming, operation, and management. From 2007 onwards, Symphony Hall and Town Hall Birmingham have been managed together under the company Performances Birmingham Limited and Andrew is now Chief Executive of PBL as well as retaining overall directorial responsibility for Town Hall & Symphony Hall.

Andrew is Chair of the British Association of Concert Halls, a former Council Member and Vice President of UK Theatre Association, and Chair of the Advisory Board for the Arena Theatre, Wolverhampton. He is a Trustee of the Young Musicians Trust, a Trustee of the Elgar Birthplace Foundation and Trustee of the Brant International Piano Competition. He is also a Member of the International Society for the Performing Arts and a Founding Member of the European Concert Hall Organisation (ECHO). Andrew is an Honorary Fellow of Birmingham City University and is a recipient of the Birmingham Civic Society Gold Medal, which is awarded to individuals who have made a significant contribution to life in the city. In June 2012 he was awarded the OBE in HM The Queen’s  Diamond Jubilee Birthday Honours for services to music.

From the New York Philharmonic archives (courtesy Mr Esa-Pekka Salonen):

Neil Shicoff has been appointed head of opera at the Mikhailovsky Theatre, the second opera house in St Petersburg. Shicoff has, for the past few days, been celebrating 40th anniversary events in Vienna, where he has spent much of his career and was once considered a candidate for head of the Staatsoper.

Here’s the ritual exchange of compliments:

Neil Shicoff: ‘For the past 5 years, I have had a very close professional relationship with the Mikhailovsky Theatre. From the beginning, I felt like I was surrounded by a circle of friends, and over the years, I have followed the progress of this wonderful opera company and am very proud to be included in its continued growth! I am optimistic and hopeful that as Chief of the Opera of the Mikhailovsky Theater, I will be able to make further advancements in the areas of enlarging the opera repertoire, helping the soloists of the Mikhailovsky with their international careers, further present the Mikhailovsky into the international music world, develop new connections and co-productions with the leading opera houses of the world and find new young talented singers to bring to the theatre!

‘Two days ago, I was honored at the Vienna State Opera with a Gala performance celebrating my 40 years onstage. My many years of collaboration with the Vienna State Opera and continued cooperation with the house in the capacity of an honorary lifetime member will certainly provide a good opportunity to bring the two cities, St. Petersburg and Vienna, closer to one another. Both are so important in the history of music and art, and I believe more should be done to facilitate the flow of talents and ideas between these two great cities. I am very much looking forward to getting started!’

Vladimir Kekhman, Artistic Director of the Mikhailovsky Theatre: ‘Our theatre is willing to expose itself to the very best that exists in the world music community and assignment of Neil Shicoff to the position of the Chief of the Opera sustains our strategy. I am convinced that an iconic artist, a person of keen intellect having a vast experience and artistic authority will procure that the theatre will hold the key positions in the world music community. And our soloists will acquire an outstanding mentor who will teach all the tricks of the trade’.

Eric Jacobsen, the enterprising cellist who co-founded Brooklyn Rider and The Knights, has been named music director of the Orlando Philharmonic. Aside from his other ensembles, Eric is also a member of Yo Yo Ma’s Silk Road project and a teacher at New York University.

He starts the sun job in October this year.