Conducting Business

In Philanthropy, Why Naming Rights are the Name of the Game

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 05 Jun 2013 10:08:53 -0400

Earlier this year, the Metropolitan Museum of Art said it will name its newly remodeled plaza and fountains for David H. Koch, the billionaire conservative activist who gave $65 million towards the renovation. Koch has his name on a few prominent buildings around town, including the former New York State Theater at Lincoln Center and the American Museum of Natural History's dinosaur wing.

Koch presents one of the most visible examples of naming rights, a trend that some say is a necessary part of philanthropy. Yet others argue that giving should be a selfless, anonymous act. In this podcast, we consider what's driving the trend and what it signifies.

"With the fall-off in giving from the government, corporations and foundations, the private sector is even more essential than it was in the past," said Robin Pogrebin, a culture reporter at the New York Times. "In the past there was perhaps a nobility in giving anonymously. But now if donors are interested in seeing their names on things then organizations do need to make the tradeoffs involved in making that available to them."

Naming rights for major buildings generally go for about $100 million in New York, as seen in recent gifts by Stephen Schwarzman (to the New York Public Library), Koch (to the New York State Theater), Henry Kravis and Ronald Perelman (both to the Columbia University Business School). Smaller gifts may fund a hallway, a lobby or even a toilet.

Joan Desens is the director of institutional advancement at the Glimmerglass Festival, a summer opera festival in Cooperstown, NY. She says that patrons were once reluctant to have their name associated with a gift, but society has become more open. "People are very blatant with Facebook exposure," she said. "We’re all out there. So I think that people are more comfortable with having their name out there. It’s increasingly becoming an attraction."

Patricia Illingworth, an editor of Giving Well: The Ethics of Philanthropy, believes that naming rights are a mixed blessing from an ethical standpoint. To some degree, "the arts seem to be a place where people from all walks of life and all social classes can gather together in solidarity," she noted. "So if billionaires are branding institutions and organizations with their names," that can alienate some people.

Nevertheless, Illingworth believes that named buildings can serve as an example and encourage increased giving from others.

Does an arts institution risk alienating patrons by associating with a major donor who holds a controversial personal agenda? "The point is, [patrons] are going to walk in anyway," said Pogrebin. "They may object but it’s not going to keep them away. Time passes and people get used to things."

A more complex picture emerges if a donor feels at liberty to dictate programming. According to a recent New Yorker piece, a documentary film was halted because of pressure applied on PBS from David H. Koch. Opinions differ as to whether this occurs within performing arts organizations.

"We like to think that the democratic process is what determines the social agenda," said Illingworth. "And yet when philanthropists start acting like governments, in a sense they can determine the social agenda. Naming rights can exacerbate that."

But according to Pogrebin, "there is a pretty bright line when it comes to cultural organizations and artistic interference. That's the real cardinal sin. A donor cannot meddle in artistic choices and once you go down that road it's a slippery slope."

Weigh in: How do you feel about naming rights in the arts?

Nazi Tannhäuser Renews Debate Over Radical Opera Stagings

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 13 May 2013 16:08:44 -0400

Last week, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein in Düsseldorf cancelled a Nazi-themed production of Wagner's Tannhäuser, when the premiere performance prompted booing, mass walkouts and even reports of audience members getting sick. With scenes that reportedly showed Jews being murdered and dying in gas chambers, it certainly shocked — but it was hardly the first revisionist opera production.

In this podcast, Naomi Lewin asks three prominent opera-watchers whether Düsseldorf was right to cancel the production, and what radical updates can bring to the art form.

To some commentators, the Dusseldorf Tannhauser was a stretch: the opera is set in the Middle Ages and based on a ballad about a bard called Tannhäuser. Yet the intention of the director, Burkhard Kosminski, had a logic that many could understand. In the month of Wagner’s bicentennial, he wanted to link the opera to the Holocaust – an event which the composer’s own ardent anti-Semitism seemed to presage.

John Berry, the artistic director of English National Opera, called the Düsseldorf company “extremely well established” and he praised its talented leadership. But a company should also prepare its audience for a provocative concept. "Usually, in an opera house, you receive a model and an outline of the ideas a year, two years, sometimes even longer [beforehand] so the Düsseldorf management would have had a good idea of the overall vision for the piece,” he said.

“On the face of it, it does seem shocking that the whole production has been pulled due to the audience response," he continued. "I haven’t heard of that anywhere. But I haven’t seen the piece.”

James Jorden, opera critic of the New York Post and editor of the blog Parterre Box, took a sterner view of the company’s cancellation.

“The job of opera management is to present the vision of people who create opera – the director, the conductor and the singers,” said Jorden. “It’s a terrible, terrible thing and a cowardly thing to send the message to these artists that we’re not going to support you. If someone complains about your work, we’re out of here. We'll drop you like a hot potato."

Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post, noted that Nazi references are not uncommon in German Wagner productions, typically as a way of exploring issues around German nationalism. But what may have ignited the Düsseldorf controversy was the fact that "it actually showed people being killed."

Still, Midgette believes that opera has the power to confront and challenge. "You’re dealing with an art form that many, many people approach with a sense that it's safely distant," she said. “A production that puts people being gassed on stage is going in there wanting to grab the audience by the collar."

(In a statement, the Deutsche Oper am Rhein said that although it knew that the production would be "controversial" it did not expect the extreme reactions that followed the premiere.)

But when does a strong directorial concept (aka "Regietheater," or "director's theater") lose focus and cross over into what detractors label “Eurotrash?" Berry believes modern updates can be highly successful if essential ingredients are in place. "In the end, whether it’s a modern updating or not, is it well-sung, is the director telling the story, does it have a dramatic and musical power?”

Sometimes a concept will completely miss the mark. Jorden recalls seeing a Carmen in Stuttgart where the title character "died six or seven times in the course of the opera – but not at the end." Yet he also remembers Calixto Bieito’s staging of Wagner’s Parsifal, set in an apocalyptic landscape inspired by Cormac McCarthy's novel The Road.

"Not only did this make me question completely my ideas of what the opera was about, it still to this day has me wondering what the purpose of religion in human existence is," Jorden said. "I don't think you could ask for a more profound meaning in an operatic performance."

Weigh in: What modern updates of operas have you seen that did or didn't work for you? Tell us about it in the comments box below.

Photo: Piotr Beczala as the Duke and Oksana Volkova as Maddalena in the Met's "Vegas" Rigoletto (Ken Howard/Metropolitan Opera)

100 Years After Stravinsky's 'Rite,' Can Classical Music Still Shock?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 29 Apr 2013 14:05:36 -0400

On May 29, 1913, the Paris premiere of Igor Stravinsky's ballet The Rite of Spring provoked a riot: whistling and booing, catcalls and fisticuffs overran the performance and the police were called in to quiet the angry crowd. It became one of the most celebrated scandals in music history.

Today, The Rite of Spring is practically an audience favorite and rioting in concert halls is unthinkable. But is this a good thing? Does classical music need more shock value, more scandals?

In his latest column for BBC Music Magazine, music critic Richard Morrison argues that classical music needs more Rite-style uproar. "Never in my 30 years as a critic have I witnessed that kind of reaction," Morrison tells host Naomi Lewin in this podcast. "It just struck me that maybe we’re a bit too polite these days and composers aren’t provoking us enough."

Composers today rarely seek the label enfant terrible, added Morrison. "I think they rather like to be liked rather than creating an uproar."

Leon Botstein, the music director of the American Symphony Orchestra and president of Bard College, believes the reason audiences were shocked by the Rite of Spring was a sense of ownership over a received musical language. Classical music signaled respectability to audiences "and these young composers were sticking their proverbial finger in their eye."

But Botstein believes that many of today's concert-goers lack a frame of reference for challenging new music. "The problem is the audience is musically illiterate and therefore if you want to do something very daring and sophisticated you’re presuming a literate audience," said Botstein, who will devote the 2013 Bard Music Festival to Stravinsky. "So there’s very little for a composer to push back on. That’s the dilemma they face."

To some extent, it isn't possible to shock audiences because everything seems to have been done. By the 1960s, composers had explored the outer extremes of total Serialism, computer music and John Cage-style chance. The hybrid, postmodern styles embraced by composers in the last two decades, by contrast, are seldom driven by a need to provoke. Even Minimalism, a style that provoked an uproar with the 1973 premiere of Steve Reich's Four Organs, is now part of the mainstream, featured in film scores and TV commercials.

Morrison believes that classical music has long shifted between radical and conservative modes. "If you look at the history of classical music, it’s a very fine balance between tradition and revolution," he noted. "You had Haydn and Mozart, who were craftsman in an established tradition. But then you had Beethoven who came and turned everything upside down. You need both polarities."

But Botstein doesn't believe that headline-making disturbances are what's needed to move classical music forward in the name of progress. "I don’t think classical music should be about scandal or riots," he argued. "Leave it to football matches, leave it to political rallies. This is an entirely different art form and I think we should walk away from the way Hollywood makes success."

