No images? Click here June 12, 2023 We got acquired by ZoomerMedia. More below! Ludwig Van Is Being Acquired by ZoomerMediaWe have some amazing news we’ve been dying to tell you about, and now we can finally blow the whistle: ZoomerMedia Limited has signed an agreement to acquire Ludwig Van. ZoomerMedia? The publicly traded company run by Canadian media Mogul Moses Znaimer?! Yup! That’s the one. You’ll know Moses as the pioneer behind CityTV, MuchMusic, Bravo!, Fashion Television, CP24, the New Classical FM and countless other brands. This is an incredible opportunity to work alongside one of the most innovative minds in media. Okay, so why Ludwig Van? Well, we’ll explain everything soon. But let’s get to the important stuff: What does this mean for you, our beloved readers? You can expect more of what you already love. With ZoomerMedia’s support, we’ll amplify our content and start rolling out new podcasts, videos, and more in-depth original content. And yes, this email will remain free. We’ll have more news on this in the coming weeks. In the meantime, you can read the official press release [HERE]. With that, let’s take a look back at the journey that got us here: TOUR DE HEADLINES (Photo: Jonathan Dagenais) McGill University Sued by Conductor Jonathan Dagenais — Conductor Jonathan Dagenais filed a lawsuit against McGill University's Schulich School of Music, alleging discriminatory behaviour during the selection process for a tenured position. Dagenais is seeking $300,000 in damages, claiming the university had predetermined the outcome, favouring a candidate of diverse background despite his qualifications. | Ludwig van Montreal Yeyeong Jenny Jin Triumphs in Violin Competition — Yeyeong Jenny Jin, a 20-year-old from Korea/United States, has secured the 1st prize at the 2023 Michael Hill International Violin Competition in Auckland, New Zealand. | ViolinChannel Composer Karl Jenkins Sets UK Chart Record — Welsh composer Karl Jenkins has reached over 1,000 weeks in the UK Official Classical Artist Albums Chart with his oratorio 'The Armed Man: A Mass for Peace. | BBC Music Magazine Liverpool's Last Luthier: A Rare Craft — Michael Phoenix, Liverpool's last violin maker, once a computer programmer, transitioned to crafting violins after realizing the intricate skills required. Treating every instrument with the same dedication, Phoenix delights in the joy his work brings to his customers. | Liverpool World Sumption Resigns from ENO Board — Lord Sumption resigned from the English National Opera (ENO) board due to the Arts Council U.K.'s plan to reduce funding and relocate the ENO out of London. Sumption criticized the decision as a "delayed death sentence," fearing that ENO will become a pale imitation of its former self if moved from London. | OperaWire NEWS Photo: Creative Commons Attribution-Share Alike 4.0 International license/Wikipedia Juilliard Fires Composition Chair Amid Sexual Misconduct AllegationsJuilliard, the legendary performing arts school, has just kicked out Robert Beaser from the composition faculty. Why? An independent investigation found he was up to some serious misconduct that adversely affected students' academic work and violated Juilliard's "safe and supportive learning" mantra. Was also found to have "repeatedly misrepresented facts about his actions, in violation of school policy," the report published via the Violin Channel reads. Story timelineBeaser, who was the head of the composition department from 1994 to 2018, was accused of some pretty sketchy behaviour. The allegations took center stage again after VAN, a German classical music magazine, published an article last December that claimed Beaser had a habit of making unwanted sexual advances towards students and even got into sexual relationships with some of them. In response to the article, Juilliard put Beaser on leave and brought in the legal eagles from Potter & Murdock, P.C. to dive into the accusations. The investigation found credible evidence that Beaser had indeed interfered with students' academic work and had an unreported relationship that broke school rules. Beaser, however, is sticking to his guns and denying all allegations. While Beaser was in the hot seat, the investigation also discovered evidence that another former professor and late Pulitzer- and Grammy-winning composer, Christopher Rouse, had made sexual advances and comments toward students. However, they couldn't dig deeper into these allegations because Rouse died in 2019. Juilliard is taking this very seriously… …They're making changes to their policies and will prohibit all romantic or sexual relationships between faculty and students starting this fall. Previously, they only had rules against these kinds of relationships between faculty and undergraduate students. Zoom out: This story represents an uncomfortable truth in the world of classical music education, but it's important to acknowledge and remove those who might abuse their positions. The story resonates with that of Canadian Violinists Lara St. John, who also faced sexual abuse at the hands of her teacher at the Curtis Institute. It's critical that these institutions address these issues to ensure the safety and well-being of students. Juilliard's actions and policy changes are a step in the right direction, but it's clear that the classical music world still needs to fine-tune its approach to handling sexual misconduct. RANKINGS (Photo: University of Cambridge Faculty of Music) Highest Ranked Music Schools in the UKA report from the Complete University Guide has released a comprehensive rankings report of the top Music schools from Universities in the UK. The tally includes a total of 83 schools. The top 10
See the complete list, see [HERE] Is the data sound?The ranking of music schools was compiled using several measures, each contributing to the overall score. These included entry standards, student satisfaction, research quality and intensity, graduate prospects, academic services spending, facilities spending, student-staff ratios, continuation, and international student enrolments. The data was obtained from the National Student Survey, and the 2021 Research Excellence Framework. QUIZ True or false?
Scroll down for the answer… AROUND THE WEB 📅 On this day: Composer György Ligeti dies, 2006. 😮 Unexpected: BBC Newsnight played out with a rendition of its signature tune by four recorders. 👀 Cure boredom: In this game, your task is to persuade the AI to give you the password. It gets harder as you go. ⛔ That’s Interesting: A searchable new site of 300,000+ Canadian government documents previously kept secret but uncovered by freedom of information requests. 🐘 Aww: This little dog wants to stay. TWEET OF THE WEEK Musician problems: The violinist Viktoria Mullova was trying to transfer money, but the bank doesn't seem to understand who Bach is. Reading her reply, it’s evident she has the patience of a saint. We’ve all been there, Vikroria. Deep breaths… namaste. QUIZ ANSWERS A. Statistically, being a musician will decrease your lifespan. TRUE B. The longest marathon played on a piano was 127 hours. TRUE C. Mozart began composing at age 12. FALSE D. Henry Purcell died of exposure after being locked out of his house by his wife in the middle of winter. TRUE E. Robert Schumann's right foot was stolen by grave robbers 7 months after he was buried. It remains missing to this day. FALSE How did you like today's email? |