daily observations

first day back

Charles Noble — Thu, 02 Sep 2010 04:43:59 +0000

Today was the first day back to work for the Oregon Symphony and the beginning of the 2010-2011 season. It was good to be back in the Arlene, and there were both some new faces as well as missing familiar ones. Introduced at this morning’s rehearsal were our new Principal timpanist Jonathan Greeney (whose wife [...]

15th season latte

Charles Noble — Wed, 01 Sep 2010 15:01:11 +0000

My 15th season with the Oregon Symphony begins today, so what better way to celebrate the occasion than by creating a little latte art? And don’t forget, you can still support the Oregon Symphony’s trip Carnegie Hall by buying Badbeard’s delicious Symphony Blend coffee!

oversight

Charles Noble — Tue, 31 Aug 2010 19:32:30 +0000

Reading the almost daily news from Detroit (news that seems to become more like a daytime television serial each day), it has struck me that the role of oversight and who does the overseeing is perhaps one of the most critical parts of the running of an arts organization. This is well-known in the for-profit [...]

does higher pay = higher quality?

Charles Noble — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 17:58:35 +0000

Barry Johnson has an insightful post about the relationship between orchestra pay and player quality over at Arts Dispatch. Well worth reading.

oops!

Charles Noble — Mon, 30 Aug 2010 06:18:34 +0000

Robert Levine has a post up at Polyphonic.org about a paperwork snafu on the part of the Detroit Symphony management that might prove to be the crux of their brewing labor dispute. If you watched the video I embedded in my last post, this paperwork was briefly discussed towards the end of the live interview.

detroit musicians reject management offer, give strike authorization

Charles Noble — Sun, 29 Aug 2010 06:08:06 +0000

Video from the Detroit FOX affiliate:

chamber music = bliss

Charles Noble — Fri, 27 Aug 2010 06:19:44 +0000

Tonight I had the pleasure of playing chamber music (and some of the great pieces in the repertoire, at that) with some of my colleagues from the Oregon Symphony. It was part of the Parties of Note program put on by Friends of the Oregon Symphony (FOS). The music for the evening was chosen and [...]

on the cusp of a new season

Charles Noble — Wed, 25 Aug 2010 01:34:52 +0000

A week from tomorrow my fifteenth season with the Oregon Symphony begins. I wrote a post last winter about the concerts that I was most looking forward to in this coming year, and since then there have been some noteworthy additions to the concert calendar. Here they are Classical Rufus – this is a co-production [...]

detroit round-up

Charles Noble — Mon, 23 Aug 2010 18:50:57 +0000

As the talks in Detroit enter the 11th hour, here’s a round up of recent articles and blog posts about the situation: DSO pay feud: Is world class stature at stake? – [freep.com] How salary proposals compare with other top U.S. orchestras – [freep.com] Detroit Explores the Net Value of a Symphony Musician – [blogcritics.org] [...]

talk: it’s not just cheap – it’s actually good!

Charles Noble — Sat, 21 Aug 2010 22:51:34 +0000

Today is the last day of the 2010 Sunriver Music Festival, and after the morning rehearsal we had what has been an annual tradition for virtually the entirety of the 33 year old festival: the board/musician luncheon. It’s a great example of how communication should be handled between all the major stakeholders of an arts [...]

mt. bachelor climb

Charles Noble — Fri, 20 Aug 2010 01:33:53 +0000

Yes, today was the day that I chose to do my annual ride from Sunriver up to Mt. Bachelor. It’s not that big a climb for people like Alberto Contador, but for people like me, it’s a long, hard slog. I was expecting to show a lot of improvement this year in speed and general [...]

power vacuum

Charles Noble — Wed, 18 Aug 2010 06:25:43 +0000

It is said that Nature abhors a vacuum, and the same could be said of human nature as well. This is especially true in orchestras of any budget size or artistic merit. The one truism that I’ve come to dislike very intensely? That those who seek to gain power in the absence of strong leadership [...]

golden oldies

Charles Noble — Sat, 14 Aug 2010 23:49:20 +0000

Can you believe that Larry is in his 70′s? I can’t. He’s got more energy than I do, that’s for sure. Plus, he’s a genius.

sunriver music festival

Charles Noble — Fri, 13 Aug 2010 06:55:20 +0000

The postings have been few and far between lately, what with me being in Sunriver, Oregon for the 33rd edition of the Sunriver Music Festival. The festival got off to a running start with the opening night pops concert, featuring music from the 30′s and 40′s, which the audience greatly enjoyed. Principal trumpeter Jeffrey Work [...]

riding to fight cancer

Charles Noble — Sun, 08 Aug 2010 20:56:32 +0000

08/12 UPDATE: Thanks to my many generous friends and colleagues, I’ve met my $500 goal for this ride! Thank you so much, everyone! If you have not yet donated, please consider it, as it goes to two great causes: the Lance Armstrong Foundation, and the Knight Cancer Institute. Please pardon this random posting, but I’ve [...]

for a good time, call brahms

Charles Noble — Sat, 07 Aug 2010 01:33:21 +0000

I had the best time this morning. By this time of the summer, I’ve usually frittered away a large portion of my free time on the bike or in front of the tv watching the pros ride their bikes. The viola gets put away in the studio and gets to think about all that it [...]

another theory post

Charles Noble — Wed, 04 Aug 2010 19:04:52 +0000

Here’s another wonderful music theory video, also of a Mozart piano piece (this time a concerto, no. 23):

how I wished I’d learned music theory

Charles Noble — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 21:40:01 +0000

This is a classic use for YouTube and music – kudos to Sarah at Inside the Classics for finding it! ?

why recordings matter

Charles Noble — Tue, 03 Aug 2010 01:36:25 +0000

Basically, look at the response of the New York Times critic to the just-issued recording of Glass’ Orphee by the Portland Opera. It is recognition on an international level to the work by Anne Manson, and the Portland Opera and its orchestra. Tomassini essentially gives the recording credit for bringing the work to a level [...]

severe cuts proposed in detroit

Charles Noble — Thu, 29 Jul 2010 20:04:07 +0000

This came over the PRNewswire today (thanks to Elaine for bringing it to my attention): Detroit Symphony Musicians Targeted for Deep Slashes; Will Other Symphony Orchestra Musicians Also Be Under Gun? DETROIT, July 29 /PRNewswire/ — Salary cuts upwards of 28 percent, drastic cuts in their health insurance, elimination of contributions to their retirement benefits, [...]