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Opera Singer Renee Fleming Meets Kiss at Macy's Thanksgiving Day Parade, Band Says They Were Screwed Over By Execs

Famous opera singer and soprano Renee Fleming cozied up to all four original Kiss members at the 2014 Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade.Though the two have vastly different musical styles, Kiss vocalist Paul Stanley called Fleming “a star” after a chance meeting during an interview. He then let her cuddle inside his trademark cape, making for a very bizarre combination of musicians.This strange and hilarious meeting happened before the newest Kiss drama in which Stanley says the band was “screwed over and misled” by the executives of the Macy’s Thanksgiving Day Parade on his Twitter account.Though Stanley did not delve any deeper in his Twitter rant, it is believed his anger was because the band was not put on camera until just before the first chorus of the famed song “Rock and Roll All Nite” and focused on popular bassist Gene Simmons during Tommy Thayer’s guitar solo.
By Jaime Prisco

  • Dallas Symphony Orchestra Musicians Slam Conductor Jaap van Zweden for 'Tactics of Fear,' Ken Krause Weighs In

    The Dallas Symphony Orchestra has had some internal beef with conductor Jaap van Zweden. While Zweden and audiences around the globe have heralded the orchestra's meteoric rise from 2008, the musicians are playing hardball with their maestro.In the seventh season of the DSO, Zweden has been criticized for his abrasive style. His seeming lack of tact and empathy, accordingly, has put him at odds with his 93-member ensemble.The Dutch conductor, who has yielded international praise for his ability to rebuild the DSO from its initial status as a third-rate company, is not the friendliest guy in the pit, certainly, but is he really all that bad?Ken Krause, president of the Dallas-Fort Worth Professional Musicians Association, claims that the rift has been ongoing for the "last several months."
    By Ian Holubiak

  • 7-Year-Old Violinist Wants to Play for Peace and Stop Violence in Ferguson

    Leah Flynn, a 7-year-old violinist from Sanford, Florida, is hoping to play her violin for peace in the torn town of Ferguson, Missouri.Flynn, who is only in second-grade, has been playing the violin since she was 5 and practices daily with her father. She has performed as a soloist at many different concerts and venues.After viewing the violence and protest happening in Ferguson shortly after the shooting and death of 18-year-old Michael Brown by Police Officer Darren Wilson, the talented child felt that she wanted to do something to help the suffering town.“She said to me, ‘Mom, what’s going on?’ And I explained to her, because I have to — I told her what’s going,” her mother Paula Flynn told WOFL. “She said, ‘But it's not right these people look so sad; maybe I could do something for them.”
    By Jaime Prisco