Soundbites
Elgar leaves home
Elgar’s written archives are to be moved from The Firs, his birthplace in Worcestershire, to the British Library in London. The decision to move the documents, which was made by the Elgar Foundation to ensure their long-term future, has been met with disappointment by councillors in the composer’s home county. See Richard Morrison, p23
Max benefit
Maxim Emelyanychev has been named as the new principal conductor of the Scottish Chamber Orchestra. The 29-year-old Russian, who is also principal conductor of Il Pomo d’oro orchestra in Switzerland, will begin his new role in September 2019. He came to the SCO’S attention when he took over a concert at late notice in March, wowing the Edinburgh audience in works by Schubert and Dvorˇák.
Nicely named
The state-of-the-art concert hall at the Royal Birmingham Conservatoire is to be renamed The Bradshaw Hall in honour of Keith Bradshaw, an entrepreneur who has donated £1m to the college. ‘I hope my gift inspires other philanthropists to follow suit and do the same,’ says Dr Bradshaw. The hall is part of the Conservatoire’s new home, which had its official opening earlier this year.
Skirting the issue
The New York Philharmonic is thinking of allowing female players to wear trousers during concerts. Until now, the 176-year-old orchestra has required women to wear fulllength skirts on stage, but a change in dress code has been suggested. Deborah Borda, the Philharmonic’s CEO, says that there ‘has been a really good dialogue’ as the ensemble contemplates this remarkably daring step into the 21st century.