Arizona Founds a Young Artist Development Program
Arizona’s new Phoenix Metropolitan Opera opened last December with a production of Puccini’s La bohème. Now PMO’s directors, John Massaro and Gail Dubinbaum, are putting together a brand new young artist development program, says the company’s website. The program is designed to provide coaching in opera and song, role preparation, and masterclasses, as well as instruction in audition techniques and career management. Besides education, participants will be offered part-time work performing in programs for children and adults, but any singers who do not come from the Phoenix metropolitan area will have to find their own housing, says the report.
www.phoenixmetropolitanopera.org
Classical Musicians No Strangers to Weird Doings in 2007
A Seattle Times report noted some unusual occurrences in the past year’s classical music community: A Washington, D.C. oboist, for example, has been sentenced to a year in jail for money laundering and operating an illegal sports book. A New Zealand horn player, who is also a hunting guide, has been charged with possession of explosives. Not to be outdone by the professionals, several Boston Pops fans punctuated a performance with a lively barroom-style brawl.
On a less serious note, a subscriber to a symphony orchestra in Canada disliked the podium motions of a conductor. She complained to a local newspaper that the orchestra’s leader shook his body, wiggled his bum, and kicked his legs out while a chain dangled from his back pocket. The unrepentant conductor’s reply: “My ‘wiggling bum’ was the first thing that my lovely wife claims she ever noticed about me, so I fear it shall remain,” said the report.
http://seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/musicnightlife/2004083363_weirdmusic23.html
Radio Station Celebrates Anniversary
This year WFMT is celebrating its 57th year of broadcasting classical music. The Chicago radio station has grown to be the largest fine arts syndication company in the United States, says chicagotribune.com. It distributes programming from its studios, from Chicago theaters, and from other venues around the globe to various radio stations. It also has a major presence on the Internet. Thus the station showcases the work of many great musical organizations, from the famous Chicago Symphony and Lyric Opera of Chicago to much less well-known chamber groups.
The WFMT website wfmt.com offers free, high-speed, CD-quality, streamed programming 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
www.chicagotribune.com/entertainment/music/chi-1230_coty_jvrdec30,1,2041091.story
In-School Performers Can Help Teachers Use Music in Classrooms
Most schools are no longer teaching children to play any sort of music, according to the New York Times. Performers who present musical programs in schools may be the only musicians with whom most young students come in contact. Artists can also introduce elementary teachers to websites that feature materials designed for educators who are not trained in music. The occasional presence of performing artists in schools can inspire classroom teachers who need a little nudge towards teaching their students simple songs, said the report.
www.edu-cyberpg.com/Music/IDEAS_FOR_CLASSROOM_USE.html
www.nytimes.com/2007/12/25/arts/music/25musi.html