Weigh in: Should classical music do more to shock audiences? Is it possible to shock anymore? Take our poll and leave your comments below.

Does Classical Music at Train Stations Really Deter Crime?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 08 Apr 2013 15:29:41 -0400

POLL: Should classical music be used to fight crime and loitering?

Move along, hoodlums. Antonio Vivaldi is playing at Newark Penn Station.

When New Jersey Transit upgraded the public address system at the Newark transit hub a year ago, they began piping in classical music along with the announcements on train arrivals and connections. The authority subscribed to a music service and station agents could select from different channels, which also include easy-listening and jazz.

The idea, said a NJ Transit spokesperson, is to relax customers "and make it more pleasant to traverse the facilities."

But in cities from Atlanta to Minneapolis and London, there's often a bigger strategy at work: turn on the great composers and turn away the loiterers, vagrants and troublemakers who are drawn to bus stations, malls and parking lots. Last month, the Associated Press reported on a YMCA in Columbus, OH that began piping Vivaldi into its parking lot, and claiming to disperse petty drug dealers as a result.

In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin asks why classical music in particular seems to be the weapon of choice – and whether it works.

"It's been used as part of a larger strategy of crime prevention through environmental design," said Jacqueline Helfgott, chair of the criminal-justice department at Seattle University. She noted that classical music is often accompanied by upgrades like better lighting, improved traffic flow or trimmed shrubbery in public areas.

Studies on the specific effects of music on criminal behavior are lacking. But Helfgott believes classical music is historically associated with "a cultural aesthetic that is pro-social as opposed to antisocial," making it a preferred crime prevention tool. Put another way, rowdy teenagers don't find classical very cool.

Nigel Rodgers, the head of Pipedown, a group that campaigns against background music in any form, believes the strategy presents a slippery slope. “Yes, young people commit crimes and it’s a problem," he said. "I do appreciate that. But we must seek out other pro-sociable ways of dealing with the problem rather than just squirt acoustic insecticide at young people.

"People who really like music of any sort don’t want to have it piped at them when they’re trying to talk, eat or shop when they don’t want it."

It's also worth keeping in mind that not all classical music works as a soothing agent. As anyone who has seen "A Clockwork Orange," knows, even Beethoven's Ninth Symphony has its dark associations.

In Columbus, OH, where the YMCA piped in Vivaldi, the strategy is being hailed as a success. A local business improvement district executive told the AP: "There's something about baroque music that macho wannabe-gangster types hate. At the very least, it has a calming effect."

Does Bach Need 'Rescuing' from Period Instruments?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 20 Mar 2013 18:00:00 -0400

In recent months, symphony orchestras have returned to the music of J.S. Bach with a vengeance.

The New York Philharmonic is in the midst of a month-long Bach festival with the expressed goal of reclaiming the master's music for modern instruments. At the Philadelphia Orchestra, Bach's St. Matthew Passion and Brandenburg Concertos are on the calendar this spring. The orchestra also plans to re-record the Bach transcriptions of Leopold Stokowski – those sumptuous, technicolor arrangements that had been considered passé (if enjoyably so).

"There's been a weird phenomenon for a long time that has made it pretty rare to see Bach on symphony orchestra programs," said New York Philharmonic music director Alan Gilbert in a recent video explaining the orchestra's project. He goes on to question the "exclusivity" of suggesting "there was one only one right way to play Bach."

All of this is a far cry from the period-instrument movement's expressed goals to rediscover how Baroque music might have sounded using original instruments and performance practices. For years, if not decades, period-instrument players had gained the upper hand by researching appropriate tempos, ornamentation and instruments. In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin asks three guests about this phenomenon.

"I think [orchestras] are panicking," said Monica Huggett, a leading baroque violinist and conductor. "In London, where I worked most of my career, the big orchestras stopped playing Bach because in the end, there was so much good historical performance that they really didn't need to do it any more and people really didn't want to hear it any more."

James Oestreich, the consulting classical music editor at the New York Times, sees things differently. "I wouldn't agree that the large orchestras are panicking," he said. "I think they've lost their balance to some extent. I think they've lost confidence in the repertory to some extent. To hold up the music scene in a world capital like London or New York and say this should set standards for who performs what, I don't think is fair."

Oestreich adds that the New York Philharmonic played lots of Bach in the 1990s, and the orchestra is "perhaps overselling" the novelty of its current festival.

Lewin also asks a prominent New York pianist whether she's trying to reclaim Bach for the modern instrument.

"I'm not doing anything unique by playing Bach on the piano," said the pianist Simone Dinnerstein. "I think that I just have more omnivorous tastes and think that Bach sounds very interesting and different when played in many different ways on many different instruments with modern orchestras, on authentic instruments."

Weigh in: Do you enjoy the sound of Bach played on modern or on period instruments? Please leave your comments below.

Guests:

James Oestreich, the consulting classical music editor and a freelance writer for the New York Times.
Monica Huggett, a leading baroque violinist and conductor who teaches at Juilliard.
Simone Dinnerstein, a pianist who has made a number of Bach recordings. Her latest, called “Night,” with the singer-songwriter Tift Merritt, features a modern rendering of Bach.

Ode to Joystick: Video Game Music Earns Points with Orchestras, Composers

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 12:00:00 -0500

For the first time a soundtrack for a video game has been nominated for a Grammy Award in the category usually reserved for movie scores. The composer Austin Wintory's score for the wildly popular PlayStation 3 game "Journey" has been given a nod for "Best Score Soundtrack For Visual Media," pitting him against film-score giants like Ludovic Bource, Howard Shore, John Williams and Hans Zimmer.

The awards take place this Sunday in Los Angeles.

The nomination comes as video game scores play increasingly well with symphony orchestras. Concerts of music from "Final Fantasy," "Halo" and "Zelda" are staples of pops concert programming. In the past year, the London Philharmonic Orchestra and the Montreal chamber group La Pieta have released albums of game music, the former of which debuted at No. 23 on the Billboard 200 chart. One of the most popular violinists on YouTube is Lindsey Stirling, whose interpretations of video game scores have received hundreds of millions of views.

All of this is possible because video games often feature full-length orchestral scores. Composers who once specialized in film music, including Danny Elfman and Howard Shore, are also applying their talents to the game medium. There are many potential benefits, said writer Dan Visconti. "One of the ways that orchestras can stay relevant," he said, "is engaging the same level of sensory stimulation that a lot of video game players are accustomed to already."

The game scores also raise questions about the medium's artistic merits and its potential to build new audiences for classical music.

In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin puts these questions to three guests:

Austin Wintory, composer of the Grammy-nominated score to the game "Journey"
Tanner Smith, a program director of the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, which will be presenting a concert of music from the game “Final Fantasy" for the second time in June.
Dan Visconti, a composer and writer who has covered the game music phenomenon for Symphony magazine

Weigh in: Do you listen to video game scores? Do you find them as valid as traditional concert music? Leave your thoughts below.

Have Cancellations in Opera Gotten Out of Hand?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 11 Jan 2013 16:38:41 -0500

With influenza reaching epidemic proportions in the United States — and the common cold not far behind — opera singers are dropping out of productions at an alarming rate.

Of course, cancellations happen for all kinds of reasons. The voice can be a delicate instrument and various personal and professional issues arise. There are also cancellations of a cloudier, more debatable variety.

Regardless, with the relative ease of modern air travel comes a more mobile generation of artists, exposed to germ-filled plane cabins and, in the case of foreign-born artists, visa difficulties.

On this edition of Conducting Business, host Naomi Lewin talks with three opera professionals about how presenters and opera companies manage cancellations — and the kinds of actions and deals that happen behind the scenes to secure replacement musicians.

Perryn Leech, the managing director of the Houston Grand Opera
Bill Palant, a vice president and artist manager at IMG Artists who oversees the careers of many singers.
Stephen Gaertner, a baritone who has worked as an understudy at the Metropolitan Opera. He recently stepped in during the middle of a performance to replace an ailing Dwayne Croft in Les Troyens at the Met.

Weigh in: have you ever discovered a new singer because of a last-minute substitution? Leave your comments below. A few highlights from the segment:

Bill Palant: "I do think that with the ease of transport, not only is it easier to pop people in but it also serves the opposite in that singers are spending more time on airplanes and picking up bugs. Flying at 30,000 feat, you’re getting dried up and showing up a day or two before a performance, and you are risking being sick. I think the ease of travel plays both for and against opera companies and not only singers who are engaged to perform but singers who are engaged to cover."

Perryn Leech: "If you or I aren’t feeling 100 percent, we can go into the office and do a 70 percent day and probably no one really notices. If a performer goes on and does a 70 percent day, they have an army of critics out there and an army of audience who say ‘oh I saw her, isn’t she getting worse, isn’t he getting worse?"

