Artists
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 04/29/2008 - 7:19am.
A couple of strange things have crossed my computer screen this week and I would really love to get your opinion about them.
Earlier this week a friend emailed me an article about a robot conducting an orchestra. Okay, hold the jokes about conductors for a second. Honda’s ASIMO humanoid robot will take command of the baton in Detroit on May 13 and will conduct the Detroit Symphony Orchestra as it performs Impossible Dream to open a concert performance featuring cellist Yo-Yo Ma.
I think we can all agree that robots are unlikely to replace humans on the podium anytime soon. What’s interesting about this is that Honda is a major donor to DSO, and one gets the feeling that putting ASIMO on the podium might somehow be tied to the sponsorship. I’m all for acknowledging the wonderful corporate partners who support our work, but does this go too far?
Another item that caught my eye was from the League of American Orchestra’s newsletter. Apparently classical composers and folk musicians are collaborating on creating new music for orchestras. Not exactly a new idea given the use of folk music themes throughout classical music history, but up until recently, using folk influences was considered déclassé. How do you feel about this renewed interest in vernacular music?
Finally, speaking of traditional music, the Chicago Sinfonietta will be presenting the world premiere of Three Songs for Blues Singer and Orchestra created by composer/arranger Larry Hoffman on May 11th and 12th featuring Muddy Water’s long-time guitarist, John Primer. We are pleased to offer registered users of this site a “hot deal” to attend this concert that will also feature pianist Leon Bates performing Rhapsody in Blue and Pictures at an Exhibition performed with a never-before-seen video created by astronomer and video artist José Francisco Salgado.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Last Saturday (April 5) marked the premiere of Introductions, a brand-new weekly program on 98.7 WFMT (Saturdays from 11:00am-12:00pm) which features Chicago-area pre-collegiate musicians doing what they love most; playing classical music.
"It's important to reach out specifically to this younger audience which is enthusiastic about classical music, that we hadn't tried to explicitly attract until now," said David Polk, the show's producer. "I'm excited that I get to expand WFMT's reach and pioneer new ways to connect with audiences via the airwaves and also the internet."
Read more about Introductions and Polk in this article in the recent TimeOut! Magazine.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 03/18/2008 - 4:10pm.
I was driving to work one morning a few weeks ago and NPR ran a story about violinist Tasmin Little. The story was about a 
series of recordings she has made that feature solo, or naked violin, if you will, that she is offering as free downloads on her website. Check out the NPR broadcast and then hit Tasmin’s site for some wonderful music – at no charge!
Speaking of wonderful music made by talented women, the Sinfonietta’s March 30-31 concerts are dedicated to music made, conducted, and composed by women. Chicagoclassicalmusic.org has a “hot deal” listed for this concert that you can access if you are a registered user of this site.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Regarding Jim's blog on Dudamel's appearance on 60 Minutes (which agreed is a good piece), I'd like to link to Andrew Patner's
Critical Thinking interview with Dudamel which took place just days before he flew to California (mid-stint with the CSO!) to make his announcement with the LA Philharmonic. Contrary to the last line of the 60 Minutes piece, we in fact heard all about Dudamel on WFMT first.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Tue, 02/26/2008 - 9:00am.
I don’t know how many of you saw Gustavo Dudamel’s recent appearance on 60 Minutes. If you didn’t see it, use the link enclosed in this post. It takes about 13 minutes and is well worth the time.
It seems to me that Dudamel is the type of charismatic artist who will attract people to the concert hall, get people to purchase recordings/downloads, and make the concert experience attractive and exciting for diverse audiences. I predict that the Los Angeles Philharmonic will be seeing some new faces in the seats when he begins his tenure as their music director. He may be the Bernstein of our time.
