From Chronicle of Higher Education
New Survey Will Examine What Makes Arts-School Graduates Succeed or Fail
By CAROLYN MOONEY
May 1, 2008

Long-lost Vivaldi opera to play in Prague after 278-year hiatus

http://www.uiuc.edu/goto/music

Nearly 100 musical scores from UIUC's Music Library were digitized recently at the Open Content Alliance/Internet Archive scanning center on campus. Represented in this new online collection are Victor Herbert, John Philip Sousa, Jerome Kern, and Gilbert & Sullivan. The Music Library is one of the largest collections of its kind at a public university, and is currently ranked among the top ten music libraries in the United States. Its collections contain more than 765,000 volumes, including over 55,000 books, 520,000 scores, 19,000 microforms, 150,000 sound recordings, and over 20,000 items in other formats and media. (text borrowed from http://www.library.uiuc.edu/blog/digitizedbotw/2008/05/musical_scores_from_the_univer.html)

The Music Library has many resources in many formats. The JVC Smithsonian Folkways Video Anthology of Music and Dance is an indispensable resource for those study music, dance, and cultures of America and other nations. The series is divided into three parts and each set of DVDs has accompanying guide books.

Music and Dance of Africa
Music and Dance of the Americas
Music and Dance of Europe

From the NY Times
And the Brass Ring Goes to Chicago Symphony: Riccardo Muti Says Yes
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Published: May 6, 2008
The Chicago Symphony Orchestra has lured Riccardo Muti, one of a dwindling band of podium eminences.

At the Philharmonic, Musings About Muti
By DANIEL J. WAKIN
Published: May 7, 2008
The announced union of Riccardo Muti and the Chicago Symphony Orchestra left 100 jilted suitors at Avery Fisher Hall.

From Alex Ross: The Rest is Noise
Muti Goes Windy
May 7, 2008

A thought-provoking blog focusing on theatre and the performing arts from the UK's Guardian. I think this source is useful for several reasons, not least for its international perspective. Here are a few recent entries to illustrate:

Is Ballet's Future in America?
San Francisco Ballet's New Works Festival has been warmly received by an eager public. It makes English ballet look secretive and cautious
May 2, 2008 8:15 AM Judith Mackerell

Where are our black ballerinas?
Britain's ballet companies must start to look further than the white middle classes for their talent
April 10, 2008 12:30 PM Judith Mackerell

You can't have community theatre without a community
The postponement of a £100,000 flagship project at the Brighton festival raises urgent questions about who the work was actually for
May 2, 2008 6:00 PM Lyn Gardner

Should theatres listen to consultants?
An American consulting firm is offering statistical advice to programmers. Should playwrights be worried?
May 1, 2008 4:00 PM George Hunka

PS The Guardian also has a separate music blog here.

UIUC's academic year ended with graduation this weekend--congratulations to all of our graduates!

During the year we aim to post at least one item per day on this blog, but with summer upon us, we may be posting less often. We hope you'll check in when you get a chance, and we'll be back to our regular schedule come fall.

AP Story from MSNBC news
May 14, 2008
"Twenty-five selections were added to the National Recording Registry on Wednesday, part of the library's attempt to save America's aural history by archiving recordings deemed "culturally, historically or aesthetically significant."

List and narratives about each title from the Library of Congress
May 14, 2008

Summer Stages (From NY Times)
Theater
Published: May 11, 2008
Plays by Shakespeare, John Guare, Michael John LaChiusa and more, in festivals from Alabama to Washington.

Lend Me a Pick Ax: The Slow Dismantling of the Compositional Gender Divide
By Lisa Hirsch
Published: May 14, 2008
From NewMusicBox

Going on a road trip this summer? Planning to spend long hours at your computer working? Want to be able to listen to classical music radio wherever you are?

List of classical radio stations and links for streaming radio stations:
http://www.classical.net/music/links/radio.php

You can go beyond classical music and also listen for free to the following online music resources (the Library pays for them) from your computer:

African American Song
Classical Music Library
Smithsonian Global Sound

National Endowment Salutes Opera (NYTimes)
By DANIEL J. WAKIN; Compiled by LAWRENCE VAN GELDER
Published: May 14, 2008

'Amistad' opera, Italy ties highlight Spoleto
By BRUCE SMITH, Associated Press Writer
Thu May 22, 3:44 PM ET

(Chicago theater) Community vibrant despite some cuts (Chicago Tribune)
By Chris Jones | Tribune critic May 25, 2008

From the 5/29/08 New Yorker by Alex Ross: The idea of using music in psychological warfare