BACK‘It puts me off’: musicians on why white syllabuses deter black talent
More than 4,000 people have signed a petition calling on the exam board of the UK’s royal schools of music to include more black composers in their syllabus. This follows new research, which has revealed that 99% of pieces in the Associated Board of the Royal Schools of Music (ABRSM) exam syllabuses are by white composers. Musicians, academics, teachers and students tell us why the overwhelmingly white syllabus is deterring young black talent from pursuing classical music in higher education and as a career.
Geister-Konzert und Industriekulisse: Beethoven-Jubiläum trotz Corona
Das Jubiläumsjahr zum 250. Geburtstag von Superstar Ludwig van Beethoven verläuft völlig anders als geplant. Kaum war das Festprogramm auf Touren, wurde es von den Folgen der Coronavirus-Pandemie kalt abgewürgt. Malte Boecker, der Direktor des Bonner Beethoven-Hauses, kann in den Umständen sogar etwas zum Komponisten Passendes erkennen: «Beethoven war ein Meister der Erwartungstäuschung – es kommt bei ihm gerne mal anders als gedacht.»
Das rund 30 Millionen Euro teure Festjahr endet nun nicht am 250. Tauftag Beethovens, dem 17. Dezember 2020, sondern dauert bis in den September 2021 hinein. Konzerte, Ausstellungen und Vorträge über den in Bonn geborenen Komponisten (1770 – 1827), können später stattfinden und bekommen trotzdem Zuschüsse. «Viele Veranstalter planen für das Frühjahr und den Sommer 2021 – als sichere Bank», meint Boecker, der auch künstlerischer Geschäftsführer der Jubiläums-Gesellschaft ist.
Ghost concert and industrial scenery: Beethoven anniversary despite Corona
The anniversary year of the 250th birthday of superstar Ludwig van Beethoven is proceeding completely differently than planned. No sooner had the festive programme got underway than it was choked off by the consequences of the coronavirus pandemic. Malte Boecker, the director of the Beethoven-Haus in Bonn, can even see something appropriate to the composer in the circumstances: “Beethoven was a master of deception of expectations – things often turn out differently for him than expected.
The approximately 30 million euro festival year will not end on the 250th anniversary of Beethoven’s baptism, December 17, 2020, but will last until September 2021. Concerts, exhibitions and lectures on the composer (1770 – 1827), who was born in Bonn, can take place later and still receive subsidies. “Many organizers are planning for the spring and summer of 2021 – as a safe bank,” says Boecker, who is also artistic director of the Jubilee Society.
L’Opéra de Paris a perdu 45% des abonnements pour 2020/2021, annonce Stéphane Lissner
Stéphane Lissner, directeur de l’Opéra de Paris jusqu’à la fin de l’année, a révélé que l’institution avait subi une baisse de 45% des abonnements pour la prochaine saison, ainsi qu’une diminution d’un tiers des recettes du mécénat. Le mécénat a doublé pendant le mandat de Stéphane Lissner, passant de 9 à 19 millions entre 2015 et 2020. Stéphane Lissner, qui sera remplacé en janvier par Alexander Neef, a été auditionné mercredi 15 juillet par les sénateurs de la Commission en charge de la culture. Il a précisé que ces pertes d’abonnements ne seraient probablement pas récupérables. Autre coup dur pour l’Opéra de Paris : le mécénat devrait baisser d’un tiers, alors qu’il a doublé pendant le mandat de Stéphane Lissner, passant de 9 millions d’euros en 2015 à 19 millions en 2020.
The Paris Opera has lost 45% of subscriptions for 2020/2021, announces Stéphane Lissner
Stéphane Lissner, Director of the Paris Opera until the end of the year, revealed that the institution had suffered a 45% drop in subscriptions for the coming season, as well as a one-third reduction in sponsorship income. Patronage doubled during Stéphane Lissner’s term of office, from 9 to 19 million between 2015 and 2020. Stéphane Lissner, who will be replaced in January by Alexander Neef, was heard on Wednesday 15 July by the senators of the Culture Committee. He pointed out that these losses of subscriptions would probably not be recoverable. Another hard blow for the Paris Opera: patronage should fall by a third, whereas it doubled during Stéphane Lissner’s term of office, from 9 million euros in 2015 to 19 million in 2020.