Through the next week I shall be in the beautiful city of Charlotte, N.C. It will be my pleasure to return to the podium of the Charlotte Symphony for concerts this weekend. These are not normal concerts – this particular CSO is looking for a Music Director.
Current Events
Coming Home Crazy……
Bill Holm is a Minnesota writer who penned a fabulous book several years ago called Coming Home Crazy. It is a collection of stories about the time that this 6’5″ descendant of the Icelandic warriors spent teaching English in the middle kingdom – China – during the mid ’80s. It’s fabulous, very intuitive and insightful, and an absolute must-read for anyone with an interest in the Land of the Dragon. It’s also the book I took on my recent vacation to Mexico.
New Year’s Resolutions – Re-join the League….
and lose 20 pounds!
The Springfield Symphony was one of the 39 charter orchestras that started ASOL. Well they’ve now changed their name, and it’s my hope they’re not going to be “in a league of their own”. I don’t want to be anonymous in any survey, and since they are new again, I just want to give my wish or hope list for the League of American Orchestras…..
Surprise Gifts of the Season….
Catching my breath from the busiest holiday concert season I have ever had, there were some unexpected moments in different performances that I will forever remember, moments that truly made me feel so lucky to be doing what I do….
Go see Sweeney Todd – Sondheim should be on “the list”
Legitimacy in art has long been debated by intellectuals as to whether or not popularity equals legitimacy. I have heard it bemoaned that there have been no Operas written in the past 40 to 50 years that have become part of the regular repertoire. I would argue that the composer Stephen Sondheim like Gershwin and Bernstein before him has broken that Musical to Opera barrier even though he says he’s not a fan of Opera! For me Sweeney Todd is an Opera and Sondheim is a master composer who should be on “the list”….
BREAKING NEWS!!! – Drug Scandal hits Classical Music!
We here at SticksandDrones take our reporting on the Classical music scene very seriously. So it is with a very heavy heart that I report that a major drug scandal has hit our beloved profession. Read on…
CONDUCTOR SMACKDOWN! – More Musical Mistletoe Please!
How is it even possible that I like Christmas music? I am Jewish and I grew up (well the jury is still out on that one!) in Sydney Australia where at this time of year it’s 100 degrees. There, none of the songs such as Let it Snow, White Christmas but especially Baby It’s Cold Outside make any sense whilst having a Christmas barbecue on the beach! By the time this weekend is over, I will have conducted 30 Holiday concerts since November 23 including 2 productions of the Nutcracker and 5 … Continue Reading
Silence is golden…..
This will probably be my shortest post ever. Stop reading this blog and go here for another fabulous exposé of the myth of the Concert Hall as a sacred Temple.