Unlike New York, where the Met, the Philharmonic, Lincoln Center and Carnegie Hall have no plan to reopen before next fall, the Chicago Symphony took a more prudent position today, cancelling all concerts, but only til the end of March 2021.
Press release:
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) announces that in response to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic and to ensure the safety of audiences, artists and staff, all CSOA-presented 2020/21 season programs originally scheduled to take place from January 7 through March 30, 2021, have been canceled. Programs include Chicago Symphony Orchestra (CSO) and Symphony Center Presents concerts, public concerts and events of the Negaunee Music Institute at the CSO and previously announced domestic tour performances by the CSO in Florida and California.
The decision follows a review of current conditions and restrictions related to the pandemic and is in accordance with the State of Illinois and City of Chicago’s multi-phase recovery plans, as well current safety guidelines from public health officials. The CSOA continues to explore the possibility of rescheduling affected programs and is reviewing plans to present smaller-scale live performances with a reduced audience in the future…
The Royal Philharmonic Society has unrolled the shortlist for its annual awards.
The three conductors named are:
Dalia Stasevska
Jonathon Heyward
Martyn Brabbins
The first was seen at the BBC Proms, the second is promising and the third led ENO’s brave drive-in Bohème at Alexandra Palace.
But how many votes of RPS members did it take to put them there? And does your heart beat any faster to see them nominated?
Are they really the best batons of 2020?
How about – if it’s UK only –
Mirga (CBSO)
Welber (BBC Phil)
Alpesh Chauhan (Birmingham Opera)?
We got bigger bang out of all three before Covid descended.
This week, Jordi Savall’s ensemble had to cancel a tour after seven musicians, including the maestro, contracted Covid-19 while performing in Poland.
All 100 players in the Hong Kong Philharmonic Orchestra were sent to a Chinese quarantine camp after one musician tested positive.
Berlin’s Staatskapelle cancelled a European tour.
In Russia, Yuri Bashmet resumed conducting two weeks to the day after he contracted Covid.
The Russian violinist Maxim Vengerov tested positive.
The Peruvian violinist Norman Bernal died of Covid, as did two conductors.
And still, every day, we receive messages from musicians in airport lounges, just about to fly to the next gig.
Think about it.
Covid-19 has gone wild again.
You could catch it yourself, bring it back to your family or spread it among any number of people unknown to you, who may fall sick and die.
Think again, please.
Is that journey really necessary?
Representatives of music organizations are meeting the French Minister of Culture, Roselyne Bachelot, to discuss relief measures after Presidet Macron proclaimed a 9pm curfew in major cities, making performance almost impossible.
Mme Bachelot has promised ‘the necessary support measures to overcome this ordeal together’, but the mood is bleak.
‘Everywhere in France, the teams are working once again to urgently rethink their programming’, said Loïc Lachenal, director of Rouen Opera and president of the Forces Musicales (union of opera and orchestra employers). ‘But we cannot help feeling ambivalent. Torn between the desire to open up at all costs, and discouragement in the face of the scale of the difficulties.’
Read a full report here in Diapason.
Macron à l’opéra
The Silo String Quartet has dismissed violinist Aaron Barnden, 43, after he pleaded guilty in an Australian court to producing and possessing child pornography.
Other members of the quartet were caught completely unawares by the case and are stunned by its revelations about a colleague they thought they knew extremely well. Sentencing has yet to be pronounced.
The quartet’s founder, Caerwen Martin, isssued the following dignified statement.
SiloSQ is my life’s work but behind this there is a deeper purpose that drives my core ethics and strongly influences how I am in the world. This is to make the community a safer place for children so that they may grow to be adults without experiencing the horror of child abuse.
Child abuse, paedophillia, and the pornography rings that feed these behaviours destroy lives from the ground up. I know this as a truth. Child abuse is a product of a broken society and as caring adults, we have a duty to fix this in any way we can.
In my life I have made painful sacrifices to uphold this belief and today I am called upon to do so again. With a heavy heart I release Aaron Barnden from the SiloSQ family. We will not be working with him again.
Thank you for all of the messages of support I have received from people who know of my close personal and professional ties with Aaron and understand how hard it is for me to break a loyalty. I am unable to reconcile his admission of guilt with my core values and purpose in life.
Please understand that members of the Silo family are deeply hurt by this revelation of which we knew nothing about until yesterday through the press. We deeply value your support and love, but also your sensitivity to our varying needs for privacy at this time. The emotions we are experiencing are painful and complex but the sadness I feel at releasing a friend is overwhelming. I know that many of you are grappling with this as well.
Thank you for your understanding.
