In Memoriam: Musicians We Lost In 2011

For the full list, please see NPR.org.

K-Pop Blows Up: Korean Music Finds Fans Worldwide

Listen to the story at NPR.org.

What Does a Conductor Do?

"I’m standing on a podium, with an enameled wand cocked between my fingers and sweat dampening the small of my back. Ranks of young musicians eye me skeptically. They know I don’t belong here, but they’re waiting for me to pretend I do. I raise my arm in the oppressive silence and let it drop. Miraculously, Mozart’s overture to Don Giovanni explodes in front of me, ragged but recognizable, violently thrilling. This feels like an anxiety dream, but it’s actually an attempt to answer a question that the great conductor Riccardo Muti asked on receiving an award last year: 'What is it, really, I do?'"

For the full story, please see NY Magazine.

The End of Modern Dance?

"Before Merce Cunningham died at age 90 in July 2009, he had decided that his company would die with him, preceded by a two-year world tour. And so, after the grand finale performances Dec. 29-31 at the Park Avenue Armory, the company will be snuffed out. Its demise carries with it a huge chunk of the American modern dance tradition. Besides Paul Taylor and Trisha Brown, there are no U.S. modern dance troupes whose leader is still alive, whose company still tours consistently and whose choreography stems from a technique developed by its founder."

For the full story, please see Musical America.

New Books, Scores, Recordings & More!

Check out the new books, scores and media materials added to the Music Library in December!

Jazz Musicians Start a Pension Push

"New York City’s musicians’ union has begun leafleting outside a major jazz club, the first salvo in what union leaders say is a campaign to gain pension benefits and a minimum wage for jazz artists."

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

Celebrate the Stan Kenton Centennial with UNT Libraries

"In honor of the 100th anniversary of Stanley Newcomb Kenton's birth (December 15, 1911), the UNT Music Library offers the following medley of content from our various special collections which are connected to this influential American jazz band and orchestra leader."

To view the online exhibit, please see http://www.library.unt.edu/music/special-collections/kenton/stan-kenton-centennial.