Seattle Symphony, management reach tentative agreement

"The Seattle Symphony's musicians and management reached a tentative agreement on a new contract Wednesday, ending months of tense negotiations and averting a strike."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

Everett Symphony cancels rest of season, will leave its headquarters

"Suffering under the weight of the recession and years of operating losses, the Everett Symphony announced Tuesday it is canceling the rest of its season after a Friday concert, and moving out of its rehearsal hall and administrative offices in downtown Everett."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

Is the World Ready for the Successor of the MP3?

"A leading technology company is set to launch a new digital music file format that will embed additional content for fans including lyrics, news updates and images in what could be a successor to the ubiquitous MP3 file."

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Is that jazz? Explore improvisation, composition and more at Seattle festival

"Formal composition vs. spontaneous creativity is the prevailing theme at a series of experimental jazz performances called Is That Jazz? Seattle's Avant Jazz Music Festival.

The festival convenes Friday night with two performances at the Chapel Performance Space in Wallingford by the Sunship quintet and the Sun Ra Tribute Band, named for the jazz composer, pianist and philosopher who helped pioneer free jazz in the 1950s and '60s. The event continues Saturday night with performances by esteemed clarinetist Bill Smith's trio and bassist Evan Flory-Barnes' big band, called Threat of Beauty."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.

Divas on the Big Screen

"Opera at the movies is a surprise new business. In 2006, when the Metropolitan Opera announced its plans to show operas live in movie theaters, skeptics wondered who would actually pay to go. Plenty of people, as it turned out. The Met program has grown exponentially: For its fourth HD season, the company is transmitting nine operas live and attracting sell-out crowds in over 900 theaters around the world."

For the full story, please see the Wall Street Journal.

Why Berklee is teaching its students to compose scores for video games

"'Abandon,' a video game designed by a group of MIT students and set in a mysterious, surrealistic world of traffic cones, toasters, bookcases, and other vaguely menacing objects, may never make it to game stores or home consoles. But it will have at least one feature found on most commercially marketed video games: an original soundtrack, professionally composed and painstakingly synched to the game’s play features and story line."

For the full story, please see boston.com.

Who’s That Man? A Mystery Clarinetist Takes a Bow at Philharmonic

"When a pinch hitter comes out of the dugout, an announcer intones his name over the public-address system. When an understudy fills in for a Broadway actor, inserts in the program say who it is. A waiter even tells you what’s on special.

Don’t ask the New York Philharmonic to be so forthcoming."

For the full story, please see the New York Times.

At the symphony, it's play-and-talk time

"Is the Seattle Symphony moving toward a strike? It’s certainly not showing much movement toward a settlement, and as of Jan. 1, the players are operating without a contract. Even though they now could, both sides seem understandably reluctant to move to a lockout or a strike — at least for now. This week, for the first time, some details of the negotiations emerged, though management is still staying mum. The sides appear to have remained far apart for months."

For the full story, please see Crosscut.

Elvis Presley Feted in Memphis on 75th Birthday

"The cold couldn't keep them away from the "King."

Hundreds of Elvis Presley fans braved frigid, snowy weather to celebrate the late rock'n'roll legend's 75th birthday on Friday at his Graceland shrine, part of a marketing machine that generates $50 million a year."

For the full story, please see ABC News.

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Best of the decade: Classical music

"Digital revolution. It was the catchphrase of the 2000s, and it affected classical music as much as any other medium. Downloads brought the classical recording industry to its knees and rendered the standard format of the $25 CD an endangered species by decade's end. But downloads also led to a wider consumption of classical music."

For the full story, please see the Washington Post.

Opera enthusiast Perry Lorenzo, of Seattle, dies at 51

"'Perry was completely dedicated to opera,' said Speight Jenkins, director of the Seattle Opera, who hired Mr. Lorenzo as education director 17 years ago. 'He was a speaker who could affect and connect with absolutely anyone.' Mr. Lorenzo, 51, died Saturday (Dec. 19) after a seven-month battle with lung cancer."

For the full story, please see the Seattle Times.