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František Wojciechowicz Kučera is one of the most conspicuous representatives of the Czech music community in Kharkiv in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. He played an important role in the professionalization of music education and the formation of chamber-instrumental and orchestral culture of Eastern Ukraine. As a teacher at Kharkiv Music College and a multi-instrumentalist, he confidently presented the bassoon at the city's concert venues. At the same time, his performances as a violist in the string quartet contributed to the intensification of musical and educational activities of the local branch of the then Russian Music Society. The most significant achievement of Franz Kučera in the development of Kharkiv's musical culture was the founding of a summer symphony orchestra in 1898, which for twelve years performed free public concerts for the townspeople. Until recently, the name of F. Kučera remained obscure, and only the perusal of old prints and Kharkiv periodicals of the late 19th to early 20th centuries made it possible to rediscover the lesser-known pages of this Czech artist's creative career within Ukraine. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the field of classical music, it is essential to raise awareness on gender equality; in fact, inequalities are notorious: from the choice of the instrument to learn or the professionalization of female musicians to the makeup of instrument-playing personnel and orchestral leadership. This paper examines the presence of women, as musicians and chief conductors, in some Spanish professional orchestras. To that end, we analyzed the workforce of 26 orchestras from 13 autonomous regions and compared the distribution of musicians according to their genre. Quantitative data reveal male dominance in general and in some sections and roles in particular. Although there has been some progress in terms of female presence the authorities, on which all these orchestras depend, must keep implementing different policies to promote equality. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

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The finances of performing arts organizations are sensitive to economic recessions. We use data from the "Great Recession" to provide a window into the problems that symphony orchestras will need to circumvent during and following the COVID-19 recession. We estimate that for every 1 percent increase in unemployment, attendance will decrease by 2.4 percent. With audiences who will be slow to return to concert halls, orchestras should expect years of diminished numbers of ticket buyers. Symphony orchestras will need to practice cost-cutting measures, while reinventing themselves through innovative programmes, including increased streaming platforms, in order to prosper post-COVID. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this article, the representation of male and female musicians is compared between three major genres of music performance and across three geographical regions: the United Kingdom, Europe, and the United States. Relevant data of artists from 40 world-class orchestras, 40 competition brass bands, and 40 top-selling recorded popular music groups were obtained from the websites of the respective organizations and from other authenticated sources. Information collected included the instruments played by each artist, the artist's status in the ensemble (e.g., principal/section leader/rank and file player). The membership of each instrumental section was then analyzed for balance of sex representation. Overall, across all three genres, male musicians considerably outnumbered females, but this imbalance was moderated by genre and regional differences. The lowest level of imbalance of sexes was observed in orchestras, with males occupying 60% of orchestral chairs compared with females 40%, but principal chairs/section leaders were found to be predominantly male. In brass bands, males predominated by a ratio of 76% males to 24% females, and section leader chairs were almost invariably occupied by males. In the genre of popular music, male performers massively outnumbered females by 85%–15% in every aspect of performers and group leader roles by 90% to 10%. Possible causes of these imbalances are explored for each genre. In all three genres representation of males and females was found to be closely related to the instruments played, for example, many more females than males were harpists, and many more males were trombonists and tuba players than were females. Reasons for these differences are explored with particular reference to differential patterns of education and musical training and to underlying historical and sociological issues. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current coronavirus situation both gives an opportunity to the organizations and forces them to change and rethink fundamentally their business models. The pandemic causes an extremely difficult situation for symphony orchestras, as they have to cancel their performances and redefine how to reach their audience. Either they follow a Red Ocean Strategy and lose significant revenue or develop a Blue Ocean Strategy and prosper. The Blue Ocean Strategy involves a value innovation that can be achieved by four actions (eliminate, reduce, raise, create) and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization. After briefly reviewing the concept of business model innovation, the article gives an overview of some novel aspirations, attempts and projects selected from international and Hungarian symphonic orchestral life to provide excellent examples of how the value proposition can be redefined and how the expectations of the 21st-century audience can be met.

