February 24, 2025

👋 It’s not every day an opera house gets compared to the underdog in a feel-good sports movie, but this year’s Opera House of the Year winner pulled off a surprise victory. In a field full of industry heavyweights, the Komische Oper Berlin took the crown — despite being in the middle of renovations and performing in a temporary venue.

+++

The big idea: Musicians vs. WestJet: How not to handle a trombone
Talking points:
— New York Philharmonic’s first female full-time player featured in Oscar-nominated doc
— Kiri Te Kanawa advocates against closure of Cardiff Music School
Around the web + Laugh of the week

CLASSICAL CHARTZ

Weekly selections are based on sales numbers and albums we simply love and think you NEED to hear!

For the complete top 20, tune into Classical Chartz with the New Classical FM’s Mark Wigmore every Saturday from 3-5 pm EST!

THE BIG IDEA

Musicians vs. WestJet: How Not to Handle a Trombone

A routine flight turned into an expensive ordeal when three Quebec musicians were kicked off their WestJet plane. The reason? A trombone.

What should have been a simple flight became a nightmare for three Quebec musicians. Gate staff had assured Hélène Lemay she could bring her trombone aboard, noting plenty of overhead bin space was available. Following standard protocol, the musicians boarded without issue.

Things Got Heated
But one flight attendant had other ideas. Despite the previous clearance, they insisted the trombone had to go. According to singer Mia Wistaff, the crew member's response was harsh: "sit down, shut up, and don't move." The situation escalated when staff forcefully removed the instrument from the cabin.

Plot Twist
The drama didn't end there. A maintenance issue forced all passengers to deplane. When boarding resumed, the musicians discovered they were no longer welcome — the pilot had personally refused their re-entry.

The Damage
The incident left the trio stranded in Edmonton, forcing them to rent a car for the journey to Kelowna. Between the damaged trombone and travel expenses, the ordeal has cost them over $7,000.

WestJet's Response
After initial silence, WestJet finally issued an apology and promised to make things right. The airline says it will reimburse all travel expenses and cover the instrument damage. They've also committed to communicating with the travelers in French.

Not An Isolated Incident
Canadian airlines have a troubled history with musical instruments. Just months before the WestJet incident, renowned cellist Sheku Kanneh-Mason — famous for performing at Prince Harry and Meghan Markle's wedding — was forced to cancel his Toronto concert when Air Canada denied boarding to his $3.15 million Goffriller cello. Despite having a confirmed seat for the instrument, Kanneh-Mason spent nine anxious hours at the airport before giving up. "We can only dream of a time when all airlines have a standardized, global approach to the carriage of precious instruments," the musician later stated.

"It was way too much. I mean, we didn't do anything," says guitarist Jimmy Lahaie. Sometimes, even following all the rules doesn't guarantee smooth flying.

Fun fact: A professional trombone can cost anywhere from $3,000 to over $30,000. Most airlines' standard instrument liability coverage maxes out at just $2,000 — which is why musicians fight so hard to keep their instruments in the cabin. — MV

TOUR DE HEADLINES

🎭 A long-lost opera takes center stage: An 1887 opera by Black composer Edmond Dédé has finally resurfaced, marking a major rediscovery in classical music. Dédé, a free Black musician from New Orleans who built his career in France, wrote Morgiane, which had been lost to history—until now. Scholars pieced together the score from archives, and the opera is set for a long-overdue revival. The find sheds light on overlooked Black composers in classical music, a genre that often erases their contributions. Read more

🎻 Music education hits a sour note: The UK’s Purcell School, a specialist music school that has trained some of the country’s top classical musicians, is closing its doors. The move has sparked fears that elite orchestras will become even more exclusive, as fewer young musicians from diverse backgrounds will have access to the high-level training needed for professional careers. Critics argue that without accessible pathways, the classical world could become even more dominated by those with financial privilege. Read more

🐶 A four-legged opera star? A dog named Squillo made history by becoming the first canine cast in a professional opera. Squillo, a rescue dog, stars in a new production where he shares the stage with human singers—though he doesn’t have any arias of his own (yet). His name, fittingly, is a reference to the bright, ringing quality of an operatic voice. With classical music embracing more unexpected stars, maybe it's only a matter of time before we see a La Bohème with an actual Bohemian pup. Read more

