Many thanks to Patty Mitchell over at oboeinsight.com for her post from 11/8/2010 where she takes conductor James Gaffigan to task over comments he made in one of his blog posts where he suggests the field needs to make room for the current crop of Juilliard students. Writes Gaffigan, “So, let’s make room for them! I have conducted too many orchestras where individuals can’t play their instruments anymore.”…
Year: 2010
Calling All Orchestra Musician Veterans
Who out there knows what conscription is? Now, how many of you know what sort of impact conscription had on the US orchestra field? My guess is not very many of you raised your hand and among those who did, you’re probably over age 58. Okay, the rest of you can go ahead and Google it, then come back. [Before they return, let me say that you’re one of the lucky ones for already knowing]…
Latest Detroit News
In the wake of last Friday’s informal discussions, the management and musicians of the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) are no closer to resolving the month long work stoppage than they were since the first day of the strike. According to reports in the Detroit Free Press and Detroit News, the discussions produced no breakthroughs and since then the DSO has canceled concerts through November 28, 2010…
NEA RIP
Conductor Bill Eddins posted a thought provoking (or was it just provoking?) piece on 11/3/2010 simply titled “Kill the NEA.” On the surface, it might look like a ploy to draw in readers but it doesn’t’ take long to see that there’s much more beneath the surface…
Expansionary Or Diversionary?
Last Friday, 11/5/2010, the Detroit Symphony Orchestra (DSO) and its musicians declared a pseudo cease fire in the one month, three day long strike by agreeing to engage in “informal discussions.” According to reports in the Detroit News by Michael Hodges and Detroit Free Press by Mark Stryker, there aren’t many details but what we don’t know can sometimes be as useful as what we do know… As for the press …