December 16, 2024

🎶 Think you’ve got patience? Try sitting through an hour’s silence in a concert hall while the famed conductor Gergiev takes an extended “comfort break.” Let’s just say it gave a whole new meaning to the term “intermission.”

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The big idea: Classical music predictions 2025: the weird just gets weirder
Talking points:
— Chicago Symphony Orchestra receives $50 Million gift
— Star opera singer speaks publicly about struggling with Dyslexia
Around the web + Laugh of the week

CLASSICAL CHARTZ

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THE BIG IDEA

Classical Music Predictions 2025: The Weird Just Gets Weirder

Last year, we predicted 2024 would be about AI disruption, hybrid concerts, and the streaming wars. We got some things right (hello, AI copyright battles) and some things wrong (hybrid concerts are basically dead). Here's what we see coming in 2025:

VR Finally Has Its Classical Moment

Remember when we thought livestreaming would save classical music? In 2025, VR is the new hope. As devices get cheaper and more comfortable, orchestras are betting big on virtual concert halls. Expect front-row seats to the Berlin Philharmonic in your living room, and masterclasses where students can literally stand next to their heroes. The tech is finally ready — but are audiences?

AI Gets Rules (Whether It Likes It or Not)

Last year's AI free-for-all is ending. After the Great Classical Copyright Crisis of 2024 (who knew AI could generate a convincing "lost" Mahler symphony?)platforms are implementing strict AI tagging systems - think content labeling requirements and clear attribution rules. Meanwhile, AI is finding its groove in less controversial territory: reconstructing genuinely incomplete works, powering smart practice tools, and making scores more accessible. The real question for 2025: will these new boundaries stick, or are we in for another year of AI whack-a-mole?

The Great Price Correction

We predicted ticket prices would keep climbing in 2024. We were wrong - they're about to drop. With attendance still shaky post-pandemic, organizations are finally getting creative. Watch for:

Dynamic pricing that actually makes sense
More pay-what-you-can events
Free concerts in unexpected places

Gen Z Takes the Conductor's Podium

Last year's prediction about younger audiences was too timid. Gen Z isn't just attending classical music — they're reinventing it. TikTok classical stars are selling out venues, traditional orchestras are collaborating with electronic artists, and that warehouse-turned-concert-hall trend? It's going mainstream.

The Rise of the Mid-Size Music City

Here's a twist nobody saw coming: as major cultural capitals become unaffordable, places like Cincinnati and Kansas City are becoming classical music hotspots. Cheaper rent means more experimental programming, and local governments are happy to help. Watch for at least one mid-size city to launch a major new music festival in 2025.

The Return of the Real

After years of perfectly edited recordings, the pendulum is swinging back. Audiences are craving authenticity - live recordings, complete with ambient noise and the occasional cough.

Local Goes Global (But Keeps It Small)

Remember those candlelight concerts everyone posted about? They're about to be everywhere, with successful formats being franchised globally. But here's the twist: while the reach is international, the vibe stays intimate. It's classical music's answer to the "think global, act local" movement.

Wild Card Prediction

Someone will launch a classical music-only streaming service that actually pays artists fairly. It won't kill Spotify, but it might just create a sustainable model for classical recording.

Looking back at 2024's predictions, we underestimated how quickly some changes would come (AI regulation) and overestimated others (hybrid concerts). One thing's clear: classical music is evolving faster than ever, and 2025 looks anything but boring.

What did we miss? What do you think classical music will look like in 2025? Let us know in the comments. — MV

TOUR DE HEADLINES

🎻 A cello seat standoff: Acclaimed British siblings Sheku and Isata Kanneh-Mason cancelled their Toronto concert after the airline refused to let Sheku’s cello occupy its own seat. The sibling duo found themselves grounded by an archaic travel policy. The move spotlights ongoing challenges classical musicians face when touring with fragile instruments. Read more

🙋 Why do audiences rise for Handel’s “Hallelujah” Chorus?: The centuries-old tradition is steeped in legend, with some pointing to an 18th-century monarch’s spontaneous reverence. Whether it’s historical fact or poetic myth, the ritual endures, uniting audiences in a shared moment of awe and communal celebration. Read more

👴 Eighty-eight and still hitting the keys: An 88-year-old man has passed Grade 8 piano with distinction — a triumphant finale nearly seven decades after he earned his Grade 7. Proving it’s never too late to refine your craft, his success story resonates with anyone who’s ever doubted their musical mettle. Read more

