The clapboard house in Tryon, North Carolina, where Eunice Kathleen Waymon was born in February 1933 is under threat of demolition.
It was here that Nina was taught to play the piano by an English-born teacher, Muriel Mazzanovich, here that she played her first Bach.
Does anyone care enougb to save the house?
There’s a collection running here.
The Finnish composer Kalevi Aho has been honoured with a “Kalevi Aho Path” in Luosto, Lapland, 100 km north of the Arctic circle. His Symphony No. 12 (Luosto-Sinfonia) was first performed at Luosto in 2003. The 2 km path was officially opened 2 August.
Just one drawback. It’s frozen solid in winter, swarmed by mozzies in summer.
Here’s an alarming document that’s going round US orchestras right now:
We wanted to make you aware of an issue regarding the Performing Rights Organizations (PRO) BMI and ASCAP that could have a significant impact on the concert industry. The U.S. Department of Justice is considering ending the Antitrust Consent Decrees which have regulated both BMI and ASCAP since the early 1940s. These Consent Decrees require, among other things, that both organizations provide licenses to anyone who requests a license and to apply standardized fees for the performance of works by similarly situated licensees. The termination of the Consent Decrees would allow these PROs to significantly increase rates without any of the judicial or DOJ oversight required under the Consent Decrees, allow differing fees between presenters and give them the ability to decline licenses potentially giving the PROs the ability to control which acts presenters may hire. This could also create significant uncertainty in how venues and promoters would license performance rights for events going forward. BMI is in the Rate Court right now requesting licensing fees that include percentages of additional revenue earned from secondary markets, sponsorships, VIP packages, ticket broker charges and other relevant streams of income. Although we do not know how the Rate Court will decide this issue, without judicial oversight under the Consent Decrees, it will be much easier for the PROs to pursue these additional revenue streams.
There is a short window of time to provide comments to the DOJ and your state representatives in Congress. August 9, 2019 is the deadline for comment. If you feel that this change may affect your business, you can submit comments directly to the DOJ at ATR.MEP.Information@usdoj.gov; or fill out the form at the Music Innovation Consumers site, which will be sent to your state official – https://p2a.co/tKFkiap. Please feel free to share these links with any interested parties.
One major orchestra has swiftly responded:
This issue is also happening with all the orchestras and the Orchestra League has hired a lawyer to work on this as its extremely serious. The lawyer has written a letter to the DOJ signed by as many orchestras that want to participate, objecting to the ending of the Consent Decrees.
The Spanish journal Scherzo reports that Gustavo Dudamel will appear on stage for the first time this week with his wife María Valverde, a Spanish actress.
She will give narration for a performance of Mendelssohn’s Midsummer’s Night Dream with the Mahler Chamber Orchestra at the Castell de Peralada Festival.
Summer frolics.
After ducking out of her Bayreuth Festival debut, the diva is with husband Yusiv Eyvazov to Baku in Azerbaijan, his home town.
They were seen changing planes in Istanbul.
Last night, the Arena di Verona announced: ‘Unfortunately, Yusif Eyvazov has to cancel the “Tosca” performances in Arena di Verona due to his health condition.’
Yusif, looking good, has just contracted to sing his first Don Carlo at Salzburg Easter Festival, Thielemann conducting.
What’s a contract, these days? And what’s a doctor’s note?
UPDATE: They are in Baku, she has messaged, for the 75th birthday of Yusif’s mother.
Good to see that Yusif has recovered so quickly from the causes of his Verona cancellation.
The Philadelphia Orchestra has issued a press release of changes to the coming season. It gets quite excited about the unscheduled return of Fabio Luisi, ‘a beloved collaborator with the Orchestra’.
Somehow, it fails to mention that he is replacing the hot ticket Mirga Gražinytė-Tyla, probably the most sought after new-gen conductor.
Mirga, 33, has cancelled all guest conducting engagements for two years in order to give more time to her baby.
Philadelphia can wait.
The diva has posted this photo with the caption ‘Happy Day!!’.
She is wearing a ring. Not by Wagner.
Her friends are assuming it’s wedding bells.
Happy days, indeed.
Deborah Voigt was previously married for seven years to her high-school boyfriend John Leitch, divorcing in 1995.
