Pittsburgh Symphony Makes Gramophone's 2026 Orchestra of the Year Shortlist

I’m always wary of saying “I’m honored” when talking with a renowned musician, as in “it’s such an honor to meet you.” It makes me slightly uncomfortable when someone says that to me, so I know it does other people. Artists might like being appreciated for the hard work they do at their job. They don’t like the feeling of being put above other people. Unless there’s something wrong with them, and then you don’t want to speak to them anyway. I just posit myself as a fellow working artist, because I am, and avoid thinking of honor. 

When music meets research 🎶 Dr Samantha Ege is redefining what it means to be both a musician and a researcher. As a pianist and musicologist, she brings the overlooked stories of African American women composers to life through performance, making her research accessible beyond academia. Her work expands the classical canon while connecting audiences with history in a powerful, personal way. “I became the pianist I didn’t even realise I was preparing to be”

Administrative leaders in the symphonic industry need to be better stewards of the world-class artists in the cultural institutions that they are honored to lead. https://lnkd.in/gSKXPpk6

Some of history's most influential creative projects begin during moments of profound change. After the loss of Joy Division's lead singer Ian Curtis in 1980, the remaining members chose to continue together under a new identity, New Order. Rather than trying to recreate what came before, they built something entirely different, helping redefine electronic and alternative music for generations. Innovation sometimes comes from the most unexpected circumstances. #Leadership #Creativity #Innovation #MusicHistory #Resilience

We have talked to multiple artists from around the world over the past couple of weeks. One of the questions was what happens if they don't have an American fan base in the U.S. This is one of the most common misconceptions we hear from international artists. USCIS doesn't measure your fanbase's geography. It measures your record as an artist, wherever in the world they happen. For touring musicians, the O-1 has another advantage: with the right agent-petitioner structure, one petition can cover an entire multi-city U.S. tour, without tying you to a single employer. In our latest blog, we cover: -How international musicians qualify without a U.S. audience -What actually counts (and what doesn't) -Who should file the petition for a multi-city tour Read the full article on our blog: link in comments. #O1Visa #MusicIndustry #TouringArtists #ExtraordinaryTalent #GlobalTalent

Nineteen Maltese performing arts projects have been presented to international industry professionals at the Edinburgh Fringe Festival as part of an Arts Council Malta programme aimed at preparing local practitioners for international touring. The pitching event marked a key stage in an 18-month professional development programme focused on helping Maltese artists develop the skills, industry knowledge and networks needed to take their work to audiences overseas. Read more on WhosWho.mt. Link in the comments 👇 

It’s tough times for many across the nation right now, including Australia's performing arts companies. Read the full article here: https://vist.ly/5er6t

I've spent a lot of time this year talking to people who run opera companies. What strikes me is not necessarily the scale of the challenges, but the quality of the thinking happening in response to them. Organisations finding innovative ways to reach new, younger audiences. Development teams rethinking philanthropy from the ground up. Companies using data in ways that would have seemed out of reach five years ago.  But much of that ingenuity stays within the walls of the organisations that create it. That's why we created the Business of Opera Summit. A day where the sector could come together to share these learnings, to build on them, and become greater than the sum of its parts. This year's programme is the most ambitious we've put together. The questions we're tackling - audience loyalty, the next generation, AI and data, philanthropy, participation - aren't easy ones. But we certainly have the right people in the room to tackle them - Laura Canning, Richard Davidson-Houston, Marina Jones and Alex Reedijk OBE FRC to name just a few. The full agenda is now live. If you work in opera, in any capacity, I do hope you'll join us on 22 October at Convene County Hall, London. 👉 https://lnkd.in/eusk4SGt #BusinessOfOpera #Opera #OperaIndustry

The conductor of an orchestra doesn’t make a sound. That one line from Benjamin Zander completely changed how I think about delegation. 18 years ago Zander, conductor of the Boston Philharmonic, gave the most powerful TED talk I have ever listened to. He goes on to say the conductor depends, for his power, on his ability to make other people powerful. The conductor’s picture is on the album cover, but every note comes from the players. That reframed delegation for me. I used to treat it as a way to free up time for more important work. Now I think it is the more important work. When I hand something off, I’m looking for what it gives the other person. Delegation became my primary tool for helping people grow. They get practice they couldn’t have gotten any other way, and I get to coach them through it in real time. Often it takes more work than doing it myself. At least at first. Choosing the right work for the right person takes effort. Walking alongside them takes time. Plenty of days it would have been quicker to just handle it. I’ve decided that extra work is well worth it. Zander also asks how you know you’re awakening possibility in someone. His answer: “If their eyes are shining you know you’re doing it.” That’s the job. Making our people shine.

Exciting news for the arts at the University of Dayton! 🎨🎭🎶 Effective July 1, we officially launched the UD Department of Visual and Performing Arts, uniting our programs in art and design, music, theater, dance, and performance technology into a single, collaborative department. This merger preserves the rich traditions of each individual discipline while making it easier than ever for students across campus to collaborate, innovate, and create. A huge thank you to Department Chair Toby Rush, Assistant Chair Darden Bradshaw, and all the faculty and staff who dedicated over a year of planning to bring this vision to life. #UniversityOfDayton #ArtsAndSciences #HigherEd #VisualArts #PerformingArts #HigherEdLeadership https://lnkd.in/gQTBg2CF