No Strings on a Piano, but the Tone Is Grand

There are some things you just don’t expect to read about in a column about electronics. Gluten-free waffles, for example. Ferrets. Moist towelettes.

The latest in technology from the Times’s David Pogue, with a new look.

The NU1 upright is Yamaha’s fourth AvantGrand hybrid digital piano.

And you’d probably expect that list to include pianos.

No, not digital pianos. Not those plastic, flat appliances with 983 instrument sounds and realism that would fool nobody. I mean real pianos, the kind in concert halls, clad in glistening black lacquer, with three pedals and wooden keys that make felt-covered hammers strike taut metal strings. Those instruments have always been strictly analog. And very expensive.  More

Minnesota Orchestra Calls in Big Gun in Dispute

He brokered peace in Northern Ireland and spent two frustrating years as an envoy in the Middle East. Now George J. Mitchell, the former senator from Maine, is trying to bring peace to the Midwest, as the mediator in the Minnesota Orchestra’s bitter labor dispute.  More

Joshua Bell to Judge Miss America Pageant

Along with their enthusiasm for travel and quest for world peace, Miss America contestants may wish to talk Kreisler and Sarasate this year.

The Miss America Organization said on Tuesday that violinist Joshua Bell will be a judge for the pageant when it returns to Atlantic City on Sept. 15.

Bell will be one of seven judges who vote to crown Miss America 2014. Joining him on the panel will be former 'N Sync singer Lance Bass; Knicks forward Amar'e Stoudemire; comedian and actor Mario Cantone; Barbara Corcoran, the real estate mogul turned investor on ABC's show "Shark Tank;" Carla Hall, co-host of ABC's food show "The Chew;" and Deidre Downs Gunn, an obstetrician and gynecologist.  More

Study: When Judging Music Competitions, Looks Matter Most

Now a new study may provide further ammunition for competition skeptics. Dr. Chia-Jung Tsay and her research team at University College London found that when it comes to judging a performance, people will focus more on an artist's stage presence than their musical prowess.

Tsay's team gave 1200 volunteers, including professional musicians and novices, recordings of three finalists from 10 international singing competitions, and asked them to guess the eventual winners. Some of the clips were only video, some were only audio and others contained both sound and images.  More

Newly-Published Letters Portray Leonard Bernstein's Complex, Colorful Life

More than 20 years after his death, Leonard Bernstein looms large over classical music, remembered both for his extroverted conducting style and for his vibrant, culturally omnivorous off-stage persona, documented in countless interviews, TV appearances and public talks.  More

Conservatory Library Closed Aug 5th - 12th

The Conservatory Library is closed for the renovation of a portion of the listening carrels.  Since they're still sturdy and fit the space, they are being used as the basis for the new carrels, providing more study and computer usage space.  Watch for photos as the work is being done this week!

Is YouTube Destroying Music?

Pianist Chastises Smart Phone Recordist

Pianist Krystian Zimerman declared from the stage that YouTube was "destroying music," according to reports from his June 3^rd concert at the Ruhr Piano Festival in Essen, Germany.

His comment was prompted by a smart phone user Zimerman had spotted during his performance. The offender was recording. "Would you please stop that?," the pianist asked while still at the keyboard.

The Guardian reports that the 56-year-old pianist continued to play but soon left the stage, "evidently agitated." When he returned he told the audience he had lost out on recording contracts because, the business folk told him,  his performances were already on YouTube.

He finished the concert but refused to play an encore, despite the enthusiastic reception. He also canceled a post-concert reception.