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

A violin vanishes… again: London’s classical music scene has been hit with another violin theft—this time, a musician’s instrument was stolen at a Croydon train station. It follows a similar incident last month when a violinist’s instrument was taken from a pub. Musicians are on high alert, as stolen violins are notoriously difficult to recover and often end up on the black market. If you see a suspiciously good deal on a violin, maybe think twice. Read more

Classical music’s queer future: A new report is calling for greater LGBTQ+ inclusion in classical music, where queer artists have historically thrived but often faced discrimination. While composers like Tchaikovsky and Britten left lasting legacies, today’s queer musicians still struggle with representation and visibility. The report urges institutions to create more inclusive spaces, ensuring classical music reflects the diversity of the world around it. Read more

TALKING POINTS

Orin O’Brien with Leonard Bernstein. Photograph: Courtesy of Netflix

New York Philharmonic’s First Female Full-Time Player Featured In Oscar-Nominated Doc

The double bassist Orin O’Brien is the subject of the Oscar-nominated documentary The Only Girl in the Orchestra. O’Brien was the first full-time female member of the New York Philharmonic.

Beat on the ground: This year’s Oscar-nominated documentaries includes prime-time Emmy Award winner Molly O’Brien’s The Only Girl in the Orchestra. O’Brien’s documentary features her aunt, the double bassist Orin O’Brien. In 1966, O’Brien became the New York Philharmonic’s first full-time female player. She played with the New York Philharmonic until her retirement in 2021.

The backstory: The 89-year-old double bassist Orin O’Brien was born in Hollywood, California in 1935. She studied at the Juilliard School and played with the New York City Ballet beginning in 1956, before she joined the New York Philharmonic under Leonard Bernstein’s tenure in 1966. Bernstein may also have played a part in hiring her as the orchestra’s first full-time female member.

While O’Brien may have been the only woman in the orchestra during her time, she was not the orchestra’s first female member. In 1922, Harpist Stephanie "Steffy" Goldner (1896-1962) became the New York Philharmonic’s first woman musician. When Goldner resigned to support her husband in 1932, the NYPhil did not engage another woman for 25 years. — SS

Kiri Te Kanawa (Courtesy photo)

Kiri Te Kanawa Advocates Against Closure of Cardiff Music School

Dame Kiri Te Kanawa recently joined a growing list of celebrities advocating against the closure of the University of Cardiff’s School of Music. The proposed closure has been called a devastating blow to music in Wales and the UK.

What’s going on: In late January, the University of Cardiff announced its plans to cut 400 academic jobs as well as its music, nursing, and modern language programs in order to avoid financial ruin. The University cited plummeting international student enrollments as one cause of its recent deficits. Widespread condemnation has followed the University’s decision, including petitions, letters in The Times, and a large demonstration on February 22nd. The opera star Kiri Te Kanawa recently joined the list of musical luminaries speaking out against the school’s closure, which also includes Sir Simon Rattle and many prominent Welsh and British musicians.

The implications: In a recent Opinion piece in The Times Higher Education, Ian Pace argued that closing Cardiff’s School of Music forebodes the end of musical scholarship in the UK. Pace notes that in recent years, the University of Cardiff has been home to the UK’s leading scholars on Liszt, Janáček, and Stravinsky, and some of the world’s greatest scholars on historical performance, French music, popular music, and Turkish and Yoruba musical traditions.

When faced with budget cuts, the University of Cardiff has chosen to prioritize practical departments rather than more scholarly-based departments, like its School of Music. The petition to save this excellent institution now boasts 24,000 signatures; we recommend adding yours as well. — SS

GAMES

Dig in to today's mini-crossword.

AROUND THE WEB

🗓️ On this day: 1868: The U.S. House of Representatives voted to impeach President Andrew Johnson.

🎥 Video: A TikToker's cozy 'mini house car' has gone viral — take a tour!

🧮 That's cool: Explore a collection of entertaining calculators, including a quantum physicist's guide to boiling the perfect egg.

🧠 Game: Test your skills with this number sequence puzzle.

🐾 Aww: Check out these adorable photos of a cutie dressed up in various costumes.

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

How did you like today's email?

Today's email was brought to you by Sara "Long-Lost Opera" Schabas and Michael "Broken Trombone" Vincent.

CONTACT US