Another glitzy IPO will begin trading today as a strong streak continues for stocks and the public markets. Bumble, the hot app which requires women to reach out first in hetero dating situations, will open on the Nasdaq under ticker symbol "BMBL." It's worth more than $8B, based on a higher-than-expected share price of $43, while the company increased the number of shares it sold to as many as 57.5M.
Background: Bumble was founded in 2014 by CEO Whitney Wolfe Herd, who was also behind the development of Tinder, but she left the dating app earlier that year due to growing tensions with some company executives. She later filed a lawsuit against Tinder for sexual harassment and subsequently started female-focused dating app Bumble. Another court fight broke out in 2018 after Bumble rejected a $450M acquisition offer from Match Group (MTCH), which had filed a lawsuit against it alleging intellectual property infringement. Bumble counter-sued two weeks later, accusing Match of fraud and trade secrets theft, and both lawsuits were dropped the same year.
Parent company Bumble Inc. also owns the Europe-focused dating app Badoo. More than 40M users visit the apps each month to connect with prospective matches. Bumble has 12.3M monthly active users as of Sept. 30, while Badoo has 28.4M monthly active users, according to Sensor Tower data. For the nine months ended Sept. 30, Bumble had a pro forma net loss of $28M attributable to owners and shareholders on revenue of $413M.
Note: Blackstone (BX) acquired a majority stake in Bumble in November 2019 at a $3B valuation. The investment firm will own 82.5% of combined voting power in Bumble after the IPO, while Wolfe Herd will have 14.4%, according to the prospectus. (28 comments)
China strategy?
President Biden has held his first telephone call with China's Xi Jinping since taking office in January as tensions remain high between the leaders of the world's two largest economies. In fact, it was the first call between a U.S. president and Xi since the latter spoke with President Trump in March 2020. Since then, relations between the two countries have sunk to their worst level in decades, with Trump blaming China for the coronavirus pandemic.
Biden started the meeting by prioritizing a free and open Indo-Pacific and voicing concerns about China's "coercive and unfair economic practices." He also addressed Beijing's "crackdown in Hong Kong, reported human rights abuses in Xinjiang, and increasingly assertive actions in the region, including toward Taiwan." In response, Xi warned a confrontation would be a "disaster" for both nations and the two sides should re-establish the means to avoid misjudgments. Xi also noted that Hong Kong, Xinjiang and Taiwan were matters of "sovereignty and territorial integrity" and hopes the U.S. will deal with them cautiously.
Thought bubble: Under the Trump administration, the U.S. launched a trade war against China, as well as export controls, entity lists and executive orders against firms perceived to be security threats. China also failed to meet its 2020 targets under the Phase One trade agreement, buying just under 60% of the $172B worth of goods it was supposed to purchase. Biden has recently touted what he said was his friendship with the Xi, but gave a harsher assessment on the campaign trail last year, calling him a "thug" who "doesn't have a democratic bone in his body." He's likely to maintain pressure on China (no quick lift for tariffs), but via a more multilateral approach.
Meet the task force: On Wednesday, Biden also unveiled a new Defense Department team aimed at assessing the U.S. military's defense policy toward China. "That's how we'll meet the China challenge and ensure the American people win the competition in the future," he declared during his first visit as commander in chief to the Pentagon. The 15-member panel will "look at our strategy and operational concepts, technology, and force posture." (13 comments)
Global semiconductor shortage
General Motors (NYSE:GM) became the latest automaker yesterday to warn about a chip shortage, saying the semiconductor crunch could cut its earnings by $1.5B-$2B in 2021. It's not alone. Many companies across multiple industries have been flagging the problem in recent months, such as AMD (NASDAQ:AMD) and Qualcomm (NASDAQ:QCOM), which sell chips to most of the top electronics firms, or Sony (NYSE:SNE), which blamed the shortage for why it's so hard to get a PS5.
What's going on? The COVID-19 pandemic triggered a surge in demand for PCs and other electronics as remote work and online learning became the new normal. Demand still remains at highs. In December, the Semiconductor Industry Association said global chip sales would grow 8.4% in 2021 from 2020's total of $433B (up from 5.1% growth between 2019 and 2020). Other reasons include shifting semiconductor models that have created a bottleneck among outsourced chip factories, as well as effects from the years-long trade war with China.
