“This year’s Spoleto Festival USA … will mark General Director Nigel Redden’s last, after 35 years,” writes Susan Elliott in Monday’s (4/5) Musical America (subscription required). “Running May 28-June 13, it will offer 70 live performances, mostly out of doors, in four different venues, the only insider being the tiny Dock Street Theater, where chamber music concerts will go on…. Under the guidance of host and Festival Chamber Music Director Geoff Nuttall, performances will run 45 minutes, only at 25 percent of audience capacity—a restriction that pertains to the entire festival. In addition to standard rep, the chamber series will include four premieres, two by composer-in-residence Jessica Meyer, one by Siegfried Thiele … and a new piece by Osvaldo Golijov for cellist Alisa Weilerstein, which she’ll perform with pianist Inon Barnatan. Two outdoor stages are under construction…. A live-streamed virtual gala on May 22 hosted by [countertenor] Anthony Roth Costanzo, with recorded performances and tributes, will celebrate Redden’s long and distinguished tenure at Spoleto…. The much-anticipated premiere of [Rhiannon Giddens’s] opera, Omar, will once again be postponed by one year [to open] the 2022 Festival.”
Author: Mike Rush
Accelerated renovation of Geffen Hall, with New York Philharmonic to return in fall 2022
“Dark since March 2020, the New York Philharmonic’s home will reopen in fall 2022, a year and a half ahead of schedule,” writes Zachary Woolfe in Tuesday’s (4/6) New York Times. “The coronavirus pandemic has dealt a devastating blow to performing arts institutions nationwide…. But for the New York Philharmonic and Lincoln Center, it has also offered a silver lining: the opportunity to accelerate the long-delayed renovation of David Geffen Hall…. Construction began in earnest over the past few months…. The orchestra will … spend much of its coming season at Lincoln Center, with the majority of its performances at Alice Tully Hall or the Rose Theater, alongside forays to Carnegie Hall and other spaces…. The Geffen Hall renovation is expected to cost $550 million, of which $500 million has been raised, Henry Timms, the president of Lincoln Center, said…. The old plan had called for progression in stages to limit disruption to the Philharmonic…. Deborah Borda, the Philharmonic’s chief executive, was hired in 2017 in large part to put the renovation back on track; in her previous job leading the Los Angeles Philharmonic, she had brought the construction of Walt Disney Concert Hall over the finish line.”
Baltimore Symphony sets fall 2021 for in-person performances and beginning of music-director search
“The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra on Tuesday unveiled its plans to return to performing indoor concerts before live audiences beginning Sept. 11,” writes Mary Carole McCauley in Tuesday’s (4/6) Baltimore Sun. “In addition … guest conductors [will] vie … to become the candidate chosen to succeed the outgoing music director Marin Alsop as music director. And at least seven of those candidates are women or conductors of color.… The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra will hold a three-month mostly virtual ‘Marin Festival’ in the spring of 2021…. Peter Kjome, the BSO’s president and CEO … said the BSO has also ‘greatly accelerated’ the pace of its digital offerings for customers who aren’t ready to return physically. Cameras were added to the Meyerhoff stage … and all classical music and pops programs will be made available to subscribers…. James Conlon, who becomes interim music director Sept. 1, brings his ‘recovered voices’ project…. Eleven programs … will be devoted to telling untold stories, from composers silenced by the Nazi regime to those muzzled because of their gender or race…. In her final concert of the season, [Alsop] will conduct the Baltimore version of the yearlong ‘Ode to Joy’ project [celebrating] the 250th anniversary of … Beethoven’s birth.”