Stephen Gaertner: "Last season I had four assignments [as an understudy] and all were very interesting and challenging roles. And in neither case was I called to replace my colleague. It was frustrating... But a lot of times when you do go on you might be surprised who you end up on stage with. For instance, I went on stage in Les Troyens, and there I was singing a big duet with Deborah Voigt."

The Best and Worst of Classical Music in 2012

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 19 Dec 2012 16:00:00 -0500

The year 2012 supplied plenty of headline-making moments in classical music. There was the infamous marimba ring tone at the New York Philharmonic, the opera singer with the controversial tattoos, the composer accused of plagiarism, and cellos booted off airplanes. It was a tough year for American orchestras and a good year for entrepreneurship.

In this podcast, three highly opinionated critics give us their reviews of 2012: Anne Midgette, classical music critic of the Washington Post; Steve Smith, a classical music critic for the New York Times and music editor at Time Out New York; and Heidi Waleson, a classical music critic for the Wall Street Journal. Below are excerpts of some of their comments.

Surprises

Heidi: David Lang's love fail, written for the female vocal quartet Anonymous 4 (right). “It was a beautifully haunting, Medieval-Modern, strange modern take on the Tristan Und Isolde story, which was semi-staged at BAM. It was actually a stunningly beautiful piece.”

Anne: “One of my favorite moments was a very local moment...The University of Maryland [orchestra] came out dressed in street clothes with their instruments and began moving around the stage as they played Debussy’s Afternoon of a Faun. It was a wonderful example of what could be done with orchestras if they think a little outside the box.”

Steve: “The reason I categorized David T. Little’s opera Dog Days as a big surprise is frankly I didn’t know that he had this in him...He was out at Montclair State University’s Peak Performances series with a full evening-length opera based on an apocalyptic story by Judy Budnitz…There were terrifying things about it and absolutely joyous things about it but in the end I thought, here’s a team that has actually moved opera forward.” Listen to the opera on Q2 Music.

Trends

Heidi: On interesting new operas showing up outside of major producing companies: “I thought, maybe if people from the regular producing opera companies actually see [Dog Days], maybe somebody will get an idea that this is actually the sort of thing that can happen in the opera house.”

Anne: “There’s no question that some of the most exciting stuff in opera is going on in smaller spaces – and some of the most innovative thinking."

Steve: On entrepreneurship in classical music: “People confronted with a certain stodginess or intractability in major companies are just putting on the shows themselves, or doing the kind of programming they feel ought to exist. I’m thinking about ICE, the International Contemporary Ensemble, whose founder Claire Chase won a MacArthur this year, which was richly deserved.”

Disappointments & Low Points

Heidi: “It was the Metropolitan Opera Ring – and I’m sure I’ll have a lot of company in that one. It took a lot of hits and for good reason. It was just a very big elaborate backdrop of a set for a not very stimulating concept.” [Right: A scene from Die Walküre (Photo: Ken Howard)]

Anne: “The problem with some of the concepts that are applied to operas – and I’m a great defender of innovation in opera direction – but a lot of times you think up this great idea and a lot of times the opera isn’t actually about that there’s only so far you can go with the idea.”

Steve: "What perturbed me is you basically still have to go out of town, even if it’s just crossing the river to New Jersey, to hear what’s really happening and what’s really interesting in the operatic sphere period."

Anne: On American Orchestras: “While it’s both tragic and deplorable that there have been so many lockouts, strikes, seasons disrupted – the Minnesota Orchestra, really one of the exciting orchestras in the country is still not playing – all of this was foreseeable. The managements seem to be acting as if ‘oh my goodness, all of the sudden we’re having these financial crises.’ All of those difficult moments have come home to roost.”

High Points

Steve: What many of the year's most exciting productions this year had in common was the producer Beth Morrison, "who is enabling a lot of really exciting work that’s going on right now. Beth Morrison Productions is involved in a lot of these things – in staged concerts, in grassroots opera. She has been a real bolt of vitality and innovation that has been much needed and is having a great impact.”

Anne: On the John Cage Centennial: “I’m not a big fan of artist centennials. In classical music they’re rammed down our throats, these anniversaries. But with all of the festivals and activities and concerts, it really allowed a new perspective on Cage...It was a centennial and an anniversary that for me really made a big difference.”

Heidi: The Juilliard Historical Performance Program under its new director Robert Mealy (above): "You just don't get a big orchestra of American players playing who can play this in this really stylistically correct and distinct way" (after hearing a concert of excerpts from two Rameau ballets).

BONUS TRACK: Predictions for 2013:

Weigh in: Give us your reviews of the best and worst of 2012 below.

Avery Fisher Hall's Extreme Makeover

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 06 Dec 2012 14:00:00 -0500

When the news emerged last week that Avery Fisher Hall at Lincoln Center is to finally go under the knife in 2017, reaction was swift and vocal. "Tear the place down!" wrote more than one commenter on a recent WQXR.org blog post. "The dimensions are all wrong," said another.

Some familiar complaints about hall were heard — concerning its acoustics, uncomfortable seats, dated restrooms and even the lack of a pipe organ. Others argued that a facelift should respect the integrity of the 1962 building while using the latest technology or acoustic principals.

A concert hall renovation is an exceedingly long, complex and costly project involving numerous constituents — patrons, musicians, staff, boards — and Avery Fisher is home not only to the New York Philharmonic but many other presenters.

So just what does Avery Fisher Hall need? How can it become more welcoming to new audiences? And what risks confront Lincoln Center and the New York Philharmonic as they embark on the process? (Over 80 percent of concert hall renovations experience significant cost overruns.) In this podcast, guest host Jeff Spurgeon puts these and other questions to three experts:

Justin Davidson, classical music & architecture critic at New York magazine

Carroll Joynes, a senior research fellow at the Cultural Policy Center of the University of Chicago

Pete Matthews, editor, of the blog Feast of Music

Please share your own thoughts on Avery Fisher Hall's planned renovation below.

How Arts Groups Can Recover Post-Sandy

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 07 Nov 2012 14:22:47 -0500

Last week was basically a write-off for many of New York City's arts organizations. Superstorm Sandy shut down theaters, knocked out power to downtown clubs and submerged art galleries. For many individuals, it destroyed paintings, musical instruments and recording equipment.

Kate Levin, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, said the impact was widespread. "There are organizations that have had pretty severe property damage," she noted. "But almost everyone has had some kind of revenue loss, had to suspend performances or stop services."

Efforts are now underway to help art galleries restore and conserve damaged works of art, including an initiative led by the Smithsonian Institution to offer resources and tactical advice. In addition, the the Art Dealers Association of America has assembled an aid program to help flooded New York City galleries, worth about $250,000.

Meanwhile, some arts groups are starting the process of raising funds, seeking out loans and Federal assistance.

What was Sandy's larger impact on the arts? What can hard-hit cultural organizations do to recover? In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin talks with three guests:

Kate Levin, the commissioner of the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs
Pia Catton, an arts columnist at the Wall Street Journal
John Strohbeen, president of the Brooklyn Waterfront Artists Coalition, which is based in a warehouse on the Red Hook waterfront

Weigh in: What role should the arts play as the region recovers from Superstorm Sandy? If you work in the arts, how where you impacted by the hurricane? Please leave your comments below.

The Dangerous Business of Being an Opera Singer

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 12 Oct 2012 13:22:05 -0400

In the old days, opera singers were expected to just "park and bark," as the static style of performing on stage is referred to within the business. But that’s a thing of the past. Singers now not only have look to like their characters, but also bound across raised platforms, fly through the air and undertake graphic fight scenes. With this growing emphasis on HD-quality realism, what physical skills must an opera singer have to make it today? Is opera becoming too dangerous?

Recent accidents in major opera houses have put a renewed focus on this question. In this podcast, we examine the question of physical risk-taking in opera with three experts:

Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post

Dale Girard, the director of stage combat studies at the North Carolina School of the Arts and a working stuntman
Laura Lee Everett, the artistic services director at Opera America, a service organization representing opera houses in the US

Weigh in: Do you think opera is becoming too dangerous? Or is some physical risk part of a singer's job? Take our poll and leave a comment below.

On the physical risks of being an opera singer:

Anne Midgette: As soon as you get a lot of hydraulic sets that move you get the risk of people’s legs getting caught in them or sets not being in place or people getting stuck up on top of sets...I don't see exactly what visions it serves to have singers that uncomfortable on opening night of a major work that needs a lot of singing.

Dale Girard: [Opera companies] are designing productions that try and compete with the film industry in the expectation of action and movement and storytelling. In that sense, the fights on the operatic stage are becoming more and more dynamic, to match the scope of the music, and the expectations of newer, younger audiences. So that is where some of the challenges are in trying to get singers to actually go through that expectation but still be able to sing at the end of the fight.

