Joseph Flummerfelt, Greatest American Choral Conductor Of His Generation, Dead At 82

“Mr. Flummerfelt played an outsize, if not always highly visible, role in American classical music. He prepared choruses for hundreds of concerts by the New York Philharmonic and a host of other famous orchestras and maestros, and he trained generations of singers and conductors at Westminster Choir College in Princeton N.J.” – The New York Times

Steppenwolf Begins Construction Of $54 Million Theatre And Education Center

“The long-in-gestation building, which has been designed by the Chicago architectural firm of Adrian Smith + Gordon Gill and the British theater design company known as Charcoalblue, is expected to open in the summer of 2021.” It will include, as an addition to its three existing performance spaces, a 400-seat theatre-in-the-round as well as education facilities. – Chicago Tribune

Gender-Switched ‘Company’ And ‘Come From Away’ Lead Olivier Award Noms

Come From Away, a Broadway transfer about the Newfoundlanders who welcomed grounded airlines on 9/11, and director Marianne Elliott’s revival of the Sondheim musical Company with the commitment-shy lead Bobby changed to Bobbie, each received nine nods. Leading the play category with eight nods is The Inheritance, a seven-hour epic about a group of gay men in New York. Among the many notable acting nominees is Ian McKellen, who could receive a record sixth Olivier for his King Lear. – The Guardian

Michael Tilson Thomas And The Vienna Philharmonic — Weird Mismatch Or Genius Combo?

Orchestral music’s Mr. Maverick and the very avatar of Austro-German symphonic tradition are touring together, playing Mahler (on which they each have longstanding opinions and practices) and Charles Ives (which MTT says the Viennese players are really picking up). David Patrick Stearns talks with the conductor about how he and the Philharmoniker are getting on. – WQXR (New York City)

Is The Strand Bookstore A City Landmark?

Since last summer, Wyden has been locked in a battle with local officials who want to name the Strand’s eleven-story building, which Wyden’s family owns, a city landmark. They argue that, in addition to its literary significance, the 1902 building—designed by William H. Birkmire, a pioneer of early steel-frame high-rises—represents “a particularly robust expression of the Renaissance Revival style.” Wyden disagrees. “It’s not the Taj Mahal,” she said. “It’s a warehouse.” – The New Yorker