Talking About The NYPhil On Soundcheck Today

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I’ll be appearing today on WNYC’s Soundcheck with John Schaefer at 2:00 p.m. ET to talk about the New York Philharmonic’s performance at North Korea’s East Pyongyang Grand Theater. Due to the time change the orchestra’s performance which took place this morning at 4:00 a.m. ET, won’t be hard in the U.S. until later this evening. Nevertheless, I hope we’ll have some word on how the event unfolded. Opinions on the …

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Avoiding The Music Police

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Every orchestra has these musicians and if you’re lucky, you’ll never have to encounter them throughout your career as an orchestra manager. Unfortunately, luck isn’t something you can rely on all of the time and at some point, certain managers are going to stare a potential Music Police quagmire square in the face. The good news is that quagmire can be avoided at almost every turn…

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A New Way To Look Before You Leap

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Earlier this month, the Los Angeles Times published an article about an interactive seating chart tool being developed for the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s website. Called Seat Buddy, the online tool promises to let website users get a better look at the inside of the concert hall as well as what Seat Buddy’s founder described in the article as the hall’s depth…

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Another Perspective On Conductors Talking From The Podium

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Has talking before each piece taken the mojo out of a performance? I know from personal experience that in the past few seasons I’ve found myself wishing that the conductor would wrap it up and get to the music. On other occasions, I’ve thoroughly enjoyed listening to what a conductor has to say, regardless of how long he or she takes. However, The Partial Observer published an article by Holly Mulcahy …

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