clipped from www.warwickcourier.co.uk Orchestra learns How to Look Good Naked over funding Cuts in funding have taken the clothes off the back of Stratford's Orchestra of the Swan. Five of its musicians will perfoming nude on fashion programme How To Look Good Naked next month. Only their instruments will protect the modesty of artistic director David Curtis, viola player Vanessa Murby, percussionist Tim Farmer, oboist Louise Braithwaite and French horn player Kai Hoffman. "We've all got a great deal of respect for one another, and don't have anything you wouldn't see on a beach in Brighton on a sunny day." The unusual decision to take part in the hit Channel 4 show came after it emerged Arts Council England was to withdraw funding for the group. Mr Curtis said: "The Arts Council cut our funding which has had a serious impact on us, making us increasingly reliant on corporate sponsorship. "This is a lighthearted way to highlight a serious issue, as well as raise our profile nationally.

I know I have been posting pictures of many booklets on my blog issued by classical music organizations I experienced in the past. The organizations are the places I visited while I lived in Newcastle and Glasgow in 2006/7 as a university student.

I will put some pictures of Berliner Philharmoniker's bimonthly magazine on today. Yes, this is also free like their great annual program.

There are many orchestras in the world but I have never known any orchestras issuing a real magazine free of charge  (if you know about that, enlighten me please) although some orchestras make a thin news paper. No doubt Berlin Philharmonic gives anything for spreading classical music in the society.
This magazine have a lot of articles about classical music - the music, musicians, musical instruments, history, and composers, and even pages for children. Early education on music is one of essential matters for audience development.
I just love the ads of Deutsche Bank, which must provide a huge support for the orchestra. That's the ad for a bank but only musicians or musical instruments are focused on.
  No design is more fascinatingly surprising than the giraffe made from the parts of musical instruments, btw.

An annual program of Berlin Philharmonic Orchestra is quite unique.

At first glance, you may well think it might be a paper book to read when you see the books stored on the shelves in Philharmonie which is the concert hall for Berlin Pilharmonic.

Turning pages, you will find the contents are wide-ranging: Preface by Music Director, Deutshe Bank, and Mayor of Berlin, About the orchestra, Overview of the concerts in the Philhamonie, Overview of the concerts in Chamber Music Hall, Focuses the season. Then finally, you will reach concert programs of the year that should be the first thing you want to know. The looking of this main category is absolutely beautiful. After that, other contents are still following: Education program, Orchestra Academy, Society of Friends of the Berliner Philharmonie,,,,,,,,.

Other pages are also nice.

I think it is unusual to issue such a 192-page heavy book for a program. But, this program is absolutely excellent with high quality!! (See? Good quality gets you trapped, again. haha.) It is worth going through trouble to carry it back home. I would even say the value of this yellow free program is as same as academic written materials that should be stored in a library. You will know how much Berlin values the classical music and puts effort in enlightening it for people when the program is taken a look at.

Not only the program booklet, but also its design of Philharmonie surprises me. You find it more rugged  than you thought at the website of Berliner Philharmoniker, and will know why the yellow color is used on the booklet.

This is the inside of Philharmonie. You can see that some of audiences are taking seats right back the orchestra having a ringside view of performances. They even could touch the musical instruments during a performance. And the next is the foyer of Philharmonie. It is interesting, isn't it?

Berlin, an amazing classical music city. I love it!