Laura Lee Everett: Shows are required to have a fight choreographer who comes in and does stage-safe training, so people are more likely to not injure themselves. Some of the onus is on the singers, more so than it was in the past. They’re going to be asked to do things physically and they need to be aware of how to do these so they don’t hurt themselves.

Eccentric Genius: Is it Time to Rethink the Cult of Glenn Gould?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 24 Sep 2012 15:36:33 -0400

In 1955, Canadian piano prodigy Glenn Gould made a recording of Bach's Goldberg Variations that made him world-famous. But Gould became just as famous for his eccentricities – humming along while he played, wearing gloves and overcoat in summer, middle-of-the-night phone calls and quitting the concert circuit at the height of his career.

It’s the 80th anniversary of his birth, and Gould continues to provoke fascination, with tribute albums, books, DVDs, an app and even a Glenn Gould conference at the University of Toronto. All this raises bigger questions of Gould’s impact on the music industry – and how artists’ legacies are promoted – or maybe even exploited – after they’re gone.

In this podcast we ask what Gould represents to a music business hungry for the larger than life personalities and increasingly changed by the technology that he foreshadowed. We also consider the results of our listener poll on Glenn Gould. Joining us are three guests:

Colin Eatock, author of the new book Remembering Glenn Gould. He also writes about music for Toronto's Globe and Mail.
Brian Levine, executive director of the Glenn Gould Foundation.
David Patrick Stearns, classical music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer and a writer for WQXR’s Operavore blog.

Weigh in: What do you think is Gould's biggest legacy? What is your favorite Gould recording? Leave your comments below.

How Troubled Orchestras Can Bounce Back – And Flourish

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 14 Sep 2012 16:36:10 -0400

Recently, WQXR.org polled listeners on what's needed to help troubled orchestras in several major American cities. Focusing on major symphonies in Atlanta, Indianapolis, Minneapolis, St. Paul and San Antonio – all of which face contract disputes and bulging deficits – the responses varied considerably.

Some listeners called for for management shakeups; others advocated more innovative programming and concert formats. A few said that orchestras need to take on a greater educational role in order to fill the void left by public school cutbacks.

In this segment, we review the poll results and pose some of your comments to three experts:

Jesse Rosen, president and chief executive of the League of American Orchestras
Drew McManus, an orchestra consultant and blogger at Adaptistration.com
Graydon Royce, music critic at the Minneapolis Star-Tribune

Listen to the show above and tell us what you think of the solutions offered. And please share your reactions in the comments box below.

The Pitfalls of Carrying Musical Instruments on Planes

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 27 Aug 2012 16:57:05 -0400

U.S. airlines are more punctual and less likely to lose your bag than at any time in more than two decades, according to a recent Associated Press analysis of Bureau of Transportation data. Fewer than three suitcases per 1,000 passengers were reported lost, damaged or delayed from January through June, a record low.

But a recent spate of stories concerning musical instruments on airplanes suggests that the skies aren't always friendly for musicians.

Paul Katz, a former member of the Cleveland Quartet, recently experienced a particularly dramatic incident involving his 1669 Andrea Guarneri cello and a flight from Calgary to Los Angeles operated by WestJet, which partners with American and Delta, among other carriers.

"I was even pre-boarded. I got the royal treatment,” Katz tells host Naomi Lewin in this podcast. Then one of the flight attendants came and told him the airline "had a policy that cellos were not allowed on board and that I’d have to leave. So that started a lot of shenanigans. I begged, I pleaded, I got mad, I got sad, I did everything." Eventually, Katz agreed to let the airline stow the cello in the luggage hold below the wing.

“As the plane took off, it was the bumpiest runway you could imagine," Katz continued. "Then we got up in the air and after a few minutes they discontinued beverage service because there was so much turbulence. At this point my imagination started going completely crazy. I was near a breakdown because I thought 'how could I have ever done this?' The stupidest thing I’ve ever done in my life was to give them my instrument.” (WestJet countered in a statement that "the seat and its restraint system are designed and rated for a person.")

The incident drew widespread attention after Katz wrote about it in an article for the Boston Globe, and it raised new questions of how airlines set their own rules about which musical instruments are allowed on board. Cellos are particularly problematic, not being able to fit in overhead bins and generally requiring their own seat.

This comes as the Paris-based International Federation of Musicians (FIM) has launched an online petition with the aim of persuading EU legislators to take action on the issue of musical instruments on planes. The organization, which represents 72 musicians' unions worldwide, is calling for Europe to follow the example of the US, which earlier this year introduced a uniform musical instrument policy for airlines.

Still, the "passenger bill of rights" which passed in congress in February is not without loopholes. As Rose Hirschel, the owner of the travel agency Musicians' Travel Services, explained, while the bill is a tremendous advance, “it has a stipulation for each carrier to judge whether each instrument is safe on the aircraft. It will help a lot but it certainly will not be a panacea.”

James H. Burnett III is a culture writer for the Boston Globe who recently examined the rules governing carry-on luggage. Considering Katz’s experience, he is not overly optimistic that the rules will become clearer. “Given that ultimately this is a government bureaucracy we’re seeing, which means more red tape wrapped around more red tape. So I don’t see any serious change in the near future."

Listen to the full discussion above - which includes tips on boarding the plane more quickly and smoothly - and share your thoughts below.

Guests:

Paul Katz, a professor of cello and chamber music, New England Conservatory and cellist in the Cleveland Quartet from 1969-1995
Rose Hirschel, owner, Musicians' Travel Services
James H. Burnett III, cultural reporter, Boston Globe

In the Wake of Austerity, Europe Grapples with Arts Cuts

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 06 Aug 2012 00:00:00 -0400

The headlines from Europe this summer are as persistent as a bad sunburn: the Dutch government has slashed arts funding by 25 percent, Italy’s La Scala opera house has announced a $9 million shortfall, and Madrid and Barcelona's main opera houses have both implemented cuts in productions and staff. Portugal abolished its ministry of culture altogether.

Yes, dire news about arts organizations isn’t just for Americans any more. Throughout much of Europe – most notably in Italy, Portugal, the Netherlands and Spain – generous public arts funding is being slashed as governments impose severe austerity measures.

What will this mean for classical music? Will more arts organizations turn to private donors and corporations for support? Could there be an upside, as groups are forced to be more self-sufficient? In this podcast, three experts join host Naomi Lewin to debate the future:

Johannes Grotzky, a journalist and director of the radio for the Bavarian Broadcasting System (Bayerischer Rundfunk) in Munich

Norman Lebrecht, author, blogger at Artsjournal.com and a cultural commentator for the BBC

Andreas Stadler, the director of the Austrian Cultural Forum here in New York and former president of the New York branch of the European Union National Institutes for Culture.

Weigh in: Would American-style funding best preserve Europe's cultural heritage? Please leave a comment below.

Music Criticism as Contact Sport

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 12 Jul 2012 13:53:10 -0400

As almost anyone with a Facebook account knows, classical music criticism is going from spectator sport to participatory activity. Some people read the comments on articles or news feeds just as avidly as the actual reviews that precede them. Meanwhile, as newspaper arts coverage is cut back in many cities, blogs and Twitter feeds are a growing force in shaping conversations about the art form.

But where does this leave classical music? Is the Internet giving us a more democratic form of commentary – or a more shrill, unfiltered one?

This issue recently hit home for violinist Lara St. John, who publicly criticized Facebook commenters who were "piling on" by reposting and joking about a scathing New York Times review of a fellow violinist. In this podcast, St. John explains what she found so distressing.

Also joining us is Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post, and Pete Matthews, the editor of the blog Feast of Music.

Weigh in: What do you expect of a critic? Does the Internet make music criticism nastier — or simply more exuberant and democratic? Leave your thoughts below.

On negative reviews and the online response they generate:

Lara St. John: I have no problem with the review itself. That's what music critics do; they review concerts. But once I saw this happen for the third, fourth and finally the twelfth time, I got kind of angry. It was in a mean way that [Facebook friends] were re-posting this review.

Pete Matthews: I don't think there's much to be gained from cutting down somebody who's just starting their career and trying to build up their cred -- unless your point is to build your name as a critic and get your name out there.

Anne Midgette: I would object to the term cutting down. That propagates this idea that a negative review is about being mean to an artist. For me, the reason to write a negative review is you're trying to uphold standards...But the only way to make the field exciting is to call it sometimes when it's not working. Sometimes that requires a tough review.

Should Audiences be 'Allowed' to Clap Whenever They Want?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 20 Jun 2012 16:16:49 -0400

When Franz Liszt performed, the audience got so caught up in the moment that it would applaud and cheer after every movement. Sometimes people would even clap during the performance. Liszt then might start to improvise and work the crowd like a Vegas performer. Nowadays such behavior would be unthinkable. But should it be?