San Diego Symphony musicians test soon-to-open outdoor Shell concert venue
“The San Diego Symphony is in the unique position of being poised to unveil a brand new, state-of-the-art venue,” writes George Varga in Friday’s (4/2) San Diego Union-Tribune. “The Shell will be the first permanent, year-round bayside concert venue in the nation that is operated by a symphony orchestra. The $85 million venue at downtown’s Embarcadero Marina Park South, will offer a stage-side gourmet kitchen [and] two open-air pavilions … After 15 days in March of audience-free rehearsals at The Shell … the panoramic venue has already proven its superior sonic and visual capabilities…. ‘We can hear each other wonderfully,’ said music director Rafael Payare.… The Shell [features a] Meyer Constellation Acoustic System … for the musicians to hear themselves…. Audiences … will hear the music through a different sound system…. When concerts are not taking place, up to 85 percent of the park will be open to the public…. ‘We want it to be a place where you can bring kids for after-school programs, whether it’s yoga or learning to play the violin,’ said San Diego Symphony CEO Martha Gilmer…. ‘We’re talking about interesting ways of introducing new audiences to the venue.’ ”
San Francisco Symphony’s next streamed video episode, curated by Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate
The next installment of the San Francisco Symphony’s “Currents” video series, curated by composer and pianist Jerod Impichchaachaaha’ Tate, will be released on April 1 via SFSymphony+, the orchestra’s streaming channel. The episode, “Thunder Song,” explores the intersection of American Indian and classical musical cultures. The episode features Tate’s own compositions Talowa’ Hiloha and Chokfi’; an arrangement by Tate and Elder Thomas Leon Brown (aka Machuchuk) of the Traditional Pomo Shake Head Song Hoy-Ya-A; Rochelle Chester’s Moon’s Lullaby; and selections from Louis W. Ballard’s Katcina Dances. Tate is a classical composer and citizen of the Chickasaw Nation in Oklahoma; recent commissions include Shell Shaker: A Chickasaw Opera for Mount Holyoke Symphony Orchestra; Ghost of the White Deer, Concerto for Bassoon and Orchestra for Dallas Symphony Orchestra; and his Chickasaw oratorio, Misha’ Sipokni’ (The Old Ground), for Canterbury Voices and the Oklahoma City Philharmonic. The San Francisco Symphony’s “Currents” five-episode video series, launched in July 2020, explores the intersections of classical music with varied musical cultures and features performances by guest curators alongside members of the San Francisco Symphony. For more information, visit https://www.sfsymphonyplus.org/.
BBC announces plans for in-person Proms performances, July 30-Sept. 11
“The BBC has announced its intention to mount a full program of music for Proms 2021, scheduled from July 30 to Sept. 11 in Royal Albert Hall,” writes Anthony Brown in Tuesday’s (3/30) Musical America (subscription required). “ ‘We can confirm we hope to welcome live audiences back to our glorious home this summer,’ said a spokesman, ‘in line with government guidance.’ … At present, the U.K.’s government projects that all social distancing measures will end on June 21, effectively greenlighting indoor music performances and festivals. But reaching this much-desired goal depends on four elements: effective vaccines, a successful vaccine rollout, the NHS’s ability to cope with current infection rates, and potential threats from new variants…. Because the ability to fill the concert hall to its full capacity of 6,000 remains uncertain, tickets will be sold in tranches, with more seats made available assuming conditions continue to improve as performance dates draw nearer…. Last year’s programs … were recorded for television behind closed doors…. The 2021 season will also feature several concerts held outside London…. All of the concerts, the details of which have yet to be announced, will be broadcast on Radio 3, BBC TV, and online.”
Mills College, home for generations of composers, likely to close in 2023
“The music program at Mills College and the electronics-focused Center for Contemporary Music, together among the most distinguished havens for experimental work in America over the past century, are facing possible closure,” writes Geeta Dayal in Tuesday’s (3/30) New York Times. On March 17, the Oakland, California-based college “announced that ongoing financial problems, exacerbated by the coronavirus pandemic, would mean the end of its history as a degree-granting institution…. The school’s final degrees are likely to be conferred in 2023…. For composers and musicians, the potential loss of the Mills program has come as a startling blow…. The school’s faculty over the years” has included Darius Milhaud, Luciano Berio, Pauline Oliveros, Robert Ashley, and Terry Riley. “In the first half of the 20th century, when composers like John Cage became associated with the school, Mills developed a reputation for nonconformity…. Mills’s archives [include] over 2,000 tapes of performances, lectures and interviews, along with scores, letters and synthesizers—and hundreds of percussion instruments owned by Lou Harrison. David Bernstein, the current chair of the music department, said the archives would be protected. ‘We have been working on this project for quite some time,’ he said.”