💶 A cultural cutback in Berlin: In a move that’s got the arts community tuning up its discontent, Berlin plans to slash €130m from its culture budget. This orchestral-scale trimming raises questions over Europe’s long-touted cultural priorities and whether the city’s vibrant creative scene can hold onto its global resonance. Read more

MORE NEWS TO KNOW

Nigel Kennedy, the genre-defying violinist, says he experienced partial deafness after a COVID-19 vaccine, prompting conversations about medical transparency for touring artists. Read more

OperaWire’s “Best of 2024” highlights the year’s most unforgettable performances, a global showcase of operatic talent at a time when audience engagement is top of mind. Read more

Celebs are dishing on their all-time favourite Christmas carols — and you can’t help but sing along. Like the holidays themselves, these tunes are timeless. Read more

TALKING POINTS

Chicago Symphony Orchestra (Courtesy photo)

Chicago Symphony Orchestra Receives $50 Million Gift

This week, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association announced receipt of a $50 million gift from the Zell Family Foundation. The Zells’ gift is one of nearly 200 donations made to the symphony’s SEMPRE ALWAYS capital campaign.

What’s the buzz: On Tuesday, December 10th, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra Association (CSOA) announced that the Zell Family Foundation had gifted the association 50 million dollars. The Zell family’s gift is one of 200 made to the symphony’s SEMPRE ALWAYS campaign, which has now raised $215 million for the CSOA. The campaign supports the CSOA’s strategic goals, which include debt reduction, increasing the organization’s endowment, funding musician and staff benefits, touring projects, as well as various digital and artistic initiatives.

Behind the scenes: Helen Zell, chairman of the Zell Family Foundation, is an avid member of the CSOA community. She chaired the search committee that in April named Kraus Mäkelä as the CSO’s 11th music director. Zell also served as the CSOA board’s first female chair, holding the position for two consecutive terms.

The Zell Family Foundation was established by Helen Zell’s husband, Sam Zell—a billionaire entrepreneur, real estate magnate, philanthropist, and former owner of the Chicago Tribune—who died in 2023. Based in Chicago, the Zell Family Foundation funds causes including the arts, education, cancer research, recreation, human service, youth development, and Jewish causes. — SS

Yunchan Lim (Courtesy photo)

Star Opera Singer Speaks Publicly About Struggling with Dyslexia

Elsa van den Heever, currently starring at the Metropolitan Opera, spoke publicly to the New York Times about her experiences with dyslexia. She credits her condition with her proclivity to thoroughly learn challenging scores.

What we’re following: On December 11th, the New York Times published an interview with the South African soprano Elsa van den Heever. Van den Heever is currently starring in the Metropolitan Opera’s production of Richard Strauss’ Die Frau ohne Schatten. In the interview, van den Heever discussed her experiences with dyslexia, which she credits with making her learn scores in out-of-the-box, fastidious ways. Van den Heever also admitted that her condition has led to feelings of imposter syndrome within her profession, due to her struggles with sight-reading and making sense of complex scores.

Some context: Elsa van den Heever is not the first singer to struggle with learning music. The tenor Pavarotti admittedly never learned to read music, and many famous pop singers have spoken publicly about their experiences with dyslexia. But van den Heever may be the first dyslexic singer to tackle Die Frau ohne Schatten, one of opera’s most daunting works.

Van den Heever expressed that she doesn’t view her condition as a handicap. Rather, her collaborators praise van den Heever’s commitment to learning the nuance and shading of every note and phrase in the operas she takes on, regardless of their complexity. Sounds like her Frau is not to be missed. — SS

GAMES

Dig in to today's mini-crossword .

AROUND THE WEB

🍵 On this day: In 1773, the Boston Tea Party took place, as American colonists protested British taxation by dumping tea into Boston Harbor.

🚀 Video: Curious how NASA plans to land humans on the Moon again? Check out this Artemis program explainer.

📸 That’s cool: Explore the evolution of vintage cameras from the late 19th century to modern times.

👾 Game: Test your classic arcade skills with this Space Invaders clone—how high can you score?

🐱 Aww: Someone brought their well-behaved cat to IKEA, and the photos are absolutely heart-melting!

LAUGH OF THE WEEK

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Today's email was brought to you by Sara "Cello Seat Standoff" Schabas and Michael "Wild Card Prediction" Vincent.

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