Go deeper: Many top semiconductor companies are now "fabless," meaning they only design the chips and the technology inside of them. Other companies, known as foundries, are contracted to actually make the chips, such as TSMC (NYSE:TSM) in Taiwan and Samsung (OTC:SSNLF) in South Korea. The shift to outsourcing has had a big effect on structural changes and related capacity (i.e., if a company cut orders in the early days of the pandemic, they had to go to the back of the line).
"We need more chips and we need more jobs," CNBC's Jim Cramer said on Mad Money. "Why not kill two birds with one stone? It's time for our government to invest in building the biggest and best complex of semiconductor foundries in the world." To put it in perspective, even if a "$0.10 chip is missing, you can't sell your $30,000 car," added Gaurav Gupta, semiconductor analyst at Gartner. Another problem for automakers is that they generally use "just-in-time" production, which avoids having to stock extra parts in storage. (24 comments)
Net-zero emissions
Under enormous pressure to speed up its response to climate change, the oil and gas industry is accelerating plans away from fossil fuels. Royal Dutch Shell (RDS.A, RDS.B) has become the latest to outline its hastened timeline, unveiling near-term and long-term plans to transition to cleaner energy.
The goal: Cutting net carbon emissions by between 6% to 8% by 2023 when compared to 2016 levels. It climbs to 20% by 2030, 45% by 2035 and 100% by 2050. Previously, Shell only committed to reducing its net carbon emissions by at least 3% by 2022, 30% by 2035 and 65% by 2050. Shell also announced schemes to boost the use of nature-based carbon offsets, like forestation projects, and carbon capture and storage technology, to compensate for emissions.
Quote: "Our accelerated strategy will drive down carbon emissions and will deliver value for our shareholders, our customers and wider society," Royal Dutch Shell CEO Ben van Beurden said in a statement. "We must give our customers the products and services they want and need - products that have the lowest environmental impact. At the same time, we will use our established strengths to build on our competitive portfolio as we make the transition to be a net-zero emissions business in step with society."
Shell's total carbon emissions might have already peaked. The oil major said total carbon emissions maxed out in 2018 at 1.7 gigatons per annum and confirmed total oil production did the same in 2019. (6 comments)
Cannabis stocks light up
Marijuana names are again higher this morning as the Reddit forum WallStreetBets turns its attention to the sector. Cannabis stocks were already having a party since the beginning of February, given Jazz Pharmaceuticals' (NASDAQ:JAZZ) $7.2B deal for medical cannabinoid firm GW Pharma (NASDAQ:GWPH) and Tilray's (NASDAQ:TLRY) pact to distribute medical cannabis products in the U.K. Canopy Growth's (NYSE:CGC) fiscal Q3 revenue beat also helped boost sentiment, while Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiled plans to put forward and advance "comprehensive cannabis reform legislation."
Latest movement premarket: Tilray (TLRY) is ahead by 10% following a 51% surge on Wednesday. Others are tacking on more big gains like OrganiGram Holdings (OGI) +15%; AdvisorShares Pure Cannabis ETF (YOLO) +13%, Aurora Cannabis (ACB) +11%, Cronos Group (CRON) +10%, Aphria (APHA) +9%, Global X Cannabis ETF (POTX) +9% and HEXO (HEXO) +5%.
Analyst commentary: "It seems that institutional investors are finding pathways to access the U.S. cannabis opportunity despite U.S. operators' shares being traded on the CSE and US OTC markets with relatively limited liquidity," wrote Stifel GMP analyst Andrew Partheniou. "In addition, it seems the perceived risk profile stemming from the conflict between federal and state laws, which has also narrowed the availability of custodians that deal in the industry, has not deterred investor enthusiasm." (95 comments)
What else is happening...
Fed's Powell stays dovish, calls for more fiscal action.
TikTok sale to Walmart (NYSE:WMT), Oracle (NYSE:ORCL) is shelved - WSJ.
Space race... China joins UAE in successful mission to Mars.
AstraZeneca's (NASDAQ:AZN) COVID-19 jab recommended by WHO for adults over 18.
Microsoft (NASDAQ:MSFT) made an approach to buy Pinterest (NYSE:PINS) - FT.
Wednesday's Key Earnings
Coca-Cola (NYSE:KO) -0.2% giving a cautious outlook. General Motors (NYSE:GM) -2.1% amid chip shortage, EV transition headwinds. Teva Pharma (NYSE:TEVA) -6.9% despite an earlier climb on upbeat earnings. Uber (NYSE:UBER) -4.8% AH as the pandemic hit core operations.
Today's Markets
In Asia, Japan closed. Hong Kong closed. China closed. India +0.4%. In Europe, at midday, London +0.1%. Paris flat. Frankfurt +0.6%. Futures at 6:20, Dow +0.3%. S&P +0.4%. Nasdaq +0.5%. Crude -0.8% to $58.21. Gold -0.1% at $1841.50. Bitcoin -0.7% to $46277. Ten-year Treasury Yield flat at 1.14%
Today's Economic Calendar
8:30 Initial Jobless Claims 10:30 EIA Natural Gas Inventory 1:00 PM Results of $27B, 30-Year Note Auction 4:30 PM Money Supply 4:30 PM Fed Balance Sheet

