The debate over whether or not the New York Philharmonic should perform in Pyongyang, North Korea is puzzling. There have been so many thought provoking articles written on the issue that it is easy to understand and relate to just about every point. At the same time, this is a good indication that the minutia of the discussion has hijacked clarity. As a result, this is precisely the sort of thing that can benefit from applying Occam’s razor…
Month: October 2007
An Interesting Challenge In Pittsburgh
The Saturday, October 27, 2007 edition of the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette published an article by Andrew Druckenbrod that reported Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra (PSO) artistic advisor Andrew Davis would not return to conduct the orchestra this season, the last of his contracted tenure with the ensemble. Andrew’s article does an excellent job at bringing you up to speed on the details surrounding Davis’ time with the ensemble but looking ahead, the core of this situation will inadvertently test the PSO’s standing within he greater professional orchestra community…
Substance Over Shadows
Last week’s article examining how orchestras should approach using new online technologies generated a great deal of interest. As it turns out, it was also well-timed as the Minnesota Orchestra (MN Orch) launched a website during the same week designed to feature nearly all of the online tools discussed in the article. The website came to my attention via an invitation at Facebook from Sam Bergman, MO violist, to attend a concert event from a series that is the new website’s namesake Inside The Classics. The website’s home page, (featured to your left, click to enlarge), is dominated by photos of Bergman and MO assistant conductor Sarah Hatsuko Hicks and demonstrates that this is not a typical orchestra website project…
Catching Up On Some Conductor News
Although Leonard Slatkin’s appointment received a good bit of attention here soon after its announcement, two other recent announcements are worth noting…
Losing The Substance By Grasping At The Shadow
It seems as though every time you turn around people in the orchestra business are clamoring to start podcasts, begin blogging, and get on iTunes. Sure enough, more than a few orchestras have done exactly that; nevertheless, I have to wonder how many groups looking to move in this direction have really taken the time to think about what it entails to effectively implement those tools…