We reported last night that players in the San Francisco Symphony earn the highest musicians’ wage in the US. Their base salary is $166,400.

What about other public servants?

The salary for a police officer in San Francisco is $83,000. Exactly half.

The salary for a public school teacher is $79,000.

A US Senator earns $174,000.

 

A really interesting lineup next season at La Scala, announced today.

Riccardo Chailly opens with Verdi’s Attila, Davide Livermore directing, Abdrazakov in the title role. He will also take on the Italian première of the first version of Manon Lescaut, David Pountey, directing, with Maria Jose Siri.

Milan will see its first Korngold Die tote Stadt (Graham Vick, dir.) and Aegyptische Helena (Franz Welser-Möst, cond.).

Welser-Möst will also conduct Ariadne auf Naxos, with none other than Alexander Pereira making his La Scala debut as Haushofmeister. That chap could go far.

Bartoli returns in a new Giulio Cesare by Robert Carsen.

Two very young conductors get their first bite of the baton – Michele Gamba (ex-Pappano and Barenboim assistant) for L’elisir d’amore (Feola, Grigolo) and Lorenzo Viotti in the symphonic season.

You can see the full lineup at Gramilano here.

 

The 2018/19 season rolled out today includes a run of Woody Allen’s production of Puccini’s Gianni Schicchi, originally staged at Los Angeles Opera at Placido Domingo’s behest.

Italian social media are all atwitter about it, although it’s by no means certain the director will attend. He will be 83 in July 2019.

UPDATE: We hear from La Scala that he is expected to attend rehearsals.

Was it any good?

 

This weekend, Peter Oundjian will conduct his last concerts as music director of the Royal Scottish National Orchestra.

Peter says: ‘I would be delighted if our friends would join us for the final rehearsal of the 2017:18 Season at the Usher Hall for the chance to share in the preparation for this special occasion. This will be my final rehearsal in Edinburgh as Music Director, and it would be my honour to share it with as many of our supporters as possible.’

The RNSO says: Guests are free to tweet, post film and take photos, to celebrate the partnership of the RSNO and departing Music Director Peter Oundjian

The Social Media Open Rehearsal is on Friday 1 June  from 3.00 to 4.00pm. Free tickets from OpenRehearsal@rsno.org.uk before 5.30pm tomorrow.

From Yannick Nézet-Séguin this morning:

I am thrilled to announce that I am now an exclusive Deutsche Grammophon artist! After a decade of recording regularly on the yellow label, we are now looking forward to incredible future releases and projects with The Philadelphia Orchestra Rotterdams Philharmonisch Orkest, Orchestre Métropolitain, Chamber Orchestra of Europe, The Metropolitan Opera.Thanks to the great DG family! Looking forward to this beautiful partnership!

A second signing is imminent, we hear. She will be DG’s first female baton.

His PR wants us to know that ‘Symphony Hall in Birmingham, UK, has invited the Shirtless Violinist to perform in a new music video’.

I guess that means no more dress code in Brum.

Andrew Manze is to be principal guest conductor of the Phil, starting now.

The former violinist is in the thick of recording an outstanding Vaughan Williams cycle. He is also Chief Conductor of the NDR Radiophilharmonie in Hanover.

photo: Chris Christodoulou/Lebrecht

press release: Liverpool Philharmonic is delighted to announce Andrew Manze, widely celebrated as one of the most stimulating and inspirational conductors of his generation, as Principal Guest Conductor of the Royal Liverpool Philharmonic Orchestra. His appointment, initially for three years, commences with the 2018-2019 concert season, which opens in September.

Message from Annie Beilby:

Gatwick airport north terminal. Gone through security where the woman searching my viola has carelessly made a deep scratch on the ribs at least 1 cm long after insisting that she hold the instrument for me and then proceeding to bang it against the lock of the case.

I am furious and beyond being tired of being intimidated to hand over my gorgeous viola – I don’t know what I would do if I had an old Italian worth more than a house….

Annie tells us it’s not a huge gash, but she’s upset that a stranger could manhandle her instrument when she offered to hold it. ‘I’m just glad she didn’t drop it!’ she adds.

… Jennifer Rowley.

She jumped in as Tosca for Netrebko at the Met and for Yoncheva in Philadephia.

Now she’s making an unscheduled Paris debut as Leonora in Trovatore, opposite Yusif Eyvazov and Roberto Alagna.

She replaces Elena Stikhina who ‘has withdrawn from all future productions,’ according to the Paris Opéra.

Actually, it’s more complicated. Read here.

The winner of the 11th Dublin International Piano Competition, announced last night, is Sae Yoon Chon, 22, from South Korea.

He is ‘currently studying with John O’Connor and James Anagnoson at The Glenn Gould School, Toronto’.

John O’Connor is chairman of the competition jury.

This should not be happening.

In Dublin, or anywhere else.