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[Next-Day Discussion Thread] Atalanta 1-2 PSG (UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinals)

Alright, yesterday I created a quick match thread to calm down the increasing flow of new redditors on the sub, we went up to 3,598 online users on the subreddit at some point...
So today, let's have a serious, interesting and calm discussion about what happened during the game yesterday.

Atalanta 1 — 2 Paris Saint-Germain

Quarterfinals

Venue: Estádio da Luz
Attendance: Unkown
Referee: Anthony Taylor (ENG)
Kick-off: 21:00 local.

Lineups

Paris Saint-Germain lineup 4-4-2: Navas; Bernat, Kimpembe, T. Silva (Captain), Kehrer; Gueye, Marquinhos, Herrera; Neymar Jr., Icardi, Sarabia
Atalanta lineup 3-4-2-1: Sportiello; Toloi, Caldara, Djimsiti; Hateboer, De Roon, Freuler, Gosens; Gomez, Pasalic; Duvan Zapata

L'EQUIPE RATINGS

MATCH REPORT

GOALS:

MATCH HIGHLIGHTS

STATISTICS:

	Atalanta	PSG
Shots (on target)	9 (4)	16 (6)
Ball Possession	39%	61%
Passes	367	593
Distance Covered	108.2 kms	104.9 kms
Fouls	29	13
Corners	4	3
Offsides	2	0
xG	0.58	3.29

FULL STATISTICS
FULL MATCH REPORTS:

UEFA: "Tuchel's side pull off stunning late comeback."

Paris were so nearly the first to land a blow, Neymar racing clear in the third minute only to slot wide with just Marco Sportiello to beat. Atalanta soon found their feet, with Hans Hateboer’s back-post header – smartly saved by Keylor Navas – serving notice of their growing intent.
La Dea’s ascendancy was rewarded before the half-hour when Duván Zapata played the ball neatly into the path of Mario Pašalić, whose first-time effort from just inside the penalty area arced perfectly past Navas.
Paris carved relatively little out of their superior possession for much of the second half, at least until the 90th minute when Neymar squared for Marquinhos to tap in from close range.
Crestfallen, Gian Piero Gasperini's side had barely caught their breath when substitute Kylian Mbappé raced down the left and crossed for fellow replacement Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting to help himself to an added-time winner.

