As medici.tv’s Chief Content Officer I spend a lot of time thinking about classical music—and a lot of time on the internet. Here’s my selection of the top five news items you need to see this week if you want to stay in the know.
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Chalamet controversy ends up boosting opera ticket sales (Marketplace)
Timothée Chalamet’s now-infamous comment that “no one cares about” ballet and opera anymore sparked backlash earlier this month—and as it turns out, a boost in ticket sales, too. Institutions around the world capitalized on the moment with custom messaging and promos, which seemed to draw a new crowd to the genre. For example, the Seattle Opera observed +61% in ticket sales thanks to a special promo code TIMOTHEE, and the Hawai’i Opera Theatre saw a similar uptick in sales, including over 30 “new-to-file” first-timers.
How to score the Academy Awards (LA Times)
Composer Chris Walden is one of the unsung heroes of the annual Oscars broadcast: he plays a large role in managing the ceremony’s emotional pacing and making sure the show and its hundreds of transitions flow smoothly. Walden has scored the Academy Awards seven times since 2008 and has been working on the 2026 edition since January. The Oscars are the last awards ceremony to have a live orchestra, who perform nearly 120 pieces of music throughout the evening, including the Best Original Score medley, which Walden says has become increasingly difficult to craft: “It’s hard to find a melody I can hold on to… maybe they feel it’s distracting. They just want something that sets the mood, plays an atmosphere.”
How to check 1,865 coats in just 15 minutes (NYT)
The coat-check at the Deutsche Oper Berlin is a fine-tuned machine. Thanks to German fire safety regulations, which forbid outerwear and bulky items in the theater seats, virtually all of the opera house’s nearly 2,000 guests visit the coat check in two busy bursts before and after each performance. The NYT spoke to the team that handles each and every item about the tricks of the trade, the things that drive them nuts, and how they feel about dressing up for a night at the opera…
Why has progress been so slow to get more women on the podium? (Classical-Music.com)
For BBC Music, journalist Jessica Duchen revisited a topic she first explored in 2012: why women remain underrepresented on the orchestral podium, and discovered that unfortunately, progress has been very slow (the article includes the sobering fact that “women are more likely to lead a G7 nation than a major American orchestra…“). Female conductors now account for a larger share of the profession than in the past but the field remains heavily male-dominated, despite new mentorship programs and training initiatives. Duchen spoke to pioneering conductors like Marin Alsop and Mei-Ann Chen and Alice Farnham to understand what barriers still remain.
Marin Alsop is of course a regular on medici.tv — witness her in action in this wonderful performance of Britten’s The Young Person’s Guide to the Orchestra.
Ronnie Scott’s and the new crop of informal classical music venues (Gramophone)
Similar to last week’s take in The Guardian on unconventional concert formats, Gramophone explored how classical musicians are increasingly bringing the genre into clubs, bars and other informal venues. Spaces such as Ronnie Scott’s Jazz Club have been at the forefront of the movement and are now hosting regular classical events, offering audiences a more intimate experience with the potential for “cross-pollination.” The trend reflects broader efforts across the industry to refresh the classical concert format, reduce barriers to entry and reconnect with audiences through smaller, more social performance environments.
