League Announces 2014 Conference Details
March 5, 2014The League of American Orchestras has announced its 2014 Conference, which will take place in Seattle, June 4-6. The theme of the 2014 conference is “Critical Questions, Countless Solutions.” The League announcement proclaims, “From Gabriel Prokofiev to Claire Chase, Joshua Roman to Alan Brown, we’re bringing the best minds and talent together to saturate you […]
Leadership, solitude and musicians
January 7, 2014I’ve been trying to figure out if this article, written as a speech to West Point cadets by William Deresiewicz, a noted American writer and former academic, might have some insights for us. This is a very long quote from the article: What can solitude have to do with leadership? Solitude means being alone, and […]
Being in Tune
December 4, 2013Peter Renshaw calls for a new paradigm to address the key issues confronting learning and development in the arts.
The Baltimore Ravens Support the BSO's OrchKids Program
November 26, 2013The Baltimore Ravens have announced that not only will the Baltimore Symphony and their OrchKids Bucket Band perform at the Ravens’ Thanksgiving-night half-time show at their game with the Pittsburgh Steelers, they have pledged to give $15,000 to the OrchKids program. Seeing such support from a football team for a symphony orchestra gives me hope. […]
What's in a Fludde?
October 10, 2013One of the most creative and inventive films I’ve seen recently was Wes Anderson’s 2012 Moonrise Kingdom, with all the strange oddities of style, camera angles, and storyline that make this director’s work so compelling and so memorable.
Baltimore Symphony's OrchKids 2013 Spring Bash!
May 29, 2013I traveled down to Baltimore last week to spend some time with the Baltimore Symphony’s OrchKids program and experience their final concert for this academic year — their Spring Bash. I first observed the OrchKids program, the BSO’s after-school intensive El Sistema program, in 2010 when they were in their second year at the Lockerman-Bundy […]
Symphony Magazine, Spring 2013 Issue
May 14, 2013The spring issue of Symphony magazine is now available online. As usual, the magazine contains a variety of interesting articles. Chester Lane, Senior Editor at Symphony magazine, presents a fascinating article about the health and wellness programs springing up in orchestras. Many of these programs have been funded by the Ann and Gordon Getty Foundation […]
Happy Birthday Polyphonic!
April 24, 2013Polyphonic.org was founded in April of 2006, making this month our 7th birthday! We thought that a fun way to celebrate would be to interview our editors and give you a peek into the lives of the folks that curate the content here at Polyphonic.org. Enjoy! Dr. Ramon Ricker – Editor-in-Chief How long have you […]
Friday April 19, 2013
April 23, 2013This terrible week will stay in our memories. It is with us now. Unresolved. A scream like the mighty dissonance of that Mahlerian scream in his 10th Symphony. But we will conquer its summit and plumb its depths.
Protect Your Hearing
April 10, 2013Mary Plaine, Principal Librarian with the Baltimore Symphony, recently posted a New York Times article by Jane Brody on Orchestra-L, ICSOM’s list-serve, about what causes hearing lost. (Thank you, Mary!) The article cites a new book by Katherine Bouton, “Shouting Won’t Help: Why I — and 50 Million Other Americans — Can’t Hear You.” According […]