The Guardian: "PSG's late, late double ends Atalanta's Champions League dream" by Barney Ronay

In the end it took £400m of attacking talent, 93 minutes of increasingly frantic football, and a man who mustered up five goals in a single year at Stoke to wrench a thrilling Champions League quarter-final the way of Paris Saint-Germain.
It had to be Neymar, one way or another. The world’s most expensive footballer had played for much of the game like a man trapped inside another kind of storyline, finding space fluently but shooting at goal like a man wearing wooden clogs.
Gian Piero Gasperini’s Atalanta underdogs had played with familiar verve to lead 1-0 with 90 minutes already up. At which point PSG’s labouring star machine finally found some relief.
Eric Maxim Choupo-Moting, on as a 79th-minute substitute, swung a fine cross into the box, and the ball was deflected in off a combination of an Atalanta defender and Marquinhos.
Three minutes later, with extra time looming, Neymar played an extraordinary, high-pressure pass, taking the ball in a small space outside the area, freezing the moment, then sliding the ball inside José Palomino to meet the run of Kylian Mbappé. His low cross was equally precise. Choupo-Moting turned the ball into the net to set up a semi-final with either RB Leipzig or Atlético Madrid next Tuesday.
Atalanta will remain the wider story and not just because of another stirring show from this high-intensity team of low-cost parts. A Champions League quarter-final represents an all-time high, albeit one that will be coloured by other emotions. The horrors of March in Bergamo are well-documented. This is a region still processing its grief. Freewheeling success on the football field is not a fix or a balm for this kind of real-life pain. But all things considered, it is not a bad place to start.
The other story is, of course, Neymar, and a step into fresh territory for Thomas Tuchel’s version of that oddly brittle PSG star vehicle. Neymar remains, for all the outstanding moments, an object of some frustration among those baffled by the choice to move at his peak to an environment as lukewarm as Ligue 1.
And yet, Neymar did deliver and did so when his team needed it most. There are stronger opponents in the draw but not many better attacks, with Mbappé likely also to be fit for the next round.
The Estádio da Luz had provided an agreeably haunting stage for the latest instalment of midsummer Covid-bal. The late evening kick-off meant Lisbon was at least mercifully cool, a step down from the predicted mid-August firepit.
Atalanta had Marco Sportiello in goal, with Josip Ilicic absent for domestic reasons. PSG were without Ángel Di María and Marco Verratti, with Mbappé on the bench.
The action was frantic from the start. It took Neymar two minutes to produce an astonishing miss, running in on goal unimpeded from the centre circle, then shanking the ball five yards wide of the right-hand post.
Unconcerned by their own suicidally high defensive line, Atalanta set about besieging the PSG end. With 10 minutes gone Hans Hateboer drew a clawing save from Keylor Navas and the game settled into a series of crisp, direct Atalanta attacks, broken up by the occasional white-shirted counter.
For a while that powerful PSG midfield began to dictate its more stately rhythms but it was Atalanta who took the lead. Duván Zapata found space just outside the box, tumbling over as the ball ran on to Mario Pasalic. His first-time shot zinged into the top corner.
The response was familiarly staccato. Neymar produced a nutmeg on Pasalic then pinged a shot just wide. Otherwise Atalanta held their high line and swarmed around the ball, their combinations zippy and urgent where PSG seemed to be playing through a midsummer haze.
Neymar had time before the break to miss another presentable chance, blasting miles over the bar after seizing on a terrible pass from Hateboer and sending Tuchel into mild frenzy in his dugout.
Tuchel has something agreeably pale and gaunt about him at the best of times, striding about the touchline looking like a sad-eyed victorian wraith. In Lisbon, left leg encased in a surgical boot, he could be seen shielding his brow and flinching in horror at times in that first half.
Mbappé, his remaining ace, was sent out to warm up at the interval. And PSG did start with more purpose after the break. Neymar continued to find space but still lacked any sense of edge. A low free-kick on 50 minutes was his fourth shot at goal, his third off target.
With 31 minutes to play Mbappé was on, replacing Pablo Sarabia. His impact was instant, a series of surges down the left offering a threat where PSG had been reliant on Neymar’s twists and spins.
Atalanta flooded that side, surrounding Mbappé with five defenders at times. It looked like being enough, right up until that extraordinary ending.

