“DreamMusician.com hopes to entice musicians who want to play along to hits by artists like Smash Mouth, Tears For Fears, Rick James and others while pretending they’re actually filling in on a given part. The site, which launched earlier this month, sells song downloads for about $2 each and compilations of the same song with different instrumental parts removed starting at about $18.”
Tag: 05.25.05
First American Woman Orchestra Member Dies At 101
“Elsa Hilger, 101, the first woman in the world, other than harpists, to be a permanent member of a major symphony orchestra, died May 17 at Wake Robin Retirement Community in Shelburne, Vt. Philadelphia Orchestra conductor Leopold Stokowski hired her as a cellist in 1934. She never missed a performance – except the day her son was born – until retiring in 1969. And she retired only because of union rules.”
Answering To The Arts
What good are the arts, asks a new book. The answer – “not much, it answers, if you want to argue rationally.”
US Shuts Movie Downloading Site
US federal agents shut down a Web site that they said allowed people to download the new Stars War movie even before it was shown in theaters. “The Elite Torrents site was engaging in high-tech piracy by letting people download copies of movies and other copyright material for free, authorities said.”
Broadway Tours Have A Good Year
“Broadway touring shows sod 12.4 million tickets during the 2003-04 season and earned over $700 million in revenue. Nearly 200 theatres nationwide housed the Broadway tours for engagements usually ranging from a few days to a few weeks. The 12.4 million tickets matches the number sold during the previous season and ranks as the highest total since the 1998-99 season.”
Millennium Dome To Become Concert Facility
London’s Millennium Dome will reopen as a “first class” concert facility. “The £758m Dome was built as a Millennium project and opened in 2000. Intended as a symbol of the new, brighter Britain and funded by more than £600m of lottery money, the dome was mired in controversy from its inception.”
Fundraising For Joshua
The Tate gets a £400,000 grant towards purchase of an important Joshua Reynolds painting. “It is the centrepiece of a forthcoming exhibition of his work at Tate Britain. The Tate has until July to raise the extra £3.2m needed to save the work from being sold, possibly abroad.”
Classical Brit Winners
Katherine Jenkins wins Classical Brit album of the year. “Welsh performer Bryn Terfel won the prize for male artist of the year, while US conductor Marin Alsop won the female award. Belfast-born flautist Sir James Galway was given a prize for his outstanding contribution to music, 30 years after his solo career began.”
Ismail Merchant, 68
Ismail Merchant, half the creative team of Merchant Ivory, has died at the age of 68. “Along with his creative partner James Ivory, he made such acclaimed period films such as Howards End, A Room With A View and Remains of the Day. Merchant Ivory won six Oscars since the pair’s famous partnership began in 1961 with German-born screenwriter Ruth Prawer Jhabvala.”
Slatkin Back In London
Leonard Slatkin, who recently ended a mixed tenure as music director of the BBC Symphony, has been named principal guest conductor of London’s Royal Philharmonic Orchestra. Slatkin was also recently named principal guest in Los Angeles, and he will continue as music director of Washington, D.C.’s National Symphony through spring 2008. His name also tends to pop up whenever high-profile American music director openings are discussed.