Copyright of Dirasat Tarbawiya is the property of Republic of Iraq Ministry of Higher Education & Scientific Research (MOHESR) and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Although symphony orchestras have been faced with challenging business decisions for decades, the musicians who perform the music endure numerous tribulations as well. We consider the careers of the musicians who comprise the symphony orchestra and discuss ways to improve their choices. Given the improbability of obtaining a position in a symphony orchestra, we discuss options that will allow young musicians to earn a living in music, such as “arts entrepreneurship” programs. In addition, we consider the impact of COVID-19 on musicians. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this work, five professional symphony orchestras have been analysed for several parameters in order to assess negative environmental impacts related to their activity. The parameter with the greatest impact was the concert tour (40%) because of CO2 emissions, followed by the energy consumption in the printing of music sheets (30%), noise pollution (20%) and, finally, light efficiency (10%). The weighting of the results on a dimensionless scale (0–100), together with the elaboration of quality sub-indices allowed the elaboration of a Total Quality Index and a Classification Guide for analysing and comparing any symphony orchestra. The highest relative quality values (80–100) were related to the symphony orchestras that travel by private car, use the eBook as a support for their music sheets and rehearse in acoustically isolated rooms, illuminated with LED. Therefore, the basis for further studies related to the assessment of environmental sustainability in other less common areas can be carried out using the method applied to orchestras. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Symphony orchestras are finding it increasingly difficult to fill the seats in their halls. We use multiple regression to examine how characteristics of attendees, such as income, education, and age, affect subscription and single-tickets sales. Using recent data, we find that subscription ticket buyers are more sensitive to prices than single-ticket buyers, although demand for all ticket categories is inelastic. A population with higher incomes is more likely to purchase tickets, although the percentage increase in sales is relatively small. Those with a college education are more likely to attend concerts. In addition, we find that consumers ages 35 to 49 are less likely to attend concerts and those 50 years and above are more likely to attend. We use these results to discuss policies that management can implement to increase ticket sales. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The current coronavirus situation both gives an opportunity to the organizations and forces them to change and rethink fundamentally their business models. The pandemic causes an extremely difficult situation for symphony orchestras, as they have to cancel their performances and redefine how to reach their audience. Either they follow a Red Ocean Strategy and lose significant revenue or develop a Blue Ocean Strategy and prosper. The Blue Ocean Strategy involves a value innovation that can be achieved by four actions (eliminate, reduce, raise, create) and taking advantage of the opportunities offered by digitalization. After briefly reviewing the concept of business model innovation, the article gives an overview of some novel aspirations, attempts and projects selected from international and Hungarian symphonic orchestral life to provide excellent examples of how the value proposition can be redefined and how the expectations of the 21st-century audience can be met. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The text examines Ivan Brkljačić's most recent orchestral work entitled: Love! -- Saxophone Concerto, composed in 2018 as commissioned by the Belgrade Philharmonic. Love! was chosen as a universal theme, but also as the moving force behind the composer's personal and creative life. The composition corresponds to the stylistic expression that is characteristic of Brkljačić. His contemporary musical language is complemented by his own quotes and unequivocal references to popular, primarily rock music, but also to pop, jazz, and other genres that have formed his artistic persona. This work will remain chronicled as the first performed concert for saxophone and symphony orchestra in the history of Serbian music. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Orchestral playing is a common form of ensemble playing within higher music education. However, students sometimes participate in amateur orchestras outside of their formal education. This study focuses on what students learned by participating and what the educational institutions gained. The study is a case study of a music education institution and four amateur orchestras and consisted of eight interviews with conductors and administrators. The study shows that learning in the amateur orchestra is similar to learning in formal education contexts, such as developing knowledge of repertoire, in which both institutions contribute to the student's overall knowledge. Nevertheless, some aspects are better learnt outside of formal education such as educational roles, the creation of a professional identity as a musician and knowledge of different social contexts. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study examines the representation of male and female musicians in world-class symphony orchestras. Personnel of 40 orchestras of three regions, the UK, Europe, and the USA, and distributions of men and women across the four orchestral departments, strings, woodwind, brass, and percussion, are compared. Significant differences in representation between orchestras of the three regions are reported. Practices adopted by orchestras when appointing musicians to vacant positions are reviewed and numbers of males and females appointed to rank-and-file and Section Principals are compared. Career patterns of male and female musicians are also compared. Increases in numbers of women appointed to orchestral posts in the last three decades are compared with increases in the proportion of women in the general workforce. The data of orchestral membership are then compared with the numbers of young people receiving tuition on orchestral instruments retrieved from a large national database (n = 391,000 students). Implications for the future of male and female representation in orchestral personnel are then considered.

The purpose of the article is to analyze and to define the role of the early Haydn‘s sheet music as an essential component of his whole artwork in the social-cultural context during the period of the early-classical orchestra. The methodology of the research is defined by the very own nature of the researched problem. The historical-stylistic and functional methods are applied in this research, which keeps the tradition of the domestic musical theoretical school and the methodology of the research on the orchestra phenomenons going. Such an approach has emerged in the Ukrainian higher music education system, which combines both theoretical and historical approaches to the study of the subject. The specific nature of the topic demands to go beyond Art History to the field of interdisciplinary studies - Philosophy and Cultural Studies. The scientific novelty of the research is defined by its material and the perspective of looking at this issue. This scientific work focuses on the exploration of the Haydn‘s early orchestra style. The early orchestra‘s problematic has been analyzed in this research, and the early orchestra of this outstanding composer is considered as the particular case of the general phenomenon. There is also a comparison of early Haydn‘s orchestral techniques with baroque and mature orchestration in which the phenomenon of the early classical orchestra is presented in the context of the orchestra art‘s evolution. Conclusions. The early orchestra sheet music of Haydn concerned to baroque at the same time also demonstrates the new features – abandonment of the continuo in symphonies, increasing role of woodwinds, ingenuity in the creation of orchestra facture and its individualization which characterizes the composer‘s stylistics as a man ifestation of the new era of classical style. The orchestration of early Haydn‘s is concerned with idioms of gallant early classical style, and it‘s characterized by timber textured ―toposes‖ of its time. Despite the fact that the orchestra at his disposal was pretty modest back in those times, Haydn made the most of the tone palette he had had then to enhance details of the composition in the field of its facture, harmony, and form. The peculiarity of Haydn‘s early orchestra style lies in the appeal to well-known tricks along with freedom in selecting approaches to create new sheet music, and this gives his music an individual sounding famous to all humanity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]