Author: BFC

“The Dallas Symphony Orchestra will present its second free concert designed specifically for people on the autism spectrum Feb. 5 at the Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center,” writes Holly Haber in Thursday’s (12/15) Dallas Morning News. “ ‘The response to the first “My DSO Concert” was overwhelming, joyful and affirming,’ said symphony president and CEO Jonathan Martin. ‘There was a buzz of enthusiasm from the audience as the music was performed, and gratitude from families that they could enjoy a Dallas Symphony concert without stress or worry.’ The concert is presented in partnership with Autism Treatment Center, Best Buddies, LaunchAbility, My Possibilities, the Eugene McDermott Scholars at the University of Texas at Dallas, UT Southwestern Medical Center and The Warren Center. It begins with a 1:30 p.m. fair where visitors can touch musical instruments and get information from service organizations that address intellectual disabilities. The hour-long concert begins at 2:30 p.m. and concludes with a casual reception with the musicians.… The first concert, held in April, was inspired by symphony music director Jaap Van Zweden, who discovered he could communicate with his autistic son through music, and interest from philanthropist Margaret McDermott, who has a beloved autistic friend.”

Posted December 16, 2016

“Just three years after its brush with near-bankruptcy, the Nashville Symphony Orchestra is now operating in the black, thanks in large part to historic increases in both ticket sales and fundraising,” writes John Pitcher in Thursday’s (12/15) Nashville Scene. “The orchestra’s financial audit for the fiscal year 2016, released today, reveals an operating surplus of $339,000, a marked improvement over the prior year, when the orchestra suffered an operating loss of $732,000. The symphony reported that 67 percent of its revenue now comes earned income, in the form [of] ticket sales, fees and rentals…. Increases in the Nashville Symphony’s revenue stream followed the decision to expand the number of programs offered at the Schermerhorn, especially pop culture performances…. ‘I really credit the community with our turnaround,’ NSO president Alan Valentine [said]. … Highlights of the audit include: An increase in operating revenue of nearly 20 percent … annual fundraising increase of 10 percent … $1.4 million in event rentals, a $213,000 or 18 percent increase over the previous year…. $421,000 of additional revenue from two concerts at Ascend Amphitheater, part of the NSO’s contract with Live Nation [and a] decrease in debt of $650,000 or 3 percent.”

Posted December 16, 2016

Pictured: The Nashville Symphony and Music Director Giancarlo Guerrero

The NEA has announced its first round of FY17 Art Works grants to orchestras, with a total of $1,237,500 in 40 direct awards to orchestras. Awards support the creation of work and presentation of both new and existing music, lifelong learning in the arts, and public engagement with the arts. Also awarded in the first 2017 round of grants are Art Works: Creativity Connects grants, which support partnerships between arts organizations and organizations from non-arts sectors such as healthcare, nutrition, juvenile justice, science, and technology, among many others. Orchestra grantees receiving Art Works support will support emerging composers and premiere new works, provide music instruction and mentorship for students, collaborate with other arts organizations and disciplines, support new productions and experimental programming, enable orchestras to conduct residencies in their communities, celebrate diverse cultural heritages, and provide countless engagement opportunities through lectures, panel discussions, and master classes. The League has compiled project descriptions for grants to orchestras and grants related to the orchestra field. Complete lists of grant amounts and project descriptions for awards in all disciplines may be found on the NEA website.

Posted December 15, 2016

“The Taiwan Philharmonic, which is known at home as the National Symphony Orchestra, or NSO, is a first-rate ensemble, one of Asia’s best,” writes Mark Swed in Tuesday’s (12/13) Los Angeles Times. The orchestra made its U.S. debut Monday night at Renée and Henry Segerstrom Concert Hall in Orange County, CA. “This season the orchestra celebrates its 30th anniversary, yet it has little profile outside of Asia…. Led by the orchestra’s Taiwanese music director, Shao-Chia Lü … the concert began with a new work … by a young Taiwanese composer, Chun-Wei Lee, and a violin concerto by Tyzen Hsiao, called ‘Taiwan’s Rachmaninoff.’ Tchaikovsky’s Fifth Symphony replaced Dvorák’s Ninth…. It was a big band on the Segerstrom stage, with the majority of its players young. The tone was dark and rich…. [In] Tchaikovsky’s Fifth … the symphony’s famous solos, especially those for clarinet, bassoon and horn, were exquisitely polished. The climaxes were spectacular…. Politics shouldn’t have anything to do with it, but the Taiwan Philharmonic is overdue for a major U.S. tour.”

