Marin Alsop on Women in Conducting.
Marin Alsop has blazed a trail as one of the few females at the pinnacle of the world of conducting. She is the first female to conduct the Last Night of the Proms. The fact this milestone needs to be observed and commented on is telling in itself. As she takes the baton for this traditional…
Is Gender a Factor in Conducting? Petrenko Creates a Furore
Just days after violinist Nigel Kennedy claimed that “conductors are completely over-rated”, and on the eve of Marin Alsop becoming the first woman to conduct the Last Night of the Proms, Russian born conductor Vasily Petrenko has created a storm by claiming that orchestras “react better when they have a man in front of them” and that…
The Unbeatable Power of Words and Music
Whilst music and words by themselves have the power to evoke myriad emotions, conductor Mark Wigglesworth writes about the unbeatable power of combining words with music: http://www.gramophone.co.uk/blog/shaping-the-invisible/when-it-comes-to-expressing-emotion-is-music-better-than-words
2013 Art Music Winners Announced.
The 2013 winners of the ART Music Awards have been announced, acknowledging excellence in the creation, performance, education and presentation of Australian music. The awards are made by APRA AMCOS and the Australian Music Centre, and include contemporary art music, jazz and experimental music. At the pinnacle, the Award for Distinguished Services to Australian Music was presented to 85-year-old George Dreyfus…
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra’s 25th season.
The Australian Brandenburg Orchestra has announced its 2014 line up. True to the niche it has created for itself , the programme focuses on music from early classical times and before, with a splash of Bartok and deFalla on the side. The orchestra is joined at various times by its choir, and soloists performing…
Britten’s scores online
As part of the Benjamin Britten centenary this year, the British Library has made available online, digital images of a comprehensive range of Britten’s original scores, along with annotations. Choral, instrumental, opera, incidental music – it’s all there. Click here for the link to The British Library’s Digitised Images page.
Dvorak’s New York contract goes on display
The contract signed by Antonin Dvorak which clinched the deal that took him to work in New York has been found amongst the personal papers of the woman who hired him. Dated ‘Prague 1892’ it contains detailed terms of his employment. The contract goes on display in Manhattan on September 8th. Click here to read more and…
Opera Australia releases its 2014 line up
It’s rush hour for Sydney’s performing ensembles as they jostle to release their programmes for 2014 and secure the all important subscription dollar for the year. Hot on the heels of the SSO’s 2014 season release, Opera Australia has announced it’s compilation for next year on a re-vamped website. Nine of the 16 productions offer opera in…
A New Appointment for Roland Peelman
In news from The Song Company, Artistic Director Roland Peelman has been appointed Artistic Director of the Canberra International Music Festival from 2015 to 2017. In a statement released recently, The Song Company announced that Roland Peelman’s role will commence in April 2014 replacing the current CIMF Director, Chris Latham. Roland Peelman will fulfil his new role alongside his existing commitments…