Text Size:
A|
A|
A
Email
PrintYouTube is taking its Web video venture in a new direction: It's creating an online orchestra.
The goal of the YouTube Symphony Orchestra is to create the world's first collaborative orchestra featuring musicians from all over the world.
It's open to both professional musicians and new talent. To audition, musicians need to upload two videos of themselves performing specific works: One is a new piece by "Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon" composer Tan Dun; the other is one of several public domain works whose scores are posted on the YouTube Symphony site.
The deadline for video submissions is Wednesday.
The top finalists will go to New York in April to perform at the YouTube Symphony Orchestra summit at Carnegie Hall with conductor Michael Tilson Thomas. Winners will be selected by a panel of judges that includes representatives of the London Symphony Orchestra and other music experts.
Other audition videos submitted will be shown at the live event. And of course, YouTube visitors can watch them online.
Other videos posted on YouTube are designed to help musicians who are interested in this project. Two feature composer Tan Dun, and there are video master classes conducted by members of the London Symphony Orchestra, who offer tips on how to approach playing his piece, along with advice on auditioning.
In advance of the rebirth of "The Prisoner," the 1960s cult series that will be back on television as an AMC mini-series starring Ian McKellen and Jim Caviezel, the episodes of the old show are getting new life as well.
AMC is providing a valuable link to the past and to classic TV, with all 17 of the original "Prisoner" episodes available for viewing on the AMC site. There's also a photo gallery and "Prisoner" trivia challenge.
Patrick McGoohan, who played Number 6 in the original TV series, died Jan. 13.
amctv.com/originals/the-prisoner-1960s-series
This year's Oprah's Book Club pick is "The Story of Edgar Sawtelle." Today, author David Wroblewksi joins Oprah Winfrey for a live question-and-answer interactive Webcast.
The 90-minute Webcast is at 9 p.m. is at 9 tonight.
Membership in the 2 million-plus-member online club is free. Register by going to the book club link on Winfrey's site.
The recently launched FilmGo offers a showcase for independent filmmakers and musicians, and bills itself as a 24/7 year-round online film festival.
The site currently has a selection of about 10 films to watch. For serious film fans, it offers other resources, such as industry news, box-office statistics, trivia games and more. Films are $7.99, with a 24-hour window in which to watch them.
Music download prices are comparable to other services: $9.99 for full-length LPs, $5.99 for EPs (six songs or less) and 99 cents per song.
The service works on PCs and on Macs with the Inter Core Duo processor. Users also need Microsoft's Silverlight plug-in.
For those who want to try it, the site's movies are free today.
