Former Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra Conductor...Bard College, Launch Music Education Initiative.
Gustavo Dudamel is passionate about music education, as evidenced by his work with the Simon Bolivar Youth Orchestra, and the passion those young musicians display when they perform. Now, the current L.A. Phil conductor wants to inject music education in this country with that same passion.
Read L.A. Phil, Bard, Longy launch El Sistema-based music initiative (Culture Monster)
Follow Young Musicians in Your Community
Many young musicians in Columbus are hard at work preparing for a new season with the Columbus Symphony Youth Orchestra. You can follow thiem on Facebook.
Follow CSYO on Facebook here
Abusive conductor shown the door
You might remember a posting I wrote in August about conductor Mark Gorenstein's rocky relationship with musicians in the Svetlanov Symphony. (Musicians Reach Boiling Point With Abusive Conductor) Gorenstein is now threatening legal action after being forced out by Russian Minister of Culture Alexander Avdeyev.
Read The maestro and the mutiny (Moscow News)
Is the tyrannical conductor a thing of the past?
Maestro Gorenstein wasn't the only conductor to experience repercussions for the way they treated musicians. Roberto Minczuk, director of the Brazilian Symphony Orchestra, was recently demoted after demanding that his musicians re-audition for their jobs. When they refused, he fired 33 of them. With the explosion of social media, these incidents are no longer kept behind closed doors. Do you think conductors have too much power, or have things begun to change? Naomi Lewin of radio station WQXR in New York explored this topic with guests Norman Lebrecht, Anne Midgette, and Jesse Rosen.
Hear the podcast Conducting Business (WQXR)