It was a surreal moment – I was backstage at The Music Hall in Cincinnati for Josh Bell to come out of his dressing room so that we could go onstage and perform. We were opening the season for the Cincinnati Symphony and people were milling around, preparing for the next piece, multiple conversations happening. Suddenly someone said the words that made heads snap around and jaws hit the floor – “Chicago has just gone on strike.”
Chicago Symphony
Quick Takes: And for the Record(ing) we need to go more “GaGa!”
While the rest of the universe is scratching their heads and debating how Taylor Swift won the Grammy for album of the year, the Internet broadcast of the Classical awards from earlier in the day on Sunday left me perplexed…and the sad thing is, it’s maybe just me who is. It seems not only are precious few Classical recordings being sold (very scary numbers below), but most of the winners for the Classical awards did not attend….and for crying out loud Roberta Flack, a living legend was handing them out!….
Dancing Maestros on the Jumbotron……
In a “review” by Lawrence Johnson, he ranted about the use of the Jumbotrons at the Ravinia festival. OK I can see that there might be some who want the “traditional” experience, but the setting is far from traditional in the concert going sense, accessibility is something that needs to be taken into consideration and he actually has a solution to his problem and doesn’t even realize it…….
It’s Official – We are the #1 Orchestra in all of….
Springfield Missouri! I don’t know how Gramophone Magazine missed us, obviously they are biased by not mentioning us in their top 20 orchestras of the world issue! PLEASE, what is the point of doing this except to p@#% off people? The truth is, the arguments wont rage, and no one is relocating from the city with the #2 orchestra to the city with the #1 orchestra (although it is in Amsterdam and there are some benefits)…..are they?….