If you're like us, you made a resolution to read more in 2019. That's where we come in: this link roundup features fun stories and interesting reads from this week in classical music!
1. Philip Glass, John Adams, and David Bowie walk into a bar. This isn't just the setup to a bad joke (although if you can figure out a punchline, we're all ears) -- it's the genesis of a new symphony, based on Bowie's "Lodger."
2. Here's a sneak peek at possible score and song nominees for this year's Academy Awards, courtesy of Variety.
3. A pianist set a world record for the concert at the highest altitude by performing in the Himalayas -- watch the video here.
4. When composer Andrea Clearfield realized she needed a brand new sound for the orchestra in the opera she was writing, she did what anyone would do: she commissioned seven never-before-heard instruments.
“As much as I love Western classical music, there are only so many sounds you can wring out of a violin and piano,” said Mila instrument maker Kontak, “which is why I exist to create something more otherworldly.”
5. The L.A. Philharmonic's beloved music director, Gustavo Dudamel, will be receiving a star on the Hollywood Walk of Fame!
6. Anne Midgette, a classical music critic for the Washington Post, called the IRS, was put on hold, and... didn't hate the hold music. So, naturally, she figured out why.
7. One of our new favorite twitter accounts: NormalComposers, or pictures of composers doing normal things -- like Debussy petting two dogs! (Warning: this account uses language that may not be suitable for children.)
