Perhaps not quite a sweatshop. But years ago, legions of unemployed and underemployed Eastern European musicians enabled one record label to churn out CDs by the dozen, selling them at low prices while still enjoying a good return. That label has since grown to a major player in the classical music world.

Now Hollywood filmmakers and London video game producers are finding that having their soundtracks recorded offshore can save them big money. One company obliges them with Czech musicians, who are often paid one-seventh to one-fifth what their US and UK counterparts make.

More from the Christian Science Monitor.

That’s right. In the latest marriage of music and technology, Asimo, Honda’s humanoid robot, made its conducting debut in Detroit Tuesday. The little white 4-foot-3, 119 pound robot-that-could marched onto stage, gave the crowd a wave, then proceeded to lead the Detroit Symphony Orchestra in “The Impossible Dream.”

“I’m worried that they’ll teach it to multitask,” said cellist Yo-Yo Ma at the rehearsal earlier Tuesday.

Honda corporate affairs manager David Iida came up with the idea to teach Asimo to conduct as a way to put an exclamation point on the company’s DSO partnership. Honda also is sponsoring a master class for students led by Ma.

Read the rest of the Detroit Free Press article here…

…and check out the video below!

WKSU will broadcast selections from the Canton Symphony’s May program, Classical Feast, on Sunday, the 18th of May, during the program In Performance. Included are the overture to Handel’s oratorio Alexander’s Feast, and Bach’s Coffee Cantata.

(more…)