Kudos to the very smart people at the Los Angeles Philharmonic for hiring this budding superstar. I’m guessing that a fair number of orchestras who are looking for music directors will end up wishing they had gotten Gustavo.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
This week, the CSO is performing
Osvaldo Golijov’s Ainadamar for the first time. It was such a mind-blowing experience that it motivated me to begin blogging about “Classical” music in Chicago here at CCM.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Submitted by Jim Hirsch on Thu, 01/31/2008 - 3:23pm.
There has been some nice coverage of a few events that relate to diversity in classical music recently. Last week John von Rhein of the Chicago Tribune wrote an
article about a Chicago Sinfonietta diversity initiative entitled Project Inclusion that we launched on Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. day. There has been further coverage of this important new initiative in the
Chicago Sun-Times and The Strad Magazine will soon print an article, as well.
The Sphinx Organization, headquartered in Detroit, also made an announcement about a consortium of orchestras they have pulled together (including the Chicago Sinfonietta) that will award a major commission each year to a composer of color. Check out this
article from Crain’s Detroit Business for more details.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
John Adams was in the office for 90 minutes this morning - primarily to see (above) the set and costume designs for A Flowering Tree, but also to look at all the other things we are putting together around the performances of the very beautiful new opera next May. It was a happy session all round and John was clearly very pleased with everything. Thats a good start! Below you see him with three of our key staff, Colleen Flanigan, Marla Krupman, and Kara Kane, respectively directors of marketing, development and education. Between them they manage to provide huge additional animation to our whole enterprise of opera production. John is an enthusiastic contributor to and supporter of all their efforts.
This afternoon we had our annual staff Christmas party complete with Secret Santa gift exchanges. I will not publish to photos of this exciting event here......! Regrettably as a result of this event I had to miss a meeting of the Executive Committee of the Chicago Classical Music website. That was bad of me but my staff come first. I had hoped to slip away at 4 but one thing led to another including the excellent round of carol singing where our excellent pianist director of finance Dave Wise displayed his exceptional talent at the keyboard. But please look at the splendidly relaunched CCM site. It is doing very well and making a valuable contribution to musical life in this city.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
This week's guest blogger is the renowned composer Stacy Garrop, whom we have had the pleasure and privilege of commissioning to write two pieces for Chicago a cappella this season. Her very brief bio is that she's an Associate Professor in Composition at the Chicago College of Performing Arts of Roosevelt University. Her more substantial bio is at her website, www.garrop.com. She writes below about being commissioned to write new choral music. Enjoy her eloquence! -- Jonathan Miller, Artistic Director, Chicago a cappella
Getting Back to My Roots: Adventures in Writing Jewish Music for Chicago a cappella
An Offer I Couldn't Refuse
Last spring, Jonathan Miller asked me if I'd accept a commission to write two new religious-themed works for Chicago a cappella's 2007-08 season. Busy as my composing schedule is these days, I have a distinct weakness for writing choral works and will find a way to squeeze more time out of a day to write them. And who can refuse an opportunity to work with the singers of Chicago a cappella?!
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
Somebody wrote to me this morning "have a lovely relaxing weekend". Well no chance but that is not say I will not be having fun.
We are at the opening of Julius Caesar this evening at Lyric. Begins at 6.30 and will be done by 11pm. Then a party so a late night no doubt. You can all be there as well by tuning in to WFMT. I believe that there is streaming too so you only need an Internet connection.
Tomorrow there will be one of Opera America's periodic singers workshops in which I am participating. This is at de Paul University in Lincoln Park, Chicago, not too far from home and a very agreeable campus with an excellent music school.
On Sunday I am at the Regional finals of the Met auditions - not as a jury member (can't do that in one's own region) but as a spectator and intermission interviewee during the live broadcast on WFMT again! Tune in to the event between 2 and 5pm - I, and others, will be on air sometime after 4pm I assume. This is US Central time and the clocks will have changed so we are back in sync with the rest of the world - well Europe anyway. 6 hours behind the UK and 7 behind western Europe.
Monday is the beginning of another week of travel - more later.
Click here to continue reading
Posted in
