+ Canadian violinist and winner of the OSM’s Manulife Competition in 2004, Nikki Chooi has been named the new concertmaster of the Metropolitan Opera.
+ China’s Cultural Revolution made listening to Beethoven a political crime, but half a century later, the relationship between Chinese people and western classical music has evolved in unpredictable ways.
“When it comes to ways of listening, the Chinese have long been open to other cultures and to change – not in a revolutionary way, but through a process that builds on its long musical tradition.”
+ Video of the Day: Lullabies with Alessio Bax on NPR’s “Tiny Desk” concerts.
+ Music sales are down but streaming is up in 2016.
“Data released by Nielsen Music, which tracks music sales and streaming activity in the U.S., showed sales down significantly in all formats except for vinyl, which continues to surge as a small slice of the overall pie.”
+ This Day in Music: First RIAA Gold Album Ward goes to Oklahoma!
+ TD Ottawa Jazz Festival’s programming manager Petr Cancura’s highlights this year included Endangered Blood, Banda de Los Muertos, The Barr Brothers, Judith Hill, Marianne Trudel Quartet featuring Ingrid Jensen, Jon Cleary, Lovan & Scofield, Reis Demuth Wiltgen, Myra Melford, and Chick Corea.
+ Norwegian composer Ola Gjeilo talks with the Ottawa Citizen in advance of his appearance at Ottawa’s Music and Beyond Festival.
“That’s incredibly important to me, that what I write is something that has the potential to touch the listener and be meaningful to them without being manipulative or sentimental. Something that very deeply wants to communicate with people and reach as many people as possible.”
+ Norman Lebrecht reviewed Ronald Brautigam performing the second volume of Mendelssohn’s Songs without words.