In a recent article for the Huffington Post, Richard Dare, the CEO and managing director of the Brooklyn Philharmonic, argued that classical concerts have become too devoid of such spontaneity. Audiences are stifled by ritual and protocol, he said, and are afraid of clapping between movements and attracting the scorn of fellow patrons. Dare's article, "The Awfulness of Classical Music Explained," was widely shared on social media and unleashed hundreds of comments.

In this podcast, Dare tells Naomi Lewin what he meant by the article, and explains how he'd put his arguments into action.

Also joining us is Philip Kennicott, the art and architecture critic of The Washington Post. He wrote a pointed response to Dare's article, contending that silence should be maintained as a sign of respect both for the musicians and fellow audience members.

And we hear from Kenneth Hamilton, a pianist and author of After the Golden Age: Romantic Pianism and Modern Performance, which explores 19th-century concert-going, when audiences were more at liberty to talk, eat, cheer and shout in the hall.

Weigh in: Do you prefer the sound of silence at a classical performance? Or should concerts be more interactive, less reverential? How can they appeal to younger audiences?

How Crowdfunding is Connecting Classical Musicians with Cash

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 11 Jun 2012 13:16:58 -0400

It used to be that if musicians wanted to record an album or put on a concert, they had to go see people with money — foundations or angel investors.

Increasingly they just go online. With crowdfunding web sites like Kickstarter or Artspire you post your project, usually add a promotional video, and if all goes well, the Internet world chips in to get you the money you need. Recently, a campaign by the punk-cabaret singer Amanda Palmer raked in a staggering $1.2 million, a record for Kickstarter.

Classical musicians have been slower to embrace crowdfunding, but that may soon change as artists from Kronos Quartet and Brooklyn Rider to pianist Vassily Primakov and Tenet Vocal Ensemble show some success in this arena.

Still, for every triumph, there’s another project that fails to meet funding goals; indeed, Kickstarter reports that 56 percent of them miss their targets. Joining us to discuss this trend are three guests: Anastasia Tsioulcas, a music reporter and producer at NPR Music; Michael Royce, executive director of New York Foundation for the Arts, which recently started the crowdfunding site Artspire; and Tracy Silverman, the Nashville-based electric violinist who used Kickstarter to raise money for an upcoming recording project.

Weigh in: Have you given or received donations through crowdfunding sites? What did you like or dislike about the process?

Variations on a Theme of Protest: Where are the Great Political Pieces?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Sat, 02 Jun 2012 10:00:00 -0400

A new production of Mussorgsky's Boris Godunov, directed by Graham Vick, just opened at the Mariinsky Theater in Vladimir Putin's hometown of St. Petersburg, Russia. It shocked audiences by drawing parallels between the title character – a ruthless 16th-century Tsar – and Putin. It’s a rare case of political protest finding its way into classical music.

Normally when we think of classic protest music, names like Pete Seeger, Bob Dylan or Marvin Gaye come to mind. And certainly, Mozart’s Marriage of Figaro, Verdi’s Nabucco and Britten’s War Requiem are works that made political statements in their day, but whose messages are often lost on contemporary audiences.

So in this podcast we ask: can symphonies or operas support political messages? And can they affect change? Or does such music preach to the choir?

To explore these questions we're joined by three guests:

David T. Little, an American composer whose works include the cantata Soldier Songs and the song cycle sweet light crude. The latter piece will be performed at the Bang on a Can marathon on June 17 in New York.

Barry Seldes, a professor of political science at Rider University, who wrote the book Leonard Bernstein: The Political Life of an American Musician.

Ken Smith, a music critic who writes for the Financial Times, Gramophone and MusicalAmerica.com, and other outlets. He recently attended the Mariinsky performance of Boris Godunov.

What is your favorite piece of political music? Please share your thoughts below:

You Paid How Much for That Ticket?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 21 May 2012 00:00:00 -0400

→ Subscribe here to the Conducting Business Podcast

On June 4, Lincoln Center will open a new 112-seat theater that will feature work by emerging playwrights and directors and will do so at $20 a seat.

The Claire Tow Theater, a branch of Lincoln Center Theater, is one of a new series of such black-box theaters to open featuring emerging artists and low seat prices. In February, the Signature Theater opened its theater complex near the Port Authority Bus Terminal that includes a stage with tickets for $25. In September, the Brooklyn Academy of Music will open a small theater with tickets for $20.

These theaters are billed as an antidote to Broadway's soaring ticket prices as well as an attempt to cultivate younger, more diverse audiences. In this podcast we ask whether these pricing strategies can work, and what a savvy consumer should know before buying tickets for a cultural event.

"These price points in the $20 range are very much a public relations effort as well as the nitty-gritty of trying to get new audiences in," said Robin Pogrebin, a cultural reporter at the New York Times. "High art can be intimidating, there's a certain kind of audience that’s been coming, and they want to remove the barriers to coming to a Lincoln Center."

The most expensive seats at an orchestra concert in New York routinely sell for $125 to $150 while the top opera tickets can go for twice that. And then there are Broadway shows: a seat for the smash hit "The Book of Mormon" averages $165 but can reach as high as $477.

"The excessively high ticket prices have really hindered the development of younger artists," said Dean Budnick, the author of the book Ticket Masters. Patrons who shell out top dollar for a major performer have less money left over for an emerging artist, he added.

The affordably-priced new theaters join a number of existing discount options: rush tickets, open rehearsals, student seats and packages that act like gym memberships (pay a flat fee and get unlimited access).

Still, the nonprofit performing arts world has yet to fully tap into new marketing strategies, argues Budnick. "I'm waiting for a Priceline-like model," he said, referring to the "name your price" travel Web site. He added that, in the pop and rock world, Web sites like FanSnap allow audiences to comparative shop. "It seems perfectly logical that something like that would develop" for the performing arts.

As for the person who forks out $100 or more for an orchestra ticket, they're likely to be ones giving a standing ovation, said Christopher Stager, an orchestra marketing consultant. "It’s a validation of the price they paid rather than a reaction to the performance they just experienced."

Listen to the full podcast above with the following guests:

Dean Budnick, author of Ticket Masters: The Rise of the Concert Industry and How the Public Got Scalped

Robin Pogrebin, a cultural reporter for the New York Times

Christopher Stager, a marketing consultant who works with orchestras and performing arts organizations including the recent Spring for Music festival (of which WQXR was a broadcast partner)

Weigh in: Where do you look for cheap ticket deals? Do you feel concert tickets are overpriced? Leave your comments below:

Judging Music by the Rules of Sport: Can Competitions Identify New Talent?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Sun, 29 Apr 2012 00:00:00 -0400

"Competitions are for horses, not musicians," Béla Bartók famously sneered. Many classical musicians would agree. But even the most high-minded of us find something compelling about these talent contests, which now number more than 700 worldwide.

The charges against competitions are familiar: they turn art into a sport; they are poor barometers of future potential; losing can damage morale and possibly even a career. And there is often least one verdict controversy − whether it's the audience disagreeing with the jurors, or the jurors disagreeing with one another.

And yet, competitions may have a newfound relevance in an era of televised talent contests like "American Idol" and the "X Factor."

As the 75th Queen Elisabeth Competition gets underway this week in Brussels, Naomi Lewin asks four guests whether competitions can help to identify talent in a crowded field, or if they are, as their critics argue, a weak measurement of artistry and potential.

Guests:

Jon Nakamatsu: the concert pianist and the gold medalist of the 1997 Van Cliburn Competition

Norman Lebrecht: the cultural commentator, Artsjournal.com blogger and author of several books on classical music, including The Life and Death of Classical Music and Why Mahler?

Yoheved Kaplinsky: the chair of the piano department at the Juilliard School, who has sat on numerous competition juries including the Van Cliburn

Susan Elliott, the editor of MusicalAmerica.com, which has a new industry report out on competitions

Weigh in: Are competitions good for classical music? Leave your comments below:

Freelance Musicians See Jobs Dwindle. Will Audiences Notice?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Sat, 14 Apr 2012 08:51:00 -0400

Freelance musicians once provided the backbone of New York's classical music scene. Work was abundant for the top players and the lifestyle never routine. But faced with changing tastes and new technology, many of the regional orchestras, Broadway pits and jingle houses that employ freelancers have cut back or shuttered. This is forcing musicians to get a bit more creative and entrepreneurial.

To explain this state of affairs, host Naomi Lewin is joined by three guests: Miriam Souccar, a senior reporter at Crain's New York Business; Jean Cook, director of programs at the Future of Music Coalition and Mary Rowell, a freelance violinist and host on Q2 Music.

"It just seems that musicians are being hit from all sides. They started their struggle on Broadway back in 2003 when the producers were trying to abolish the minimum requirements for musician in the pits…It’s just coming at them from all sides." – Miriam Souccar

"There's less work going on. People are all looking at Broadway. That’s really the last gasp of legitimate work in New York." – Mary Rowell

"You’re seeing more and more classical folks [taking] relationships with audiences into their own hands. They’re no longer counting on presenters or record labels to do that for them. Musicians, if they’re going to survive, really need to be entrepreneurial." – Jean Cook

Weigh in: Are you a freelance musician? How do you see the job market? If you're an audience member, tell us how this has affected your experience.

