Higdon Percussion Concerto – Grammy
I’ll disclose right off the bat – I’m not really a big fan of this piece. And I don’t really like percussion concertos. Sorry! I know – I’m supposed to be the number one advocate of percussion pieces. Especially concertos, but I just don’t think that any of the ones I’ve heard so far are...
Arts Journalism?
Over the weekend, my local newspaper ran a story about the new Associate Conductor of the North Carolina Symphony, Sarah Hicks. The occasion was to to announce her first weekend conducting a classical series in Raleigh. These types of “fluff pieces” run all of the time in newspapers these days. Usually they serve as nothing...
Orchestra Labor Strikes?
In the last few weeks there has been much written about the contract negotiations in Seattle and Cleveland. Both groups of musicians are generally unwilling to accept reductions in weekly compensation despite pressure from their managements. The basic argument made on the side of the management is centered around the decline in the economy and the...