Deborah Rutter turned the Chicago Symphony around by hiring Riccardo Muti as music director after he had turned down other US orchs. (Then they fell out.)

Now she’s restoring the fortunes of the Kennedy Center, hiring Gianandrea Noseda as music director of the National Symphony and generally breathing life into a moribund institutions.

A glowing, no-questions-asked profile here.

A passionate diatribe about the things that stop people singing nowadays.

We began by changing our understanding of corporate worship. It’s not for the church, it’s for those who aren’t part of the church. The historic liturgy is out, and the 19th-century revival model is in. Instead of the entire service being filled with acts of worship – congregational prayers, affirmations, responses, and, yes, singing – we’ve decided that the singing alone is the “worship,” followed by preaching or teaching time (NOT worship), and then followed by a little more singing (again, worship) for good measure.

So, while the congregation once had a vital role in the entire service, we’ve decided they really only need to participate during the music.

But we didn’t stop there.

Read on here.

Bruce Duffie bravely put that question to Phyllis Curtin, who died this week at 90.

Phyllis, unflinching, said: ‘I remember when I was about thirty I was changing techniques altogether, and he (my teacher) said, “You know, my dear, every singer has to learn to die twice.”  That’s a very interesting thought when you’re thirty; quite a wise statement.  When you’re sixty it says something interesting, but all along, if you’re canny you begin to notice things….

Read on here.