Madison Symphony’s longtime executive director, Richard Mackie, announces July retirement
“After 22 years of leading the administration of the Madison Symphony Orchestra, executive director Richard Mackie is set to retire this summer,” reports Juliana Tornabene in Monday’s (3/29) WMTV (Madison, WI). “ ‘As the end of the COVID crisis comes into focus, the Symphony is in excellent shape financially and artistically to resume its mission of great music for everyone,’ Mackie said in a statement. ‘This is a good time for me to wrap up some major projects and leave the organization well prepared for its future leadership.’ Mackie has guided the Symphony administration since early 1999…. He had previously led the Baton Rouge Symphony and the Memphis Symphony Orchestra…. Mackie … headed the transition from the Madison Civic Center into Overture Hall, as well as lead the planning of the Overture Concert Organ when the new hall opened in 2004…. ‘Rick’s longevity as Executive Director is exceptional,’ Symphony Board of Directors president Ellsworth Brown said. ‘His vision, commitment to and knowledge of the Greater Madison community, management skills and collaboration with Maestro John DeMain have brought the Madison Symphony Orchestra to the high level we now enjoy.’… Mackie’s retirement will start on July 1.”
Stronger community focus: goal for Muncie Symphony’s new executive director, Scott Watkins
“As the new executive director of the Muncie Symphony Orchestra, Scott Watkins plans to … bring the community together through music,” writes Melissa Jones in Wednesday’s (3/31) Muncie Journal (IN). “Watkins joined the MSO just last month…. ‘There’s an opportunity to reach out to our region,’ … he said.… At his last position with Orchestra Kentucky, Watkins helped to bring the organization from a $180,000 deficit to over a $100,000 surplus in a few years. In El Dorado, Arkansas [as executive director of the South Arkansas Symphony Orchestra], he played an instrumental role in branding the city as a music festival destination.…Watkins hopes to position the MSO as a more vibrant part of the community, especially as the city looks to grow strategically and economically…. One of his primary initiatives will be working closely with James Thompson, the MSO’s education coordinator, to enhance arts education in schools across East Central Indiana…. Another initiative … is an adjustment to the MSO’s programming, including shortened classical [concerts] ‘to match our social media-engrained minds’ [and] more pops concerts…. The orchestra’s 2021 season kicks off with a subscribers-only classical concert on May 22, [when] the MSO will … announce details of the season.”
Harrisburg Symphony celebrates its 90th year—virtually
“The Harrisburg Symphony Orchestra marked its 90th anniversary in late March,” writes Karen Hendricks in Wednesday’s (3/31) TheBurg (Harrisburg, PA). “Like many pandemic milestones, the celebration was ‘different,’ via a live-streamed, pre-recorded, socially distanced performance—the HSO’s seventh of 10 ticketed virtual performances [this season]. Although virtual performances have been a hot ticket, ‘the largest single element of the HSO’s budget is not ticket sales, but development money,’ said Steve MacDonald, HSO board president…. The HSO raised 93% of its annual [fundraising] goal by January…. Not only did the HSO retain a large percentage of its audience via online performances, but it’s expanded its reach [to] music lovers around the globe…. ‘The creativity we applied to this season will take us forward into more normal seasons with enhanced offerings,’ said Maestro Stuart Malina, HSO music director and conductor. ‘We intend to continue streaming some of our concerts.’… The fate of the HSO’s live outdoor concerts … as well as next fall’s season, have not yet been announced….. Said Matthew Herren, HSO executive director, ‘A lot depends on the vaccine rollout … but I’m optimistically tentative…. We need [the arts] now more than ever.’ ”