The international competition offers a $10,000 prize and a chance for the winner to have her work given its premiere as a part of the DSO’s classical subscription series.

It’s open to all women composers of any age or nationality, but entrants have to send in a resume, a completed application form, sample scores of up to three completed works (including one scored for full orchestra), and “supporting audio and/or video representation of at least one, preferably symphonic, work.”

The deadline is July 31, 2008. For more information, see www.detroitsymphony.com.

“Whenever I read about another newspaper shedding another critic, I shudder – with sympathy, with anger, with disquiet. But it would be an error to attribute this dispiriting attrition to a philistine attack on the arts, or to focus too much on its meaning for cultural pursuits. The de-criticization of American journalism is a symptom of a much deeper tragedy in civic life: the lunatic suicide of the press.”

The business is changing, he points out, and newspapers are trying to cut their way to solvency. Unfortunately, eliminating copy doesn’t give anyone a reason to subscribe — “And it’s not as if the shortfall in journalism is being offset by anything else. An army of amateur bloggers can’t send reporters to war zones or spend months sifting through obscure records in search of government abuse. There are some forms of journalism that only professional journalists, backed by the resources of major news organizations can tackle.”

Meanwhile, nonpaying readership is increasing online, so it’s not that people aren’t interested. What to do?

Well, if the arts world wants legitimate criticism — and it should — it may have to find a way to fund it. “Museums, orchestras and performing organizations in each community could come together to set up an independent, hyper-local, online-only arts bulletin staffed by a formerly ink-stained wretch. The consortium could provide seed money, mailing lists, advertising and – most important – a guarantee of editorial independence.”

It might work. It’s worth trying. Kansas City, Miami, and Seattle are three communities that might want to consider the experiment.

Things are still falling into place, but this much is set: Mayor Francis Slay will read the proclamation over the air on KFUO (99.1 FM), with Brewer, during morning drive time. She’ll sing “God Bless America” during the Cardinals day game at Busch Stadium. And that evening she’ll (in the words of a publicist) “do an In-Store” at 7 p.m. at the Barnes & Noble at 1600 Clarkson Road in Chesterfield.

Stay tuned for more details!

A new scientific study finds that Strads are made of unusually even-grained wood, from trees that grew during Europe’s mini-Ice Age in the early 17th century. The full story is here:
http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/science/nature/7484975.stm

(Singers hitting the gym is a very good thing, but can we try to remember that voice comes first?)

http://benrosen.com/files/4b6a14a397973bb2a90d63a73a0dc7f4-31.html

It’s a brilliant, beautiful movie, from the opening shots of WALL*E’s towers of compacted trash and the long near-silent scenes of his daily life to his courtship of EVE (I love strong female characters…) and his tending of her when she shuts down. Their ballet-in-a-vacuum is terrific, and so are the concluding scenes.

The re-evolution of the human characters is amusing, and the soundtrack is exceptionally well done. I didn’t care for Fred Willard — a walking smirk as an actor — or the political humor, which will get dated quickly. But that’s no biggie. This is a great movie, with a heart, a soul, and a brain.

Never mind the animation ghetto; WALL*E deserves an Oscar nomination for best film.

This suggests that the bean-counters in Sacramento don’t know much about culture, or appreciate that arts coverage is local news — and that local news sells papers. There’s a lot you can pick up from the wires; reviews of your local symphony orchestra are not on that list.

Lyric Opera of Kansas City has organized a campaign to get Horsley reinstated. It worked in Atlanta, where Pierre Ruhe was scheduled to be re-assigned; maybe it will work in KC. But it’s odd that McClatchy would dump the music and dance critic in a city that’s building a brand-new state-of-the-art performing arts center for its orchestra and opera company.

Meanwhile, the Washington Post has shown a considerably better sense of its readership. Although the Post had a buyout recently — and longtime critic Tim Page took it (he’s now a professor in Southern California) — they’ve replaced him.

The new critic is Anne Midgette, a former regular stringer for The New York Times. She held the job on an interim basis for several months, and she’s a solid choice for the job.

May more newspapers make that kind of commitment to their communities and to the arts.

Here’s Bronstein’s internal email about the appointment:

It is with great pleasure that I announce the appointment of Adam Crane as Director of Communications for the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra. Adam comes to us from the Los Angeles Philharmonic where he has been Director of Public Relations and Communications since January 2005. During his tenure, he has overseen PR for more than 300 concerts both at the LA Phil and Hollywood Bowl. In addition, he oversaw the highly successful announcement and roll-out of music director-designate, Gustavo Dudamel. Throughout his tenure, Adam has expanded and enhanced the visibility of the LA Phil. Prior to his position at the LA Phil, Adam was US Label Director (Classical and Jazz) at the Warner Music Group and before that, worked with the Deutsche Grammophon/Decca/Philips labels of Universal Classics Group. Adam holds a BA in Music Business from New York University.

Adam is a native of Saint Louis and a diehard Cardinals fan. Adam will begin his new position August 4, 2008. I know you will all join me in welcoming Adam enthusiastically to the Saint Louis Symphony Orchestra.

Lucretia is a problematic opera (although it contains some incredibly beautiful music), but it would have been worth the trip up to historic Central City and its gem of an opera house in any case. (And it was fun to open the program and see that St. Louis native Phyllis Pancella was singing the title role. She did a fine job.)

Nixon was given in the production that originated at Opera Theatre of Saint Louis, with an almost identical cast — in particular Robert Orth in the title role, Maria Kanyova as Pat Nixon and Tracy Dahl as Madame Mao — and Marin Alsop in the pit.

It proved difficult for most members of the Music Critics Association of North America to spend a lot of time at other groups’ sessions — or at the general sessions, for that matter — because of both our hotel’s distance from the Colorado Convention Center and because our own sessions overlapped. (I’m also on the board of MCANA, which involved other meetings.)

One unavoidable conclusion emerged from its dominance in every session in which critics took part: Blogging is our collective obsession right now. Even when we were supposed to be talking about something else, the conversation always made its way back to blogging.

2007 Houston Symphony Ima Hogg Young Artist Competition Winners

LASZLO MEZO-ARRUDA, CELLO
First Prize: $5,000 Grace Woodson Memorial Award

Laszlo Mezo-Arruda will perform the Lalo Cello Concerto in D minor at the Dollar Concert on July 6.

CHLOE TREVOR, VIOLIN
Second Prize: $2,500 Houston Symphony League Jerry Priest Award

Chloe Trevor will perform the Tchaikovsky Violin Concerto in D major at Miller Outdoor Theatre on June 28.

YOONJUNG HAN, PIANO
Third Prize: $1,000
Selma Neumann Memorial Award

JEEWON LEE, PIANO
Fourth Prize: $500
Jean Whitbread Kucera Award

JEEWON LEE, PIANO
Herman Shoss Audience Choice Award: $250