Palestinian orchestra to hold debut concert in Ramallah

The first Palestinian orchestra of professional classical musicians since 1948 is due to perform its debut concert in Ramallah in the West Bank. The Palestinian National Orchestra will play a mix of Palestinian classical compositions, as well as some classics such as Mozart and Beethoven. They will also hold concerts on 1 January in Haifa and Jerusalem. All of the musicians are of Palestinian origin, and many have played with orchestras around the world. The group is an initiative of the Edward Said Conservatory of Music, named after the late Palestinian writer and academic, and was formed in 1994. The programme also consists of a piece by the modern Hungarian Jewish composer, Gyorgy Ligeti, both of whose parents were sent to Auschwitz
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Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity

Sony Corporation last week announced the launch of Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity, a cloud-based digital music service which will give music lovers access at any time to millions of songs from major labels like Universal Music Group, Sony Music Entertainment and others, along with leading independent labels and major publishers worldwide. The Music Unlimited powered by Qriocity catalogue will initially offer about six million songs, and will continue to expand over time
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Boney M singer Bobby Farrell dies aged 61

Bobby Farrell, front man of the 1970s disco group Boney M, has died at the age of 61, his agent has announced. The singer was found dead in a hotel room in St Petersburg, Russia, where he had been performing, John Seine said. Farrell, he continued, had complained of breathing problems before and after a show on Wednesday. The cause of his death has yet to be established. Farrell, the only male member of the popular four-piece, had been due to fly to Rome for a TV show on Friday. Born Alfonso Farrell in Aruba, the singer left his home on the Caribbean island at 15 to work as a sailor. He then travelled to Norway and Germany to pursue a career as a DJ. In 1974 he was chosen to front Boney M, which was put together by German singer and songwriter Frank Farian
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US soul singer Teena Marie dies at 54

The Grammy-nominated American soul singer Teena Marie has been found dead at her California home at the age of 54, her manager has said. Teena Marie often worked with funk legend Rick James with hits such as Lovergirl and Fire and Desire. Teena Marie, who was born Mary Christine Brockert and also used the moniker Lady T, was a rare white artist on the Motown label when she was signed in the late 1970s. She won four Grammy nominations
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Captain Beefheart Dead At Age 69

Don Van Vliet, who became a rock legend as Captain Beefheart, died today from complications from multiple sclerosis in California. His passing was announced by the New York-based Michael Werner Gallery, which represented his work as a painter
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SXSWORLD By Exact Editions Ltd

SXSWORLD® is your source of information for what's happening in the music, film, and interactive industries. The iPad/iPhone edition brings you the latest issue as soon as it is published, as well as a searchable archive of back issues to November 2009
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‘Keith Richards Killed My Orchid’

"One living thing did not survive Keith Richards' visit to the New York Public Library in late October - an orchid in the office of Cullman Center Deputy Director Marie d'Origny. While Keef was waiting 'backstage' in the center before the talk, he unexpectedly lit up a cigarette in Marie's office, and grabbed the clay saucer underneath the orchid for a makeshift ash tray. He then asked for the window to be open, sending a chill through the office. Between the cold and the smoke, the little orchid never stood a chance. RIP, sweet flower. The good news is Keith felt sort of bad about smoking in the first place and signed the 'ash tray' without anyone asking"
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Doors' Jim Morrison to get pardoned in Florida

The Doors singer Jim Morrison will get a posthumous pardon for an indecent exposure conviction in Florida after Gov. Charlie Crist got a commitment for enough votes from other members of the state's Board of Executive Clemency to approve it. Morrison was appealing the conviction when he was found dead in a Paris bathtub in 1971. The meeting Thursday comes a day after the singer would have turned 67
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John Lennon fans to gather on 30th anniversary of death

Tributes are to be paid to former Beatle John Lennon later to mark the 30th anniversary of his murder. Fans will gather at a memorial garden in Central Park, New York, opposite the apartment block where he was shot dead. A vigil will also be held in Liverpool at a monument dedicated to the singer where fans will light candles and sing his songs
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Limewire music-sharing service to close December 31

LimeWire, one of the world's biggest outlets for people to share music, movies and TV shows free of charge over the Internet, said it would be shutting down by the end of the year and closing its sole office in New York. In October, a U.S. federal judge granted the music industry's request to shut down the popular LimeWire file-sharing service, which had been found liable for copyright infringement
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Famed Bob Dylan lyrics to be auctioned

