The world rarely arrives in sonata form…
we could all use a good recap.
About this week
Tech was everywhere in the news this week… even in the arts. If you haven’t heard about Threads, you’ve clearly been living under a rock. The tweet wars will wage for a while yet, and the cage fight between chiefs has been volatile, childish, and would be ridiculously entertaining if it weren’t all so sad. We’ll all have to make our own decisions about which platforms we’ll stick to, and it should be an interesting process.
There has also been a lot of transition for the people in the arts this week, including the passing of several international opera stars, even more casting changes in Santa Fe, milestone remembrances for William Byrd, Gustav Mahler, and more.
Now that we’re into the depths of summer, stay cool, keep things moving forward, and take good care of yourselves. We’ll see you next week…
People & places
OPERA America Announces Six Recipients of Next Stage Grants Program 2023 — OperaWire, 7/14/23
Awards include one for Los Angeles Opera and their upcoming production of “Highway 1, USA” an opera by William Grant Still and Verna Arvey.
How William Byrd Influences Music, 400 Years After His Death — The New York Times, 7/4/23
Four popular composers explain how this Englishman’s ideas ricochet through their own works today.
Gustavo Dudamel’s Long Goodbye — Los Angeles Magazine, 7/5/23
“Celebrity has a tendency to reduce talent, even of the most prodigious kind, to a series of narrow gestures, a sort of mimeograph of itself. The Dude sure seemed to embrace the L.A. lifestyle, to take quickly to Soho House and Osteria Mozza, and having a hot dog at Pink’s named in his honor...”
Jane Eaglen: Miss Isolde Talks Shop — The Boston Music Intelligencer, 7/6/23
“It was a decade before Eaglen was ready to sing her first complete performance of Tristan… One of the remarkable things about her during her prime years was that she always sang within her voice… Now that she is training young singers, she is bringing her extensive knowledge of Wagner to new generations.”
Kathleen Battle to be Honored at the New Cincinnati Black Music Walk of Fame — OperaWire, 7/7/23
The event, scheduled for July 22, 2023, will feature a special interactive kiosk dedicated to celebrating Battle’s remarkable career.
Fascinating’ Tippett letter reveals composer changed by prison — The Guardian, 7/8/23
Exclusive: Pacifist composer’s intimate 1943 jail letter ‘best Tippett discovery for 50 years’
Arts & Tech
Generative AI in Games Will Create a Copyright Crisis — Wired, 7/4/23
Too much fun
Taylor Swift’s songs are already classics. So we chose classical pieces to pair with every era — Classical KC, 7/6/23
More links
Pasadena Tournament of Roses Association to Host Pacific Opera Project Concert — OperaWire, 7/4/23
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