Attraction or Annoyance? Orchestras Invite Audiences to Use Their Smartphones

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 28 Mar 2012 14:28:09 -0400

The San Francisco Symphony is to become the latest orchestra to set aside "tweet seats" in its concert hall. Patrons seated in the balcony for its summer concerts will be invited to turn on their phones and dish out 140-character missives about the performance as they hear it. The orchestra joins the Cincinnati Symphony, Indianapolis Symphony, the Pacific Symphony and the Dayton Opera, among other arts organizations, to introduce Twitter sections in the hall.

Live-tweeting is one of many strategies orchestras are trying in an attempt to enliven the concert experience -- from holding contests via YouTube, to placing video screens in halls. Advocates say these efforts could help make concerts feel more welcoming and interactive; skeptics wonder if social media and other technology will become a distraction.

Host Naomi Lewin discusses this trend with three guests: Brent Assink, executive director of the San Francisco Symphony; John Schaefer, host of WNYC's Soundcheck and New Sounds; Christopher Pinelo, vice president of communications for the Cincinnati Symphony, who oversees the organization's social media activities.

Weigh in: Do Tweet Seats belong in performance venues? What are other ways that orchestras can make the concert experience less stuffy? Leave your thoughts below.

A Composer is Accused of 'Theft.' But Did Originality Ever Really Exist?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Tue, 06 Mar 2012 16:57:45 -0500

Osvaldo Golijov, one of today’s most successful composers, is facing accusations of plagiarism. Sidereus, a nine-minute piece commissioned by a group of 35 orchestras, contains a significant chunk of music from a 2009 work by Michael Ward-Bergeman, a close friend of Golijov’s. The similarity was discovered by Tom Manoff, a music critic for NPR’s All Things Considered and Brian McWhorter, a trumpet player.

But a composer recycling a preexisting melody is hardly new. Bach repurposed music all of the time -- both his and other people's. Bartok and Dvorak rewrote folk tunes. Copland incorporated his Fanfare For The Common Man in his Third Symphony. And in other genres, like hip-hop or jazz, sampling and quotation are intrinsic to the art.

In this latest case, Ward-Bergeman had authorized Golijov to use his music. But was this arrangement adequately disclosed? And where does any borrowing cross the line?

In this podcast, Naomi Lewin poses this question to three guests: Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post; David Smooke, a composer and chair of the music theory department at the Peabody Conservatory in Baltimore; and Robert Clarida, an intellectual property lawyer at Reitler Kailas & Rosenblatt as well as a composer.

Weigh in: Do you care if a composer borrows from others? How should an audience be informed? And what are your favorite examples of composers' recycling?

An Uncertain Song for New York's Cabaret Scene

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 22 Feb 2012 06:58:53 -0500

They're considered New York's prime spots to hear the American Songbook in an up-close-and-personal setting. But in recent years the city's hotel lounges and bars have come under threat. The Oak Room, a vital part of New York City's jazz and cabaret scene, shut its doors this month after 32 years in the Algonquin Hotel.

The Four Seasons and the Pierre Hotel also dropped their lounge music, and the Rainbow Room at Rockefeller Center had its last dance in 2009. Insiders point to a combination of tough economics for cabaret venues and changing audience demographics.

But not all news for cabaret audiences is gloomy: A new nightclub and restaurant called 54 Below is scheduled to open in early June in the space below the legendary Studio 54.

In this podcast, Naomi Lewin talks with three guests about the changing state of New York cabaret: Will Friedwald, an author and critic writes about jazz and nightlife for the Wall Street Journal; Andrea Marcovicci, an actress, singer and a 25-year veteran of the Oak Room; and Tom Viertel, a Tony-Award winning theater producer and a collaborator on 54 Below.

Weigh in: Do you go to hear live cabaret? What do you think of the Oak Room's closing?

Why Old, Expensive Violins Are Not Always Best

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 02 Feb 2012 09:48:33 -0500

Concert audiences may never know if a violinist is playing on a rare instrument from 18th-century Italy or a modern one that sells for the cost of a used sedan. But don't tell that to the owner of the "Lady Blunt," a 1721 Stradivarius violin that sold for $16 million at an auction last June. Or the recipient of a 1707 Stradivarius cello owned by the late Bernard Greenhouse that fetched $6 million in January.

Antique instruments are selling for astronomical prices these days, but some question whether they deserve all of the accolades. In a controversial study published last month in the Proceedings of the National Academy of Sciences, blindfolded experts were unable to pick two Stradivarius violins from modern instruments, based on their sound alone.

In this podcast Naomi Lewin asks three experts about this line between myth and merit: Steven Isserlis, the cellist and author of a Guardian article on the aforementioned study; Daniel J. Wakin, the classical music and dance reporter at the New York Times; Sam Zygmuntowicz, a Brooklyn-based violin maker whose instruments are used by some of today’s leading string players.

"Just because they're expensive doesn't make them better or worse than anything else. It's well known that listeners can't tell the difference between Strads and new violins. It's been done over and over and it's not even controversial at this point." --Sam Zygmuntowicz

"These instruments have souls. The souls have been growing in the Strads. We don't know what the Stradivarius's sounded like two or three hundred years ago. But I think the sound has grown and the souls have grown. They have these layers of color." --Steven Isserlis

"Money and value and a tool of performance are very separate. There's a clear-cut market for these instruments just as there's a market for great works of art. There is an existing market that functions because of dealers and perceptions and because people have money and they want to invest in things." --Daniel Wakin

Weigh in: Are you drawn to hear performers who play on rare instruments?

Hitting the Right Note in China: The Arts and Censorship

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 23 Jan 2012 13:42:28 -0500

Given China's demonstrated thirst for Western classical music -- witnessed in its dozens of new concert halls and millions of kids studying the piano -- it's no surprise that major American arts organizations are clamoring to get a toehold there. The New York Philharmonic has signed a deal to work with the Shanghai Symphony; the Philadelphia Orchestra is partnering with Beijing's National Arts Center; and Lincoln Center is providing consulting services to a performing arts center in Tianjin.

But along with opportunities come challenges in working with a government that has been accused of repressive policies. Do Western organizations have an obligation to speak out against censorship and government controls? Or can such organizations help spread democratic values by doing work there?

Joining host Naomi Lewin to discuss these issues are three guests: Phelim Kine, a senior China researcher for Human Rights Watch; Robin Pogrebin, an arts reporter at the New York Times; and Jeffrey Wasserstrom, a professor of Chinese history at UC Irvine and author of the book China in the 21st Century: What Everyone Needs to Know.

Weigh in: What are the obligations of Western arts organizations doing work in China? Please leave your comments below.

Evancho Raises Stark Questions about Child Stars and Their Parents

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 09:46:00 -0500

Child prodigies are nothing new. Mozart began composing at age five, Chopin was performing at seven and Mendelssohn created masterpieces at 16. More recently, Jackie Evancho, an 11 year-old contender in the TV show "America’s Got Talent" topped the US classical record charts last year and became a staple of PBS fundraisers and concert stages. Some believe she can help bring classical music to new audiences.

But while her achievements are celebrated, they also raise questions about how she and other young artists can maintain a career. How far can gifted children be pushed -- and what lies in store for their future?

In this podcast, three guests join host Naomi Lewin: Tim Page, a former New York Times and Washington Post music critic, and a professor of music and journalism at the University of Southern California; Robert White, the operatic tenor and voice teacher who got his start as a child singer in the 1940s; and Bill Palant, a vice president and artist manager at IMG Artists, who oversees the careers of many top singers as well as young up-and-comers.

"You get into this kind of sick thing where it becomes how young you are. It retards the whole idea of growing into a mature adult because your age becomes your enemy. No one cares about what you're doing when you're thirty." --Tim Page

"She sings to millions and millions of people around the planet. Someone listening to Jackie Evancho on 'America's Got Talent' singing this opera aria might -- I hope -- be sparked into thinking 'hey, what's that? That's really pretty. I'd like to know more about this guy Puccini.'" --Bill Palant

"It's the exploitation on one hand by the parents and whoever gets to handle these people that can lead them down the wrong paths and then what the audience is expecting of them. A lot of times, it's an audience that has not spent time with the fine points of really good bel canto singing." --Robert White

Weigh in: Do listen to Jackie Evancho? What should be the role of child stars in classical music?

Puccini with Popcorn: Arts Organizations Battle for the Big Screen

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 09 Dec 2011 16:39:29 -0500

Growing numbers of arts organizations are seeking to build their audiences through high-definition broadcasts. The latest entrant into the field is New York City Ballet, whose December 13 performance of "The Nutcracker" will be transmitted to more than 500 movie theaters around the country.

