WDAV to Produce NPR World of Opera

December 18, 2009 | DAVIDSON, NC – WDAV 89.9 Classical Public Radio announced today that as of January 18, 2010, the station will take over production of National Public Radio’s World of Opera, keeping in place NPR’s successful creative team of host Lisa Simeone and producer Bruce Scott. WDAV General Manager Benjamin K. Roe is the new [...]

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Boston’s Classical Shapeshifting

By Marty Ronish, Scanning The Dial
Posted December 17, 2009
Before I talk about Boston, I want to thank those of you who made suggestions about better Xmas programming. Even without actually hearing the music you suggested, I can hear it in my head and it makes me smile. The wonderful trio from Berlioz’s L’enfance [...]

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Never Listen to Céline? Radio Meter Begs to Differ

By STEPHANIE CLIFFORD
Published: December 15, 2009
American men have a naughty little secret. Sometimes, they like to relax with a little Céline Dion. Professed classical music fans have one, too: as it turns out, they don’t tune into classical radio nearly as much as they claim.
These are two of many findings shaking up the radio industry [...]

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$1.77 million could stabilize Charlotte Symphony’s future

Group only $100,000 short of its urgent fundraising target
By Karen Garloch
kgarloch@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Tuesday, Dec. 15, 2009
The struggling Charlotte Symphony is less than $100,000 away from meeting its year-end goal of raising $1.77 million to become financially stable.
If it meets the goal, the symphony expects to get $900,000 from the Arts & Science Council, which [...]

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Web audience grows for arts groups

By Jacqueline Trescott
Washington Post Staff Writer
Thursday, December 10, 2009
Americans are increasingly choosing the Internet and other new media to enjoy the arts, a new national survey has found.
While many adults still like the intimacy of live theater, particularly musical theater, over the past year an estimated 47 million of them chose to watch or listen [...]

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Wells Fargo’s surprise: $6 million to charities

San Francisco-based bank says gifts show a continued commitment to Charlotte as recession batters nonprofits.
By Eric Frazier
efrazier@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Wednesday, Dec. 09, 2009
When Wells Fargo officials invited heads of local nonprofit groups to their uptown bank tower for a thank-you breakfast Tuesday, Kathy Ridge showed up, as requested, just before 8.
“This is so nice,” she said, watching [...]

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North Carolina Station Prepares Spanish Classical Music Station

Here’s the English translation of an article that appeared in Yahoo News, produced by the EFE News Agency.
November 10, 2009
Charlotte, NC: Next year a FM radio station in North Carolina will launch the first classical music station in Spanish in the country, reported its promoters today.
Under the name “Concierto,” the station will be broadcast on [...]

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Symphony players take pay cut

The renegotiated contract will save the orchestra $700,000 this season; base pay shrinks more than 19%.
By Steven Brown
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Saturday, Sep. 05, 2009
For the second time in two years, the Charlotte Symphony’s musicians have taken a pay cut meant to help fight the orchestra’s financial crisis.
The players will give up more than 19 percent of this [...]

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You’re now approaching Paris, Texas

The Charlotte Symphony Orchestra is at a fork in the road. Where it turns is up to you.
By Lawrence Toppman
ltoppman@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Sunday, Jun. 21, 2009
My favorite cartoon shows a landscape that’s barren except for a bottle, a can, a tire, a pencil and a few pebbles. The caption reads “Life Without Mozart.”
I could substitute Louis Armstrong, [...]

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Cutbacks are front and center for arts groups

37% drop in ASC fund drive likely means reductions in jobs, performances – or worse
By Steven Brown
sbrown@charlotteobserver.com
Posted: Monday, May. 18, 2009
http://www.charlotteobserver.com/local/story/730644.html
Charlotte Symphony’s last concerts of the season, energized by jazzy music, revved up the audience and surpassed the box office goal.
Yet the orchestra and Charlotte’s other cultural groups are caught in the same recession as [...]

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