Milton Babbitt was right. He was just right for all the wrong reasons.
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A Little Help Here!…Part 2
We’ve all heard of no pain…no gain! We all espouse and/or have been told that we need to exercise fiscal responsibility, but what about fiscal accountability? Why is it that in a good year orchestras tout their fiscal responsibility, when in fact sometimes it’s only a good year because some of next year’s advance ticket money is spent to make it a good year…isn’t that fiscally irresponsible, cheating or maybe even fraudulent?…..
Harlem In Italy – with apologies to Signor Berlioz
I’m back. What, you didn’t miss me? For the past five days I was in the lovely city of Torino, Italy, home of the 2006 Olympic Winter Games. But really I was in New York City, north of the Upper West Side, deep in the heart of Harlem.
The Paper It’s Printed On
I’m a conductor. That one phrase will cause many people who read this blog to reach for an antacid. Despite that it does have some relevance to what is going on in Philly.
A little help here!!!!!!
The full force of the reality of Orchestra bankruptcy arrived in a simple letter informing me that I was being let go as Principal Pops Conductor of the Syracuse Symphony. Then I realized nearly 100 people received this letter and the organization I had worked with for nearly a decade was about to cease to exist. The cost of a city losing an orchestra is immeasurable and losing the brilliant musicians who were excellent every day and are now out of work, is simply unacceptable. I have a simple request…..
We Have Met The Enemy….
By now many readers will have read this excellent post by Bernard Holland, distinguished music critic and writer for the New York Times (assuming that the NYT, in their infinite wisdom, will not try to charge you for access). Mr. Holland, in his opus from ’03, has succinctly put forth a very elegant and reasoned argument for why orchestras in this country are going the way of the Dodo. Only one problem – he didn’t go far enough.
Day Tripper Yeah…
I have no sympathy for Philadelphia. They’re a bunch of bums, anyway.
Just When You Thought It Might Be Safe….
Or, alternatively, I could title this post “Another One Bites The Dust.” Whatever, I’m bloody tired of writing these kind of blog posts but it has to be done. Let’s talk Syracuse.