Cultural institutions like the Ballet see HD transmissions as a way increase revenues and help bolster their art forms' popularity. Skeptics wonder whether the simulcasts are siphoning audiences off from live performances while changing artistic standards. What's more, organizations face increasingly complex questions about revenue-sharing for their artists and stagehands as performances are repackaged in new formats.

In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin explores these and other questions with three experts: Robin Pogrebin, the cultural reporter at the New York Times; David Patrick Stearns, the classical music critic of the Philadelphia Inquirer and a contributor to WRTI Radio; and Barry Rebo, a managing partner at Emerging Pictures, which distributes performances by companies like La Scala opera house, the Royal Opera House and the Bolshoi Ballet.

Weigh in: Do you attend simulcasts of operas, orchestras or ballet companies in movie theaters? What do you like or dislike about them? Leave your comments below.

Voices From On High: Countertenors to Coldplay

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 18 Nov 2011 14:07:04 -0500

Men who sing in the stratosphere always hold a certain fascination over music fans, whether it’s the Bee Gees, Michael Jackson or countertenors. Here in New York, countertenors -- men who sing above the tenor range -- are having a banner season, being featured in two productions at the Metropolitan Opera: Handel's Rodelinda and the upcoming Baroque pastiche The Enchanted Island.

Meanwhile, more countertenors are turning up in contemporary music (including new works by Thomas Ades and Peter Maxwell Davies), on recital series and in choruses alongside mezzo-sopranos and altos (often much to the latter's dismay).

So what is it about the appeal of the high male voice? In this podcast Naomi Lewin asks three experts: Andreas Scholl, a countertenor who is currently appearing in Rodelinda at the Met; Brian Zeger; a pianist who is head of the Vocal Arts department at Juilliard and the Metropolitan Opera Lindemann Young Artist Development Program; and Chloe Veltman, the host and producer of Voicebox, a radio program and podcast about the singing voice.

Weigh in: Do you enjoy the sound of a man singing really high? Or do you prefer those in the basso range? Do you have a favorite falsetto?

Wagner's Ring of Anti-Semitism: Can the Artist Be Separated From His Art?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 04 Nov 2011 11:28:13 -0400

When the Los Angeles Opera staged its first production of Wagner’s Ring cycle in 2009, there were protests outside the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion, and local politicians called on the company to cancel the production. Here in New York, the Metropolitan Opera is more than half-way through its multi-season Ring Cycle, and there’s been hardly a dissenting voice – locally at least.

Last month, a movie theater chain in Jerusalem said it won’t screen two Wagner operas from the Met's HD broadcasts, out of sensitivity to its patrons. Wagner, of course, was a fervent anti-Semite whose work later inspired Nazi leaders. So can the man be separated from his music? How should Wagner be treated in Israel, which maintains an unwritten Wagner ban?

Naomi Lewin is joined by three experts:

• Roberto Paternostro is music director of the Israel Chamber Orchestra. In July, he led the ensemble in Wagner's Siegfried Idyll – along with works by Jewish composers – at the annual Wagner festival in Bayreuth, Germany.

• Rabbi Yitzchok Adlerstein is director of Interfaith Affairs at The Simon Wiesenthal Center in Los Angeles. He spoke out about the Los Angeles Opera's Wagner festival in 2009.

• Michael Beckerman is a Professor and Chair of Music at New York University and a specialist in 19th-century European music.

Weigh in: How do you think Wagner should be addressed today? Should the Met and other companies do more to acknowledge his anti-Semitism? Can one separate the art from the artist? Leave your comments below:

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Bill O'Neil

Occupy the Concert Hall? How Arts Donations Ignore Poor, Ethnically Diverse

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Tue, 18 Oct 2011 16:19:42 -0400

As Occupy Wall Street protests spread over the perceived inequities between the very wealthy and the "other 99 percent" a new study on American arts funding makes a similar point. Its finds that billions of dollars in arts funding serve a mostly wealthy, white and shrinking audience. Meanwhile, only a small chunk of money goes to emerging arts groups that serve poorer communities that are more ethnically diverse. But is this the full picture? And if so, what – if anything – should be done about it?

In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin is joined by three experts: Aaron Dorfman, the executive director of the National Committee for Responsive Philanthropy, a watchdog group that conducted the new study; Yvette Campbell, president and CEO of the Harlem School of the Arts; and Jesse Rosen, president and CEO of the League of American Orchestras.

Weigh in: Where do you give money to the arts? Do large organizations deserve more money because they take more to run? Or do smaller groups need a larger share of the pie? Leave your comments below.

Host: Naomi Lewin
Producer: Brian Wise
Engineer: Jason Isaac

For Conductors, Is Tyranny a Thing of the Past?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Mon, 03 Oct 2011 21:48:06 -0400

The notion of the conductor as autocrat, bent on achieving perfection by any means necessary, can seem like a throwback to another era. It was Arturo Toscanini whose famously broke batons, berated musicians and even threw a score at his orchestra during rehearsals, all we were told, in the service of the music. By the 1960s, collective bargaining agreements and workplace rules helped to do away with such behavior. Or did they?

In this podcast we explore some recent incidents along with the larger question of how the Internet and social media play a role in modern orchestras.

• Recently, Roberto Minczuk, the director of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, caused a furor when he announced to its players that they would have to re-audition for their jobs. When they refused; he fired them. In all, 33 players were let go. Minczuk was subsequently demoted from artistic director to principal conductor.

• Mark Gorenstein, music director of the Svatlanov Orchestra in Russia, was fired last week after making an ethnic slur about a cello soloist at the Tchaikovsky Competition.

• In North America, the past decade has seen well-publicized skirmishes between musicians and their conductors at the Seattle Symphony, Montreal Symphony and among smaller groups.

What is interesting about these incidents -- though they're hardly alone -- is how the misbehavior was exposed: often through blogs, video clips and other social media.

"We're experiencing a kind of Arab Spring among orchestra musicians," says Norman Lebrecht, author of several books including Why Mahler? which is just out in paperback. "With looming bankruptcies in Philadelphia and Colorado, dissident views will be expressed and the old manner of managing orchestras will be if not overturned at least very very shaken."

Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post, is less convinced that conductors are any worse today than before, and cautions against blowing up localized issues. "Basically there are jerks in every facet of our lives. We should try to curb them when we can and any tool we can use to curb them as a group is great. Conductors have grown far more collegial."

Jesse Rosen, President & CEO of the League of American Orchestras, argues that "command and control" is no longer the dominant leadership style that it was in Toscanini's day, and today in the U.S. at least, a more collegial atmosphere pervades.

What do you think? Do conductors have too much power? Or has the playing field been leveled? Please leave your comments below.

Guests:
Norman Lebrecht
Anne Midgette
Jesse Rosen

Host: Naomi Lewin
Producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Jason Isaac

What's a Performing Arts Executive Worth?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 15 Sep 2011 17:10:27 -0400

As orchestras, opera companies and presenters wrestle with declines in funding and ticket sales, some have cut back on the number of full-time musicians they employ, others have reduced salaries. With those measures come questions of wage parity. How much money should the head of a major performing arts organization be paid? And should executives be paid less for failing to keep finances afloat -- or more, since managing such a crisis is tough?

In this podcast, host Jeff Spurgeon poses these and other questions to two expects: Drew McManus, an orchestra consultant and author of the blog Adaptistration.com, which compiles an annual compensation report of orchestra executives; and Debra Oppenheim, the co-founder of Phillips Oppenheim, an executive search firm that specializes in arts institutions.

Weigh in: What do you think is a fair salary for a top executive the classical music business? Please share your thoughts.

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: George Wellington

Artists' Concert Attire: Can Sexy Be Serious Too?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 18 Aug 2011 11:20:48 -0400

Read through the fall brochures and web sites of many American symphony orchestras and concert halls and one common theme soon grabs the eye: Youth and sex appeal are the order of the day, especially for female soloists. It’s not necessarily a new phenomenon but it does continue to make waves.

Recently, the pianist Yuja Wang made jaws drop with an orange minidress and high heels she wore onstage at the Hollywood Bowl with the Los Angeles Philharmonic. Some felt that the dress distracted from the music at hand, while others argued that it was entirely appropriate to the setting and repertoire.

In this podcast, host Naomi Lewin welcomes three guests to talk music, fashion – and the lack thereof: Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post; Patrick D. McCoy, a singer, organist and host of a show on Blog Talk Radio; and Amy Frawley, the executive vice-president of Concert Artists Guild, a management firm that guides the careers of young artists.

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Bill O'Neill

Weigh in: What type of attire is appropriate for the concert stage? Should music critics discuss clothing and appearance? View this slideshow of performers' outfits and leave a comment below:

The Death of Borders and the Future of Classical Retail

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 27 Jul 2011 12:15:40 -0400

The demise of Borders, America's second largest book retailer, and the U.S. launch of the online music service Spotify signaled the latest turning point in the way people buy recorded music.

