How Classical Music Looks Different In 2010

Ten best events of the decade

By Anne Midgette

Washington Post, Sunday, December 27, 2009 

 "Downloads brought the classical recording industry to its knees... Institutions learned to sell tickets on their Web sites, and the Metropolitan Opera broke ground with its live HD broadcasts... YouTube made a treasure-trove of great recordings available to a young audience..."

Another thoughtful article by Anne Midgette 

(photo: Juan Diego Florez, tenor)

Read the whole article here.....

The baritone who forgot his pants, and other crazy classical music stories of 2009

News of the weird, from the classical music world: Conductor David Ott fell into an orchestra pit; composer Curtis Hughes wrote an opera about Sarah Palin; and baritone Bryn Terfel forgot his pants in 2009.

Read more in the Seattle Times...

In Issuing Visas, 'Culturally Unique' Is Subjective

"[I]mmigration law gives an anonymous group of government bureaucrats a lot of cultural clout: They can decide which foreign ballerinas, musicians and artists qualify as 'outstanding,' or special enough to deserve a visa to enter the U.S. Ultimately, most applications are approved," but some complain "that official judgments of artistic merit are often arbitrary."

Read the full article in the Wall Street Journal 12/10/09.....

Voices at Christmas Time

The Monterey Bay region has a wealth of fine singing ensembles. Bravi to Camerata Singers (review), I Cantori di Carmel (review), Cantiamo, the Cabrillo Symphonic Chorus, the Monterey Peninsula Choral Society (review), and several MPC-related choirs for their music-making in the past two weeks.

And there's more, December 18 – 21!

Friday and Saturday at 8pm:
Monterey Symphony Holiday Concerts at Carmel Mission. (map)

Saturday and Sunday at 8pm:
Santa Cruz Chorale at Holy Cross Church. (map)

Sunday at 2:30pm:
Harnell Community Chorus at the Unitarian Church on Aguajito Road,
just north of Carmel. (map)

Monday at 6pm and 8:30pm:
Chanticleer at Carmel Mission. (map)

Visit the CMM calendar for more details of venue locations and contact info.

"Happy Christmas to all...." 

The Music Class

With school funding slashed from coast to coast, a new program is aiming to do for music education what the Peace Corps did for international service. Good Magazine visited New Orleans to see how the experiment is going.

"A lot of social justice work is addressing problems associated with exclusion: poverty, injustice, racism. And music is about connecting people and bringing people together."

Read the full article here...

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GOOD is a collaboration of individuals, businesses, and nonprofits pushing the world forward. Learn more about GOOD at their website www.good.is, a wonderful online source for uplifting news and information that is helpful, forward-moving, and inspiring.

Meet the New Carmel Bach Festival Music Director!

It's official: the Carmel Bach Festival has announced its new Music Director.

British conductor Paul Goodwin will step onto the podium at the 2011 Festival.

Visit Paul's website here.

Here is today's press release on the Carmel Bach Festival website.

Wonderful Film About El Sistema

“Originally art was made by a minority for a minority. Then it became art by a minority for the majority, and now we are at the beginning of a new era, where art is intended by the majority for the majority.”

José Antonio Abreu

Here is a trailer for the recent film "El Sistema."

External links related to this post:

•  Official El Sistema website       •  Official El Sistema Film website

•  An interesting YouTube playlist of El Sistema and Gustavo Dudamel

"Bolero" for Cello solo, eight hands!

The four members of the avant-garde quartet "String Fever" play Ravel's Bolero on one instrument. It must get crowded in there...