Freud Replaces Gockley in Houston
The new director of Houston Grand Opera is British arts administrator Anthony Freud, says the HGO website. A former recording producer and recent head of Welsh National Opera, Freud has taken over from David Gockley, who is joining San Francisco Opera after more than 30 years in Texas [see CS May 2005].
Freud says he loves the challenge of balancing a respect for tradition with the introduction of new ideas. He is noted for presenting lesser-known works and hiring controversial stage directors, but in Wales, he did not have to obtain much funding from individual and corporate donors. It will be interesting to see if he is as adventurous in Houston.
www.hgo.com
Update on Paying for a New Work, Measure by Measure.
As noted in the August ‘05 issue of CS, the Cleveland Chamber Symphony commissioned a new work by composer Dennis Eberhard, asking donors to buy one or more measures of the composition for $25 each. Although the composer passed away before completing the piece, the project is continuing. Three composers will write a suite of movements in Eberhard’s honor. Thus far the project has raised over $5,000 toward a world premiere performance in 2006.
www.clevelandchambersymphony.org
Does Echinacea Ward Off Head Colds?
Echinacea is the fourth best-selling herb in the country, but it may not defend against catching colds, say The New England Journal of Medicine and The Chicago Tribune. A U.S. government-funded study divided 339 volunteers into two groups. Group I received an extract of echinacea angustifolia; Group II received a placebo. Five days later, the study deliberately exposed both groups to a rhinovirus.
Eighty-one to 92 percent of Group I caught colds—and so did 85-92 percent of Group II. No significant differences in severity occurred between the illnesses caught by the two groups, according to the report. It should be noted, however, that the extract used in the study all came from one species of the echinacea plant.
www.chicagotribune.com
Impresario Glynn Ross Dies In His Tucson Home
Glynn Ross, the founding director of Seattle Opera, died of a stroke at his Tucson, Ariz. home July 21. Ross had led the Seattle company for 20 years before moving on to mold Arizona Opera into a much larger, financially stable company than it had been before his arrival.
A colorful character in his own right, Ross was known for his provocative advertising. Washington cement trucks once sported the slogan: “Get mixed up with Seattle Opera.” Ross was best known for presenting Wagner’s “Ring Cycle,” but he brought all types of opera to both the North and Southwest.
www.nytimes.com/2005/07/26/arts/26ross.html -seattletimes.nwsource.com/html/artsentertainment/2002394625_ross22.html [registration required for free access]
Cincinnati Opera Has a New Artistic Director
Cincinnati Opera announced that recording executive Evans Mirageas has replaced Nicolas Muni as its artistic director. Muni had held that position for eight years.
At Decca Records, 50-year-old Mirageas was instrumental in securing the services of such stars as Renée Fleming, Angela Gheorghiu, Luciano Pavarotti and James Levine. As artistic director, he will report to Patricia Beggs, who becomes general director in November.
www.cincinnatiopera.org
A Look Back: Rossini Sends a Horn Player Home
Gioacchino Rossini was not known to be a patient conductor. When he heard some unmusical noises coming from the horn section during a rehearsal, he pointed at a certain player and told him to leave. As the man stammered a defense of his playing, the composer added, “I’ll join you later.” The musician in question was his own father.
On another occasion, Rossini had a clarinetist who constantly made mistakes but was never singled out. It seems that the musician was also a barber—and he usually shaved the composer after rehearsals.
Source: Slonimsky’s Book of Musical Anecdotes, by Nicholas Slonimsky.
www.anecdotage.com/browse.php?term=Classical%20Music
New Opera ‘Garners’ Record Tickets Sales
All of the performances of Margaret Garner, Richard Danielpour’s new work, were sold out at the Cincinnati Opera summer festival, the company reports, adding that its ticket sales have reached an all-time high. The receipts for this season are 8 percent above last year’s total, says the company.
Margaret Garner, featuring a libretto by Nobel Prize-winning author Toni Morrison, is based on a story in Morrison’s novel, Beloved.
www.playbillarts.com/news/article/2538.html
McAllister Assumes Directorship at University of Arizona School of Music
Dr. Peter A. McAllister became the new director at the University of Arizona School of Music on July 1, the Tucson school announced. McAllister had held the same position at Ball State University in Muncie, Ind. for the past two years.
A virtuoso guitarist who has recorded for Fanfare Records in Canada and Carleton Records in England, McAllister has taught at the university level for more than 18 years. He has held positions at the University of Toronto, as well as McMaster, McGill, and Kent State universities.
http://web.cfa.arizona.edu/story.php?id=413
Baltimore Symphony Chooses New Music Director
The Baltimore Symphony Orchestra recently appointed Marin Alsop to the post of music director, but apparently not to universal acclaim. A number of the orchestra’s musicians have stated openly that they wanted the search for a new conductor to continue, said a Time magazine story. Now that the appointment has been finalized, it is up to Alsop to prove herself capable of handling the various types of programming that Baltimore audiences enjoy.
www.marinalsop.com
