Ah, technology!  It seems that the National Symphony Orchestra’s conductor, Emil de Cou, has prepared real-time program notes to Beethoven’s Sixth that will be beamed via Twitter to people sitting on the lawn of Wolf Trap on July 30. According to an NSO press release, “The messages will begin during intermission and provide facts about Beethoven’s life and work. Once the concert begins, the tweets will be sent at specific points in the score, becoming streaming program notes that mark musical signposts depicting Beethoven’s symphonic tribute to a day in the country.”
 

The Los Angeles Times recently published a great article by Chloe Veitman about female conductors.  This seems especially relevant to me because the Chicago Sinfonietta has recently begun search to find a successor to our Founder and Music Director, Paul Freeman.  While I won’t go into any details about our search process, we have definitely become aware of some extremely talented female candidates, two of whom – Mei-Ann Chen and Alondra de la Parra - will be guest conducting our orchestra next season.

Today's review is from Chicago Tribune writer, Michael Cameron.

Given the sterling reputation he’s earned in music education circles, it’s no wonder Midwest Young Artist’s director Allan Dennis occasionally submits evidence of the value of his program and methodology through the accomplishments of former students.  Saturday night at Pick-Staiger Concert Hall he presented exhibit A: his daughter and violist extraordinaire, Carrie Dennis.

First, let me apologize for how long it has been since I last blogged.  In fact, all of my blogging calluses have gone away and I am sore just from writing these two sentences.  But enough about me.  Our friends at Gramophone have published yet another list.  This one lists the ten most inspiring orchestras in the world.  They are the New York Philharmonic, YouTube Symphony Orchestra, Simón Bolívar Youth Orchestra, Royal Philharmonic Orchestra, China Philharmonic Orchestra, Buskaid (Soweto, Africa) Ensemble, East West Divan Orchestra, Orchestre National d’Ile de France, Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra, and London Symphony Orchestra.

Wanted ads for full time music directors do not often grace the music scene. So now that a music director is needed for the Chicago Sinfonietta - it will be interesting to see who comes on board. The strengths and interests of the director shapes the orchestra's direction dramatically. The director creates its identity.

So I wonder whether the complete identity of the Sinfonietta will change or stay the same.

Currently programing staight-forward classical chamber works and works married with folk and world music (Kiran Ahluwahlia on Concert IV for example) the Sinfonietta tries to include everyone and every genre in concerts. But will that shift? Will that grow to include contemporary modern works?