The Opera America Conference comes to Pittsburgh next month and Pittsburgh Opera is gearing up with two very special Operas to be performed at the August Wilson Center and the Bitz Opera Factory. This episode about the marketing insight of creating an Opera season was written last summer. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
50. Encore: The Sightreader’s Survival Kit with Charles and Rachel Stegeman
Charles and Rachel Stegeman team teach violin and viola in their Boot Camp, but they also possess sightreading skills that make them extremely desireable players in some of the most competitive corners of the music industry. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
49. Unions, Jazz and Fairytales
No other idiom more than Bebop invites performers to invent and create while an audience watches and listens. Its a style that evolved during a hiatus in the recording industry when union musicians were concerned their livelihoods were disappearing. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
48. Analysis: Mapping Musical Forms
Some people want a complete map when they do things including listening to music, and others are content to wander through enjoying the musical scenery while journeying through the pieces. Either way is fine, but even the wanderer can enjoy a little mapping time to time. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
47. Audience Experience and Engagement: Orchestra League Conference to be Hosted in Pittsburgh
The League of American Orchestras meets in Pittsburgh this June and they’ll give their Golden Baton Award to Deborah Borda, the New York Philharmonic’s President and CEO who steps down from the post just a few weeks after the conference. Borda brought vision and energy to the top orchestra(s) she led. Orchestras from around the country will hope to glean the secrets and strategies she used to transform the LA Phil and the NY Phil . Is there room for Regional Orchestras to have similar success? What are the keys to growing these Orchestras? More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
46. Risky Business in Music and Math
Musicians can make cutting edge art, but is it going to hurt anyone if it goes badly? Cognative Scientists deconstructed the decision making process- we’ll take a deep look at what they found. More in the Show Notes at Accelerandocast.com
45: Pittsburgh Opera’s Chorus Master Mark Trawka
This month Verdi’s Il Trovatore returns to the Benedum, and its been almost a quarter century since we’ve seen this Grand Opera here in Pittsburgh. Mark talks about the work the Pittsburgh Opera Chorus is doing in the weeks and months ahead of opening night. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
44. Nuance to Noise: I-IV-V-I
Pop music has nearly abused the cadence formula that stems from our western roots in Gregorian Chant. Entire songs are comprised of the four chords (somethimes even less) that were used in Authentic and Plagal cadences. Developing good ears isn’t a quality unique to musicians. Other careers need the ability to focus and filter sounds. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/
43. Ecosystems and Orchestras
Twitter and YouTube are both open platforms- where users can reinvent the purpose by uploading content from various sources. Its what makes them so vibrant and popular: The users do the creating. So think of an orchestra as an environment for creation and change beyond the parameters it was intended. The musicians bring expertise and ideas that continue to strengthen its foundation. Over time its not unlike a coral reef or an ecosystem that brings synergy and growth in a landscape with seemingly few nutrients. More in the show notes at accelerandocast.com
42. “Serenata Nocturna” with Walter Morales
Edgewood Symphony Music Director Walter Morales brings a lifetime insight to the music of Spain and Latin America when he conducts the orchestra in March at the Katz Auditorium in Squirrel Hill. the concert features music of Piazzolla, Ginastera, De Falla and others with guests Amanda Russo Stante and Alejandro Pinzon. More in the show notes at https://accelerandocast.com/show_notes/