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How often do you see a story like this?

Europe's Cloud of Ash Casts Pall Over World of Music

Travel disruptions from Europe's volcanic ash problem have brought a heavy measure of turmoil to the classical music world. More than in many other fields, its practitioners -- conductors, singers, pianists and other instrumentalists -- depend on plane flights. Opera casts are increasingly international. Concert promoters, especially in this country, place a heavy premium on foreign talent. After all, where does "jet set" fit better than adjacent to "conductor"?

Given the expense of a canceled concert, including lost rental fees and ticket sales, many concert promoters are willing to spend extra to find substitutes or pay for alternative arrangements. "Everyone has to pull together in some way to keep the concerts going," said Liz Sam, a manager at Van Walsum Management in London.

It's not just classical musicians who've been ashed out:

In the long-haul category, the jazz singer Dee Dee Bridgewater and her band were to have flown on Thursday from Stuttgart to London for a performance at the Barbican Center. Instead, they rented a bus, left at 1 a.m. Friday, took the ferry to England and arrived late in the afternoon several hours before her performance, said a Barbican spokesman, Alex Webb. "She's a trouper," Mr. Webb said of the singer, who turns 60 next month.

Go Dee Dee!

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