In today’s (December 21) Globe and Mail (Canada) David Ebner follows up on last week’s story concerning the Vancouver Symphony Orchestra: “Vancouver’s Olympic organizers issued an apology to the city’s symphony orchestra after controversy broke out over the music for the opening ceremonies of the Winter Games in February. John Furlong, chief executive officer of organizer VANOC, called Vancouver Symphony Orchestra conductor Bramwell Tovey to personally apologize and VANOC issued a news release late Saturday night that publicly apologized to the orchestra for putting it in an ‘untenable’ position. The Vancouver Symphony Orchestra had been asked to record music for the opening ceremonies, but VANOC didn’t invite the VSO to participate in the actual Feb. 12 show, instead planning to use a stand-in conductor and musicians to mime the performance. It all raised the ugly specter of Beijing’s opening ceremonies in 2008, where a cute young girl lip-synched the recorded singing of a less pretty girl. … VANOC noted the VSO’s other ‘prominent’ Olympic contributions: the orchestra has recorded the national anthems of the 98 countries set to attend the Games and is participating in the Cultural Olympiad. Mr. Tovey wished ‘every success’ to VANOC.”
Posted December 21, 2009
Photo of Bramwell Tovey by Tyler Boye