For classical music fans, this double whammy signaled that online retailers are now the main option for buying recordings. But how do the various Internet services stack up in key areas like sound quality, pricing and the ability to discover and access recordings? Do we miss the opinionated record store clerk who could direct you to a favorite CD? In short: is the classical fan better or worse off?

In this podcast, Jeff Spurgeon poses the question to three guests: Anastasia Tsioulcas, a writer at NPR Music; Jean Cook, the director of programs at the Future of Music Coalition, an advocacy group for musicians; and Andy Doe, the chief operating officer at Naxos records and former head of classical music at iTunes.

Weigh in: Where do you go to buy music? What are your experiences with download services? Are there still shops that you frequent? Share your comments below:

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Bill O'Neil

Rating City Opera's Plan For Survival

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 13 Jul 2011 17:07:22 -0400

Calling it a "bold plan to deliver world-class productions within reach of more New Yorkers," the financially-strapped New York City Opera announced its 2011-12 season on Tuesday at the Guggenheim Museum, in which it will move out of its longtime Lincoln Center home, the David H. Koch Theater, and perform five operas in venues around the city.

Preceding that announcement, union members gathered outside in the broiling July heat to stage a lively demonstration against the move, and against the cuts that will result. City Opera says the move is the only way to remain viable; critics contend that it has not made necessary adjustments or taken appropriate steps to keep the company at Lincoln Center.

To offer some perspective, host Naomi Lewin is joined by three guests: Catherine Malfitano, a soprano, stage director and teacher who began her career at City Opera; James Jorden, editor of the opera blog Parterre Box and a columnist for The New York Post; and Ken Benson, an artist manager and vocal consultant formerly with Columbia Artists Management.

Programming note: George Steel, City Opera's general manager and artistic director, will join us at WQXR later this week.

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Bill Bowen

The State of Pops Concerts: Where Light Meets Lite

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 23 Jun 2011 13:39:56 -0400

It once meant Tchaikovsky, Sousa and Doc Severinsen. Today it also spans video-game scores, Cuban mambo bands and the Lord of the Rings Symphony. Yes, it’s high season for pops concerts. And at a time when orchestras are facing deficits, bankruptcies, and closings, pops are being taken a lot more seriously.

The Philadelphia Orchestra recently announced plans to present more light classics and film scores after it filed for bankruptcy in May. The Dallas Symphony introduced an all-pops format to its summer concert series last year. Closer to home, the New York Philharmonic has staged annual concerts of Broadway hits and even canceled its summer parks concerts while keeping an Andrea Bocelli show scheduled for September.

Are pops going to help struggling orchestras? And just what does pops mean these days? In this special podcast, WQXR Vice President Graham Parker is joined by three experts: Keith Lockhart, music director of the Boston Pops; Steve Linder, a senior vice-president at IMG Artists; and Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post.

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Bill O'Neil

New York City Opera: Where Does It Go From Here?

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 26 May 2011 18:47:29 -0400

New York City Opera's decision to move out of Lincoln Center, cut staff across the board and scale back its performance schedule has prompted a range of reactions. The 68-year-old company plans to stage five operas in undetermined venues around New York City next season and in doing so, regain their financial footing. But plenty of questions remain – over the venues, singers and repertoire that will carry them forward. Underlying all of this is the question: will these drastic decisions help to save City Opera?

In this special podcast WQXR Vice President Graham Parker welcomes three guests (L-R): Anne Midgette, the classical music critic of the Washington Post; Amy Burton, a soprano who has sung in over a dozen productions at City Opera; and Willem Brans, the vice-president of the Arts Consulting Group, which works with major performing arts organizations.

Podcast producer: Brian Wise; Engineer: Jason Isaac

American Orchestras Face the Music

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 18 Mar 2011 15:36:45 -0400

The Detroit Symphony Orchestra's season-long strike has been the starkest reminder of the challenging times facing many of America's 1,800 orchestras and their musicians. The Louisville Orchestra, the biggest in Kentucky, filed for bankruptcy in December. Its 110-year-old counterpart in Honolulu liquidated two months earlier. Other orchestras have posted major financial losses -- from Philadelphia to Westchester -- even as they've reached new artistic heights.

What should be done in light of the current difficulties? And where does a model for the future lie? In this special podcast, WQXR Vice President Graham Parker -- formerly Executive Director of the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra -- talks with three experts: Mark Stryker, the arts and entertainment reporter at the Detroit Free Press, Jesse Rosen, the President & CEO of the League of American Orchestras; and Tim Cavanaugh, a senior editor at Reason magazine who covers the business of the arts.

Music selections: 1) Duke Ellington's Suite from "The River" played by the Detroit Symphony Orchestra; The Melody of Rhythm by Bela Fleck, Zakir Hussain and Edgar Meyer and featuring the Detroit Symphony

Podcast produced by Brian Wise; Engineering: George Wellington

Weigh in: Do orchestras need to reinvent themselves in order to ensure their survival? If so, how? Leave a comment below:

Confronting the System

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Wed, 02 Mar 2011 15:02:45 -0500

The classical music arena has a reputation for being a color-blind meritocracy. But the numbers tell a different story. Just about two percent of the nation's orchestra musicians are black, according to the latest data. Those numbers aren’t significantly different in the worlds of opera and chamber music. That lack of ethnic diversity is increasingly a sore point as barriers come down in other fields, from corporations to Hollywood to the White House.

In the second of two podcasts on diversity in classical music, Terrance McKnight talks with three prominent decision-makers and experts in classical music: Alison Scott-Williams, the Associate Vice President for Diversity and Campus Life at Juilliard; Ed Yim, the director of artistic planning at New York City Opera; and Mark Kent, the Senior Director of Education and Community Engagement at the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra, where he oversees the Talent Development Program.

This podcast was produced by Brian Wise.

Black Classical Musicians Rewriting the Odds

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Thu, 17 Feb 2011 11:45:57 -0500

The numbers tell it all: African-Americans comprise less than three percent of musicians in U.S. orchestras. Those numbers aren't significantly different when it comes to the country’s opera companies or chamber-music ensembles. Lack of supportive role models, music program budget cuts and the elitist stereotype of classical musicians all contribute to this staggeringly low figure. While there are no simple solutions, we can learn from the experiences of prominent black musicians who have carved their own paths.

In this special podcast on African-Americans in classical music, Terrance McKnight sits down with three guests: Anthony McGill, the principal clarinetist at the Metropolitan Opera; Morris Robinson, a bass who regularly sings at prestigious houses like the Met, LA Opera and Atlanta Opera; and Kelly Hall-Tompkins, a violinist who performs with several groups including the Mark O’Connor String Quartet.

This podcast was produced by Brian Wise. Stay tuned for part two next week.

Ten Greatest Composers: Beyond the Usual Suspects

ezagroba@wqxr.org (WQXR Radio) — Fri, 21 Jan 2011 16:22:39 -0500

Except for the occasional outlier, lists of the greatest composers usually end up touting the same critical favorites you've been hearing about for years. Not that we don't like Beethoven or Brahms, but it can get a little boring.

For this special podcast, Terrance McKnight sits down with three experts from across the musical spectrum and asks them to rank the 10 greatest classical composers of all time. It comes in the wake of an exhaustively researched top 10 list by New York Times chief classical music critic Anthony Tommasini, unveiled in the Sunday Arts & Leisure section (and discussed here).

Below are our three guest’s lists. Enjoy the segment and tell us what you think in the comments box below.

Olivia Giovetti, music writer for Time Out New York, Gramophone and Classical Singer

1. Hildegard von Bingen
2. Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
4. Ludwig van Beethoven
5. Franz Schubert
6. Giuseppe Verdi
7. Gustav Mahler
8. Charles Ives
9. Igor Stravinsky
10. David Lang

Judd Greenstein, composer, curator of the Ecstatic Music Festival, co-director of New Amsterdam Records

1. Claudio Monteverdi
2. Johann Sebastian Bach
3. Ludwig van Beethoven
4. Richard Wagner
5. Igor Stravinsky
6. Edgard Varese
7. Philip Glass
8. Olivier Messiaen
9. John Coltrane
10. Meredith Monk

Fred Plotkin, author of several books including Classical Music 101 and Opera 101

1. Franz Joseph Haydn
2. Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart
3. Ludwig van Beethoven
4. Franz Schubert
5. Hector Berlioz
6. Vincenzo Bellini
7. Frederic Chopin
8. Richard Wagner
9. Piotr Tchaikovsky
10. Richard Strauss

...And from Anthony Tommasini, Chief Classical Music Critic, New York Times

1. Bach
2. Beethoven
3. Mozart
4. Schubert
5. Debussy
6. Stravinsky
7. Brahms
8. Verdi
9. Wagner
10. Bartok

The Executive Producer of this podcast is Graham Parker.

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