Bill Murray Gets Classical; Soprano Nadine Sierra is the Country’s Top Young Singer; The LA Phil Rules; So do the Arts; Kalamazoo Symphony Opens Doors to Refugees
Happy Earth Day! Here are the top five stories in the classical music (and arts) world this week.
Bill Murray Takes on Classical Music
Actor, funny man, and avid Chicago Cubs fan Bill Murray is taking the show on the road. As a stand-up comedian, Murray is no stranger to telling stories in front of a live audience. This time though, the added twist is his performance partner, renowned cellist, Jan Vogler. The duo’s new show, New Worlds will be comprised of classical music, spoken word, and probably even some funny business. The fearless Murray will sing songs by George Gershwin and read poetry by Walt Whitman. The band backing Murray consists of Vogler, violinist Mira Wang, and pianist Vanessa Perez. The tour begins in Northern California on July 20 at Festival Napa Valley and will close in New York City in October at Carnegie Hall. The first performance will be released as an album in August. More at www.npr.org.
Soprano Nadine Sierra Wins 2017 Tucker Award
“My first exposure to opera was when I was 10 years-old. I watched the 1982 production of La Bohème at the Met. It was on a VHS tape that my mother took from the library. And we actually never returned it, so we kind of stole it from the library..” That’s what 2017 Richard Tucker Award-
The LA Phil is at the Top of Its Game
New York Times reporter Zachary Wolfe is calling the Los Angeles Philharmonic “the most important orchestra in America. Period.” Why? Well for starters, major orchestras in New York, San Francisco, Houston, Dallas, St. Louis, and Philadelphia are presenting a combined three works by female composers in the coming 2017-2018 season. By contrast, the LA Phil has
Arts and Culture Sector a Nearly One Trillion Dollar Contributor to U.S. Economy in 2014
Well, more like three-quarters of a trillion dollars, but I had to get your attention somehow. And God knows, a piddly number like $730 B won’t do the trick. The arts and culture sector contributed to more than four percent of the country’s gross domestic product in 2014 and has seen steady growth since 2006 according to the Arts and Cultural Production Satellite Account. ACPSA is a collaboration between the National Endowment for the Arts and the U.S. Department of Commerce’s Bureau of Economic Analysis. Leading industries within the Arts and Culture Sector are Broadcasting, Motion Picture and Video, and Government. Performing arts companies and promoters of the performing arts have contributed more than $25 billion to the country’s GDP in 2014. Interesting, right? There is a lot to unpack here so check out the two links below:
https://www.arts.gov/news/2017/latest-economic-data-tracks-arts-and-cultural-jobs-state
And at the Bureau of Economic Analysis website
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra Announces Education Outreach for Children of Refugees
The Kalamazoo Symphony Orchestra has introduced a new education initiative called Orchestra Rouh. It is meant to serve the children of refugee families settled in Kalamazoo, MI. According to a recent press release, the word “rouh” is Arabic for “hope” and “spirit,” and the program was created to “nurture the emotional well-being of children through music.” Orchestra Rouh was founded and is led by violinist Ahmed Tofiq, cellist Bashdar Sdiq, and Arabic instructor Hend Ezzat Hegab. All three have been involved in refugee work in Kalamazoo for the last year. Check out the press release here.