Nicholas Collon conducts the Aurora Orchestra in Jane Mitchell’s staging of Berlioz’s Symphonie Fantastique. Photo by Mark Allan.
“After cuts by Arts Council England and the BBC, Simon Rattle says UK opera houses and orchestras have never faced greater peril,” writes Imogen Tilden in Tuesday’s (5/16) Guardian (U.K.). “How can they fight back? Top musicians outline their battle plans.” Proposals from British musicians, vocalists, conductors, composers, producers, and administrators include: turn off your phone and revel in the mysterious, Antonio Pappano, music director of the Royal Opera House; young people need to see that musicians are relatable, Isata Kanneh-Mason, pianist; rethink the finance to ensure musicians get a fair fee, Gavin Higgins, composer; do a conga to Beethoven’s 7th, Jane Mitchell, principal flute and creative director, Aurora Orchestra; put it on primetime—after all, The Piano was a hit, Nicky Spence, singer and broadcaster.
