BACKLondon Philharmonic Orchestra appoints Cristina Rocca as artistic director
The London Philharmonic Orchestra (LPO) has announced the appointment of Cristina Rocca as artistic director from November 2020.
Rocca is currently vice president for artistic planning at the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, and has previously served as artistic director of Orchestre National de France, director of artistic planning for the Cleveland Orchestra, and head of concerts and programming at Bournemouth Symphony.
Victoria Robey OBE, chairman of the LPO Board and Martin Höhmann, president, described Rocca as ‘a highly respected artistic director with vision and insight’, who ‘meets every challenge with optimism, passion and tenacity.
‘As Christina joins the LPO family working closely with Edward Gardner and David Burke, we feel tremendous optimism for the orchestra in the years to come.’
Wiener Sängerknaben droht Zahlungsunfähigkeit
Laut einem Bericht des Österreichischen Rundfunks (ORF) drohen den Wiener Sängerknaben im kommenden Herbst existenzielle Finanzprobleme. Die Sängerknaben finanzierten sich bislang hauptsächlich aus Tourneen und Konzerten, dieses Einkommen fiel jedoch durch die Corona-Pandemie in den vergangenen Monaten vollständig aus. Da zahlreiche geplante Konzerte wie eine Konzertreise in die USA nicht stattfinden können, könnten die bislang mit 800.000 Euro bezifferten Verluste auf rund zwei Millionen Euro ansteigen. 113 Konzerte wurden bislang abgesagt, gleichzeitig hat die zugehörige Schule jedoch wieder geöffnet und sorgt für Kosten. Da die Wiener Sängerknaben nicht subventioniert werden, droht dem Chor laut dem künstlerischen Leiter Gerald Wirth im Oktober 2020 die Zahlungsunfähigkeit. Die Leitung der Sängerknaben hat aus diesem Grund um finanzielle staatliche Unterstützung und Spenden gebeten.
Vienna Boys Choir threatens insolvency
According to a report by the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation (ORF), the Vienna Boys’ Choir is threatened with existential financial problems next fall. Up to now, the Boys’ Choir has mainly financed itself through tours and concerts, but this income has been completely cut off by the corona pandemic in recent months. Since numerous planned concerts, such as a concert tour to the USA, cannot take place, the losses so far estimated at 800,000 Euros could rise to around two million Euros. 113 concerts have been cancelled so far, but at the same time the associated school has reopened and is incurring costs. Since the Vienna Boys Choir is not subsidized, the choir is threatened with insolvency in October 2020, according to artistic director Gerald Wirth. For this reason, the management of the Vienna Boys’ Choir has asked for financial support and donations from the state.
Gaumont prépare une mini-série sur « Le Fantôme de l’Opéra »
Gaumont, qui a déjà produit Narcos et F Is For Family pour Netflix, prépare une adaptation du Fantôme de l’opéra, le classique de Gaston Leroux. Selon Deadline, il devrait s’agir d’une mini-série divisée en six parties. La succursale britannique de la société de production hexagonale, qui est aux commandes, a choisi de confier l’écriture à Anthony Horowitz, auteur connu pour ses polars et ses adaptations d’Agatha Christie à l’écran. Si la Gaumont n’a encore fait aucun commentaire sur le projet, tout porte à croire qu’il s’agira d’une adaptation plutôt fidèle du roman de 1910, dans le même esprit que celle des Misérables produite par la BBC en 2018. Pour rappel, la trame du Fantôme de l’opéra met en scène un compositeur défiguré qui vit dans les sous-sols de l’Opéra de Paris avant de nourrir une passion funeste pour la chanteuse Christine Daae.
Gaumont is preparing a mini-series on “The Phantom of the Opera”
Gaumont, who has already produced Narcos and F Is For Family for Netflix, is preparing an adaptation of Gaston Leroux’s classic Phantom of the Opera. According to Deadline, it should be a mini-series divided into six parts. The British branch of the French production company, which is at the helm, has chosen to entrust the writing to Anthony Horowitz, an author known for his thrillers and screen adaptations of Agatha Christie. Although Gaumont has not yet made any comment on the project, everything leads us to believe that it will be a rather faithful adaptation of the 1910 novel, in the same spirit as the BBC’s 2018 production of Les Misérables. As a reminder, the plot of Le Fantôme de l’opéra features a disfigured composer who lives in the basement of the Paris Opera before nurturing a fatal passion for the singer Christine Daae.
Cerise Jacobs Pivots To Virtual Opera ALICE IN THE PANDEMIC
As COVID-19 plays havoc with arts programming around the globe, creator and librettist Cerise Jacobs and her activist opera company, White Snake Projects, are once again pointing the way ahead, with a nimble pivot to sidestep the uncertainty surrounding fall programming. The poli-sci-fi opera Cosmic Cowboy, an exploration of colonization that was originally slated to premiere in Boston in September, will now be pushed back until spring of 2021. To take its place, Jacobs has collaborated with composer Jorge Sosa and director Elena Araoz, both recent creative partners, to produce a new online opera: Alice in the Pandemic.
Addressing a subject of worldwide concern through its protagonist, Alice, a nurse trying to navigate her way through a distorted and unfamiliar landscape to find her sick mother, the opera represents a timely meditation on what it means to live and try to function in a barely recognizable world. Music Director Tian Hui Ng will lead the cast of three principal singers and a chamber ensemble comprising string quartet and electronics. The children’s chorus VOICES Boston, led by Artistic Director Daniel P. Ryan, will also join the production. Alice in the Pandemic premieres in cyberspace on October 22-27, 2020.
