Classical musicians are often reluctant to program contemporary classical music because audiences tend to think that “contemporary” is a synonym for “difficult.”

But that’s generally not the case, say faculty members at the South Shore Conservatory of Music, who have put together a series of contemporary music concerts this month, including Sunday afternoon’s chamber music program at the regional music school’s home in Hingham.

While modern music can be “can be perceived as difficult” – harder on the ears, that is, than the well-loved Romantic music of the 19th century and the classical harmonies of earlier periods – “this music has huge merit,” said singer Beth MacLeod, the school’s director of performance.

Compositions such as the operas of Gino Carlo Menotti and songs by Richard Hundley, she said, are real gems that are easy to listen to.

Read more: http://www.boston.com/news/local/articles/2008/11/06/concerts_to_showcase_contemporary_classical/

Boston Symphony Orchestra music director James Levine (who has been in and out of Massachusetts this year like a celebrity chef checking on his kitchen) is back for one more weekend at Tanglewood: two BSO concerts, an opera with Tanglewood music center students, and Tuesday’s all-day “Tanglewood on Parade” funfair. Last summer, Levine’s programming (much of which he had to miss, due to surgery) was not exactly standard summer fare—a repeat of last spring’s concert performances of Berlioz’s “Les Troyens,” the all-Elliott-Carter Festival of Contemporary Music—but this year, Levine has only lightly tweaked the usual picnic-on-the-lawn material. Here was the program for Friday night’s concert:

Berlioz: Roman Carnival Overture
Berlioz: Harold in Italy
Mussorgsky: Prelude to “Khovanshchina”
Mussorgsky/Ravel: Pictures at an Exhibition

Nothing much out of the ordinary there. But it was a concert that, in multiple ways, demonstrated just how Levine has put his stamp on the orchestra after five seasons at the helm.

Read more: http://thefastertimes.com/classicalmusic/2009/07/25/at-tanglewood-pilgrims-progress/

GORE PLACE, 52 Gore St., Waltham. Meet a hawk, falcon, owl and bald eagle when Tom Ricardi brings his Birds of Prey show to the historic estate for performances at 11 a.m., 12:30 and 2 p.m. Tickets are $5. Call 781-894-2798 or visit goreplace.org.

TANGLEWOOD MUSIC CENTER in Lenox. James Levine leads the Boston Symphony Orchestra in a program of music by Stravinsky and Brahms at 2:30 p.m. The guest violinist is Christian Tetzaff. Tickets are $18-$89. A concert of violin and piano sonatas by Beethoven follows at 8 p.m. Tickets are $17-$51. Visit bso.org.

Read more: http://www.metrowestdailynews.com/arts/x735580516/Arts-Calendar-Sunday-July-5-to-Saturday-July-11

Think of it as a gift of more than 200 free tickets.

The outdoor concert season is well in swing, with area communities set to fill the summer air with music on almost any given day.

Judas Priest are teaming up with fellow 80′s rockers Whitesnake for a summer tour. The two will hit the Comcast Center in Mansfield on Tuesday, July 7. Tickets range in price from $20 to $45 and go on sale Saturday at 10 a.m. through Live Nation.

At the shows, Judas Priest will be celebrating the 30th Anniversary of their classic album British Steel, by performing the album in its entirety for the very first time ever live on stage. Fans can still expect other old favorites and material from their most recent release, 2008 Nostradamus, which became their highest-ever charting album in the U.S.

Read more: http://bostonmusicspotlight.com/pages/bms/Article.aspx?ArticleId=8F1EFA67-3713-4F47-B3CD-043E7E2AC73B

Ten months after a City Council committee tabled a controversial law that opponents say would hamper and possibly eliminate many of Chicago’s independent concert promoters, a revised draft has been circulated to aldermen and made public by a local advocacy group, which charges that little has been done to address its fundamental problems.

The Chicago Music Commission “believes the ordinance as drafted is not necessary to achieve the city’s stated goals of seeing a more transparent and accountable promoter industry in Chicago,” according to a statement posted on the group’s Web site, along with a version of the revised law dated Jan. 6 but not yet made public by the city.

“If the ordinance becomes law, it will create unworkable burdens for many small and young music promoters in Chicago, pressuring a key component of the vibrant Chicago music community instead of supporting and fostering its growth,” the CMC statement added.

Read more: http://www.suntimes.com/entertainment/music/chicagomusic/1458487,chicago-city-council-promoters-ordinance-030309.article

The Live Nation Ticketmaster merger was brought before the Subcommittee on Antitrust, Competition Policy and Consumer Rights yesterday, with the Chicago music scene at the epicenter of testimony both for and against the merger. According to the Chicago Sun-Times, the Windy City was used as an example of how the merger wouldn’t violate antitrust laws, with Live Nation chief executive Michael Rapino citing that his company only put on 16 percent of the concerts in Chicago, compared to the 29 percent staged by Chicago-based concert company Jam Productions.

However, Jam’s Jerry Mickelson, testifying against the merger, told the subcommittee that while Live Nation promotes fewer concerts in Chicago in Jam, Live Nation owns the arenas and amphitheatres. “U2 doesn’t call us. Shakira doesn’t call us. Coldplay doesn’t call us,” Mickelson told the committee, “They dominate the arena level. They control and have all of the outdoor amphitheaters… and with House of Blues, they are taking over the lower-level theater business as well.” Mickelson also added that the potential merger was “vertical integration on steroids” and “the poster child for why the country has and needs antitrust laws,” and told the subcommittee that Live Nation controlled 161 of the top 200 tours in 2001.

Read more:  http://www.rollingstone.com/rockdaily/index.php/2009/02/25/live-nation-ticketmaster-merger-hearing-becomes-battle-over-chicago-music-scene/

The 35th overseas tour of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra included performances in Beijing and Shanghai. It’s the first ever appearance of the prestigious US orchestra on the Chinese Mainland, since its foundation in 1891. Led by Maestro Bernard Haitink, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra left the audience breathless at Beijing’s National Center for the Performing Arts.

Better late than never.

For most Chinese music lovers, the Friday night concert was something they had only ever heard before in recordings — Mahler’s Symphony Number 6 with no intermission.

The searing interpretation was one of the calling cards of the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and its Principal Conductor Bernard Haitink. Their widely anticipated debut in China’s capital city measured up to Chinese music-lovers’ expectations.

The tour was also part of the season-long celebration Bernard Haitink’s 80th birthday. His career that has spanned more than five decades, and Dutch-born Haitink has led many of the world’s major orchestras. He assumed the position of Principal Conductor with Chicago Symphony Orchestra in 2006.

Read more: http://www.cctv.com/program/cultureexpress/20090215/102247.shtml