The war is not over yet in Chicago.

Notices have gone out cancelling auditions for advertised vacancies.

Here’s the letter:

Dear Section Violin Candidate,

 
On October 14, 2018, the Lyric Opera of Chicago reached a new multi-year agreement with the Chicago Federation of Musicians. While we would love to welcome you to Lyric for the audition, the terms of the agreement have rendered the audition unnecessary and all Lyric Opera of Chicago section violin auditions have been canceled. 
 
While we understand that this news may be disappointing, we would like to thank you for the time and effort you have already committed to this audition. We hope that we have the opportunity to see you in the future. 
 
Sincerely,
Members of the orchestra has posted this angry response on their social media:

Our sincere apologies to our viola audition candidates

– For the airline tickets you purchased
– For the hours you spent practicing opera excerpts
– For the coachings you paid for to prepare for this audition
– For the time you could have spent with family instead of learning unfamiliar repertoire
– For the time you could have dedicated to another audition for a differentorchestra — one that wouldn’t rescind its invitation with little notice
– For taking time off from work for your scheduled audition date here
– For inspiring hope about joining a world class opera company — one that unfortunately seems to now be operated by people with little respect for your time, talent, or money
– For our belief that this audition wouldn’t be cancelled on less than 2 weeks notice

We value everyone’s commitment to preparing for all auditions. We know the 10,000 hours minimum you put into learning your instrument, and we know it’s both exciting and terrifying to walk through the stage doors to an audition. In our recent contract negotiations and strike, we fought hard to keep this and several other positions from being eliminated. Ironically, it all fell on deaf ears.

We wish you all the success in the world. We’re very sorry your success can’t be with us.

The Chicago Lyric Opera Orchestra

It has been announced that Wayne Marshall is leaving the WDR in Cologne after six years. He will step down in 2020.

The reason? He wants to further his international career.

UPDATE: OK, we got it right third time…

Canada’s Saskatoon Symphony Orchestra shut its office after its director Mark Turner was stabbed by an intruder in mid-smmer.

Now Turner has decided to quit the Riversdale Business Improvement District, saying it’s bad for business and not improving at all.

Story here.

From the Daily Mail:

The saxophonist Steve Coleman, 62, is suing his former lover, 26, for defamation after she accused him of manipulating her into a five-year relationship in exchange for being her mentor.

Read all about it here.

 

The Royal Opera House won leave today to appeal a High Court ruling that one of its viola players, Chris Goldscheider, suffered life-changing hearing loss while playing Wagner operas.

The ROH has instructed Nigel Lock, an occupational disease partner at BLM, to argue that noise levels during the rehearsal fell well below the maximum level specified by the Control of Noise at Work Regulations 2005.

Many will feel the ROH should have settled quietly with Chris rather than throwing more money at lawyers.

 

In the last in our short series, these are the cellists I have heard in concert who made a difference to my life.

1 Casals (I only ever heard him conduct)

2 Paul Tortelier (quite unique in the Elgar concerto)

3 Jacqueline du Pre

Unforgettable in a Roman arena at Caesarea, the setting sun illuminating her hair

4 Slava

So many times unforgettable

5 Yo Yo Ma

6 Mischa Maisky

7 Natalie Clein

8 Alisa Weilerstein

9 Natalia Gutman

10 Steven Isserlis

 

 

There’s a popular weekly show on CBC French TV called “En direct de l’univers” in which a celebrity is presented with a bouquet of songs representing his or her life.

This weekend’s guest was Yannick Nézet-Séguin.

In the course of the show, his partner Pierre Tourville sang the Jacques Brel ballad Quand On A Que L’Amour (If You Only Have Love), joined from Las Vegas by Celine Dion.

Yannick was stunned at first, and visibly moved from there on.

Watch here.