The original lyrics to Bob Dylan’s "The Times They Are A-Changin'" will soon be a-changin' hands. The plain piece of notebook paper on which Dylan wrote down what became a classic is up for auction. The lyrics on simple and, now yellowed, notebook paper were kept by a friend of Dylan’s who introduced the future icon to the Village folk scene
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Clash album London Calling to spawn rock biopic

The creation of classic album London Calling by punk band The Clash is to form the basis of a new music biopic. Former Clash members Paul Simonon and Mick Jones will executive produce the film, named after the 1979 record. Playwright Jez Butterworth will pen the script, which will tell how producer Guy Stevens worked with the band to create their most celebrated disc. It will be produced by Alison Owen - mother of singer Lily Allen - and Paul Trijbits of Ruby Film and Television
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Gaga among stars quitting Facebook for charity

"Lady Gaga, Justin Timberlake and Usher are among stars signing off social media including Facebook and Twitter in aid of singer Alicia Keys' charity. The campaign, called Digital Life Sacrifice, will raise money on Tuesday - World Aids Day - for Keep a Child Alive, which supports families affected by HIV/Aids in Africa and India. The celebrities have filmed "last tweet and testament" videos. They will sign back online when the charity raises $1 million. Their videos will appear in adverts showing them lying in coffins to represent what the campaign calls their digital deaths"
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Vivaldi sonatas found in archive

Two previously unknown violin sonatas by Antonio Vivaldi have been uncovered after lying hidden in a collection of manuscripts for 270 years. The works, thought to have been written for amateur musicians, were found in a 180-page portfolio after it was donated to the Foundling Museum in London. One of the rediscovered compositions will be performed at Liverpool Hope University on Sunday. It is likely to be its first airing in the modern era, the university said. The anthology of manuscripts was compiled between 1715 and 1725, with Vivaldi's sonatas filed alongside works by Handel, Corelli and Purcell. It was acquired by the late businessman Gerald Coke, whose collection was handed to the Foundling Museum in 2008
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Susan Boyle album tops charts both sides of Atlantic

Singer Susan Boyle has notched up a notable double after her latest album - already number one in the UK - reached the top spot in the US as well. According to her record label, the Scottish star is only the third act to achieve that feat twice within a year. Only the Monkees, in 1967, and the Beatles, in 1969, have simultaneously topped both charts twice in the same 12 months, Columbia Records said
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Jimi Hendrix's family talks anthology, documentary

"After a prolific 2010 that continues with the "West Coast Seattle Boy: The Jimi Hendrix Anthology" box set out this week, the family-run Experience Hendrix label has a more modest, but no less impactful blueprint for the next couple of years. "This year has been very special because it marked the 40th anniversary of (Hendrix's) passing," Janie Hendrix, the rock icon's sister and Experience Hendrix president and CEO, told Billboard.com. The company started with the March release of the rarities set "Valleys of Neptune" and continues with "West Coast Seattle Boy." The latter features four discs of unreleased material and alternate takes, including a full disc of pre-Experience tracks recorded with Little Richard, the Isley Brothers, Don Covay and others. The box also includes the documentary "Jimi Hendrix Voodoo Child," narrated by Bootsy Collins"
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Paul McCartney to make his Apollo Theater debut

Sir Paul McCartney is to make his first appearance at New York's legendary Apollo Theater next month. The former Beatle, 68, will perform at the Harlem venue on 13 December in an invitation-only concert for paid-for radio service Sirius XM. The show will celebrate the service, which has six channels, reaching 20 million subscribers
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New Michael Jackson single debuts online

A duet recorded in 2007 by Michael Jackson and rapper Akon has been released on his website - the first single from an album of new music from the King of Pop after his death last year
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Guns N' Roses plan 'quick' new album

Guns N' Roses have confirmed plans to record a new album, but the rockers have promised it "won't take as long" as the much-delayed Chinese Democracy
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Retailers facing the music this Christmas (UK)

More retailers than ever will be selling music products this Christmas, according to the Entertainment Retailers Association (ERA). A number of new companies, including fashion retailer Bhs and petrol provider BP, will give customers the opportunity to purchase CDs. The ERA states that the new outlets selling CDs comprise of 180 Bhs stores, 370 BP petrol stations, 18 HMV pop-up shops, 250 Game stores and 1,166 Tesco Express stores. It also indicates that bookseller Waterstone's is considering introducing a music product line to its 300 UK stores this festive season.
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