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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

  • Cast for Broadway Musical 'Doctor Zhivago' Announced: West-End London's Tam Mutu to Play Lead

    The long-awaited musical "Doctor Zhivago" has finally announced the cast for its up-and-coming broadway debut. Tam Mutu, a newcomer to the U.S. Broadway stage, will play the title role of Yurii Zhivago in this newest adaptation.Mutu, known as a West End of London stage actor, has been in Love Never Dies and the upcoming revival of Donmar Warehouse’s "City of Angels." He also had a recent role as Javert in "Les Miserables.""Doctor Zhivago" is based on the 1957 famous, epic, historical romance novel by Boris Pasternak and focuses on romance and upheaval in Russia during World War I. It tells the story of a political idealist who must choose between his devoted wife and mysterious lover. The famous novel was made into a film in 1965 and the original stage adaptation appeared at the La Jolla Playhouse in San Diego, California, in 2006. After its closing, it was reworked and ran at the Lyric Theater in Sydney, Australia, until 2011.
    By Jaime Prisco