Month: December 2011

Here It Is, Your Moment Of Holiday Zen

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You know it, you love, it, and it just isn’t the holiday season without it: The Messiah Organist On Crack. If this holiday classic is new to you, give it moment and hang in there until the end; I’m sure you’ll agree that it’s 0:43 of unfiltered Messiah goodness.

So Much Drama

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Although we don’t follow the comings and goings of the opera field very much, it’s high time to take a peek at what’s going on right now at the New York City Opera (NYCO). The beleaguered arts organization is on its tippy toes staring down into the precipice that is institutional oblivion following a prolonged and very nasty labor feud with a number of its resident artist unions.

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So What's Up With Minnesota?

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In case you missed it, the Minnesota Orchestra (MO) seems to be gearing up for trouble. The 12/7/2011 edition of the Minnesota Star Tribune published an article by Graydon Royce that reports the MO is posting a $2.9 million deficit, or slightly less than 10 percent on of their $30.4 million annual budget. What’s intriguing in this situation are the details from the orchestra’s leadership.

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The Domino Theory, Orchestra Pension Style

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The 12/1/2011 edition of the New York Times published an article by Dan Wakin and Mary Williams Walsh that examined the impact of the Philadelphia Orchestra’s (POA) withdrawal from the American Federation of Musicians and Employers Pension Fund (AFM-EPF). In case you’re coming into the situation without much knowledge, here are the highlights you need to get up to speed.

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Alex Ross Couldn't Be More Right

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Social media and discussion boards associated with the field are abuzz over a recent advertisement for presidential candidate contestant Rick Perry who demonizes homosexuals serving in the armed forces over the soundtrack to what sounds a lot like Copland’s Appalachian Spring. And just in case you miss the irony, Copland was…(wait for it)…a homosexual. I could continue but there’s nothing I could write that would add to what the…(wait for it)…unparalleled …

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