CONSIDERING STRAVINSKY: Was Igor Stravinsky the most influential composer of the 20th Century? Thirty years after his death, his music appears to have the staying power... Dallas Morning News 04/08/01

THE SOUND OF MUSIC: For all the calculations, acoustics is more art than science. "Scale models and computer simulations can demonstrate the motion of sound waves, yet relatively few modern concert halls have stunning sound. Virtual reality cannot replicate the visceral sensation of sitting in a space and hearing it resound with real, unamplified music. Yasuhisa Toyota has spent 10 years working on the sound for LA's new Disney Concert Hall. Los Angeles Times 04/08/01

CHOICE COMES TO THE CLIBURN: The Van Cliburn competition has announced that contestants will now have their choice of four pieces of new music to fulfill the contest's contemporary requirement. In past years, a single work had been commissioned, and was required of all players. The change is popular with contestants and composers. Dallas Morning News 04/04/01

LONGEST MUSIC: Composer Robert Rich has recorded (on a high-capacity DVD) what he says is the longest piece of music ever. It lasts 7 hours, and "the work is designed to be played at such a level that the listener falls asleep as it begins, and then experiences it during the various stages of sleep. Rich notes that ‘You can listen to Somnium in your sleep with a small pair of headphones, although these can become uncomfortable if you try to sleep on your side'." Gramophone 04/05/01

THE LITTLE OPERA COMPANY THAT COULD: How many opera companies commission and stage a new opera every year, and then see those operas performed all over the world? The only one we know of is in a small town in Canada. Granted, it's a series aimed at children, but even so.... Ottawa Citizen (CP) 04/05/01 

BILLY BUDD COMES OUT: Critics have long speculated about the homoerotic subtexts of Herman Melville's "Billy Budd." When Benjamin Britten and E.M. Forster, both gay men, created an opera from the story, however, the idea of a gay Billy was largely ignored by conservative opera companies and their audiences. The Canadian Opera Company's new production meets the controversy head-on. The Globe & Mail (Toronto) 04/05/01

NEW NAME, NEW DIGS: The Concerto Soloists of Philadelphia, widely considered to be one of America's finest chamber orchestras, is getting a new name, The Chamber Orchestra of Philadelphia, to go along with it's beautiful new home in the Regional Performing Arts Center that opens this fall. The ensemble will also be bringing in a higher caliber of soloists and guest conductors. Philadelphia Inquirer 04/02/01

REINVENTING OPERA: "From Venice to Berlin, Europe’s opera houses are facing shrinking federal budgets, crumbling infrastructures, an aging core audience and accusations of elitism—not to mention the rapid incursion of mass media. In an effort to remain relevant—and solvent—European opera companies are being forced to radically overhaul everything from their repertoires to their management to their financial backing." Newsweek 04/02/01

MOZART, MD: Researchers have discovered that playing Mozart can be therapeutic for some patients. "Short bursts of Mozart's Sonata K448 have been found to decrease epileptic attacks." BBC 04/02/01