Posted December 15, 2016

“Alan Gilbert believes that conducting an orchestra is a process of ‘letting go together,’ ” states a Wednesday (12/14) article at NYC classical radio station WQXR based on a conversation between Gilbert and host Helga Davis. “When the energy between a conductor and an orchestra is right, he says, it’s almost impossible to tell who’s leading who. After eight seasons at the helm of the New York Philharmonic, Alan Gilbert is ready to step down. In his wake, he leaves a formidable legacy of experimentation that expanded not just what an orchestra can and will do, but who it’s for. Gilbert and Davis [spoke] about what he means by serving a community, the moments in performance he lives for, and how maybe he could’ve benefited from throwing tantrums and showing his stress more.” On successful conducting, Gilbert says, “You have to set something in motion that is so inevitable that it goes that way and you don’t have to continue to do anything in order for it to go that way, because that is the only possible way it could go.”

Posted December 15, 2016

“The 13-year tenure of Charles Munch as music director of the Boston Symphony Orchestra (1949-62) was a watershed in the annals of orchestral performance,” writes John von Rhein in Wednesday’s (12/14) Chicago Tribune. “Sony Classical is honoring his 125th birthday anniversary with ‘Charles Munch: The Complete RCA Album Collection,’ a handsome, 86-CD box set containing all of the recordings he made with the Boston Symphony for RCA Victor, augmented by the few he taped for Columbia with the New York Philharmonic and Philadelphia Orchestra before and after his BSO tenure, respectively…. Munch’s [stereophonic] recordings, made in Boston’s sonically superior Symphony Hall, still sound wonderful more than 60 years after their initial release…. Munch performances … could sweep you along in a tidal wave of emotion…. Victor invested heavily in making Munch-Boston synonymous with Debussy-Ravel. In Boston he recorded seven works by each composer.… Munch’s wide-ranging commitment to contemporary music was a hallmark of his Boston years [including recordings of] symphonies by Arthur Honegger, Walter Piston, Bohuslav Martinu, Easley Blackwood and Alexei Haieff…. ‘There will be joy,’ Munch predicted at the start of his Boston tenure. Prophetic words. Now we have his entire American discography, gathered in a jumbo package.”

Posted December 15, 2016

“With the presentation of Kaija Saariaho’s ‘L’Amour de Loin’ this month, the Metropolitan Opera finally broke a 113-year streak of not performing any operas written by women,” writes William Robin in Thursday’s (12/15) New York Times. “It remains a difficult landscape for female composers, but there are institutions that advocate for them.” The article reports on programs for women composers from the League of American Orchestras, Opera America, Luna Composition Lab, and Prototype: Opera/Theatre/Now. “The League of American Orchestras has devised an initiative to support female composers … funded by the Virginia B. Toulmin Foundation. In partnership with the EarShot project of the American Composers Orchestra—which itself has featured the music of more than 100 women composers over the past 15 years—the League’s Women Composers Readings and Commissions Program has since 2014 sponsored orchestral opportunities for women in the early stages of their compositional careers. Last month, the New York Philharmonic performed one of the resulting commissions, Julia Adolphe’s viola concerto ‘Unearth, Release.’ And this week, the League announced that the program would be renewed until 2017, and that it had expanded to include commissions for three composers: Chen-Hui Jen, Wang Jie and Hannah Lash.” For more on the League’s program for women composers, click here.  

Posted December 15, 2016

“The sound of water rushing over rocks in the Hocking Hills gave composer Ken McCaw an idea,” writes Ken Gordon in Sunday’s (12/11) Columbus Dispatch (Ohio). The Columbus native “had written a piece of orchestral music in May…. ‘I was hiking around Cedar Falls and I was like, “The piece reminds me of Cedar Falls, the way it flows,” ‘ [McCaw said].  The image helped guide McCaw as he polished the five-minute ‘Cedar Falls.’ ” The Central Ohio Symphony premiered the work on Sunday, led by Music Director Jamie Morales-Matos. “The composition marks the second McCaw piece debuted by the symphony, which in 2014 also premiered his ‘Ice Dance.’ … Several years ago, [McCaw] approached Warren Hyer, executive director of the Central Ohio Symphony, about composing a piece for the group.… ‘Part of our mission is to work with Ohio guest artists and Ohio composers,’ Hyer said. ‘I think it paints a picture that there is significant artistic achievement right in our own great community.’ Ben Goldberg, another composer with Ohio ties … has also written and arranged pieces for the symphony…. McCaw is now dreaming up a grander plan: He hopes to create a five-piece ‘Hocking Hills Suite.’ ”

Posted December 15, 2016

Pictured: Composer Ken McCaw in his basement studio. The Central Ohio Symphony premiered McCaw’s “Cedar Falls” on December 11. Photo by Tyler Stabile