Detroit Back In the Classical Radio Fold
As of July 1, according to the Detroit News, residents of the motor city again have classical radio, a service they have had to do without since 1997. WRCJ-FM, at 90.9 on the dial, broadcasts classical music in the daytime from 5 a.m. to 7 p.m. Nights are devoted to jazz, another art form important to this diverse community.
The station is operated from the campus of the Detroit School of the Arts. Its facilities also are used to train students in communications, but the station’s announcers are professionals, the story said.
http://www.detnews.com/2005/screens/0505/24/E01-189760.htm
Alberto Vilar Arrested for Allegedly Misusing Funds
Alberto Vilar, who Forbes Magazine once ranked as a billionaire, was arrested May 26 upon his arrival at Newark Liberty International Airport for the possible misuse of a client’s funds. According to the Washington Post, prosecutors allege that the founder of Amerindo Investment Advisors, Inc. took $5 million that was given to him to invest and diverted it for his own purposes.
Vilar is an avid opera fan who has made major contributions to companies such as the Royal Opera Covent Garden, The Metropolitan Opera, The Washington National Opera and The Los Angeles Opera. Unfortunately, as the CS Bulletin Board reported in the June issue, he pledged more than he has yet been able to deliver to those same companies.
www.washingtonpost.com (May 31, 2005)
http://news.ft.com/cms/s/ae70e81c-d477-11dgdb0-00000e2511c8.html
Mozart Advises a Young Composer
A young man once asked Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart for advice on composing symphonies. The renowned composer suggested that the young man begin by writing ballads, but the youth pointed out that Mozart had written symphonies as a child. “Yes,” the older musician replied, “but I did not have to ask how!”
The Complete Book of Insults, Nancy McPhee, Editor, London 1985.
A New Generation Brings Back Proscribed Opera
During the dark reign of the Third Reich in Germany, works of art that did not fit the Nazi mold often were condemned as “entartete” or “degenerate” pieces. Walter Braunfels’ opera, Die Vögel [The Birds], was a victim of this systematic disregard, because the composer was half Jewish and an outspoken opponent of the Nazi Party.
Die Vögel premiered in 1920 under the baton of no less a personage than Bruno Walter—but after World War II it was not revived, and it had never been given in the United States until the recent presentation at this year’s Spoleto Festival.
If anyone is looking for good but neglected music to perform, entartete musik is a good place to start.
http://fcit.usf.edu/holocaust/arts/music.htm
http://www.ovationtv.com/artszone/programs/degenerate/index.html
Paying for a New Work, Measure by Measure
The Cleveland Chamber Symphony devised a unique way of commissioning a new piece, according to the Cleveland Plain Dealer. The orchestra asked donors to buy one or more measures of a new work by composer Dennis Eberhard, for $25 a measure. The 800-measure work was to cost $20,000, which would have covered performance and score preparation costs as well as the composer’s fee. Measure buyers were to be invited to a gala celebration in conjunction with the premiere.
Unfortunately, Eberhard passed away unexpectedly May 26, putting and end to the project, but the idea might be useful to other organizations that want to commission new music.
http://www.cleveland.com/entertainment/plaindealer/index.ssf?/base/entertainment/1117013406110441.xml&coll=2
Dallas Opera Finishes in the Black
Two years ago The Dallas Opera had a deficit of $800,000—and forecasters predicted it would grow to $1.5 million by the end of this year. Instead, the company has eliminated its debt and is now completely solvent, says a press release.
Board President John T. Cody credits the turn around to Karen Stone, who took over as general director in 2003. Stone was the guiding light behind a two-year fund-raising campaign, and also instituted some workable cost-cutting measures. The Meadows Foundation spearheaded the donation program, which pledged matching funds from 2003 until 2005 when the company announced the debt had been eliminated.
www.dallasopera.org (Press release, May 26, 2005)
Casa di Riposo Now Open to Students
Milan’s Casa di Riposo, a home for retired musicians started by Giuseppe Verdi, recently found that its facility was underused because not enough elderly musicians wished to live there. As a result, it has begun to open its doors to students of recognized conservatories and young artist programs who need a temporary place to live in that city.
More information and applicable regulations can be viewed at:
www.opera-l.org
http://listserv.cuny.edu/Scripts//Scripts/wa.exe?A2=ind0505E&L=OPERA-L&P=R1809&I=-3>Item (#201973 (29 May 2005) Casa di Riposo)
Opera Program for UK Homeless Receives Grant
Streetwise Opera, a charity that helps the homeless in Nottingham, England, has received a grant of 5,000 pounds sterling to produce weekly musical programs in shelters. General Manager Kirsten Mason says that working in the arts builds self-esteem and helps program participants learn basic concepts that will help them find employment.
The finale of the current project will include the world premiere of an opera incorporating Gustav Mahler’s “Rückert Lieder,” which will star both professional singers and the agency’s clients. Since 2002, more than 200 homeless men and women have been involved with Streetwise Opera. (Could we do something similar in the United States?)
www.streetwiseopera.org
http://www.oxfordgetinvolved.org/info.php?id=41