La Gazzetta dello Sport: "Atalanta, going out like this hurts! Pasalic deludes, but PSG overturns everything in the recovery minutes" by Francesco Fontana

Nerazzurri ahead 1-0 until the 90', then the mockery: Marquinhos' draw and Choupo-Moting's overtaking goal. The Parisians went to the semi-finals and Mbappé's entry was decisive.
Players in tears over an incredible result, unbelievable stuff. Atalanta lost 2-1 on PSG, killing the minutes from 90 minutes (Marquinhos' goal) to 93 minutes, when Choupo-Moting signed the overtaking after Pasalic's great goal at 27 minutes of the first half. The Champions League quarter-finals speak French, in the semi-finals Tuchel's team will go there and now await the winner of Leipzig-Atletico Madrid, on the pitch tomorrow night. In any case, despite the defeat, the Goddess can return to Bergamo with a very high head.
Compared to the hypothesis of the eve there is no news in Atalanta's house: Gasperini bets on Caldara, Hateboer and Pasalic, preferred to Palomino, Castagne and Malinovskyi. So, in his 3-4-2-1, space to Sportiello in goal. In defence also Toloi and Djimsiti with De Roon-Freuler on the middle and Gosens on the left. In front, of course, Gomez and Zapata. On the other side, without Verratti and Di Maria (out for injury and disqualification respectively), Tuchel chooses the 4-3-3 with Keylor Navas between the posts, behind Kehrer, Thiago Silva, Kimpempe and Bernat. In midfield Herrera, Marquinhos and Gueye with Sarabia, Icardi and Neymar in attack (Mbappé starts on the bench). English referee Taylor.
First ring at 3': left Papu from inside the area, para Navas on the ground. The real danger comes 1' later with Neymar who, incredibly, makes a one-on-one mistake with Sportiello kicking out. Super start in this first quarter final. The Goddess is in the game, PSG concedes something. On the 11th assist top of Gomez, who from a distance fishes Hateboer on the second post: dunked by the Dutchman's head, Navas is ok in answering (ditto a few moments later on Caldara, albeit offside). Until the 27th minute, the French push to corner the opponent, then the result changes: a ball to the limit for Zapata who, in a daring way, serves Pasalic, amazing with a left-footed shot to beat Navas on the second post. Goddess ahead. And he'll stay there until halftime, also because Neymar, in the 41st minute, didn't take advantage of Hateboer's mistake (Sportiello's back pass was too short) and sent him out. And by quite a lot. Thrill. We go into the locker room after 1' of recovery.
Tuchel (on crutches due to a sprained left ankle with a fractured fifth metatarsus) is not happy and sends Mbappé to warm up immediately, on the field at 60'. At the same time Gasperini puts Malinovskyi and Palomino in place of Papu and Djimsiti, who just before (57') makes a mistake on the fly: what a chance for the Goddess. In the central part of the shot Atalanta shortens, PSG struggles to create. And it's no coincidence that, at this stage, Sportiello is still watching: it will seem absurd, considering adversary and level of competition, but that's how it is. The changes continue: Gasp throws in the fray Muriel (out Pasalic), Tuchel risks more with Paredes and Draxler for Gueye and Herrera. We're at 74', when Sportiello puts his big foot on Mbappé's right. Navas doesn't make it because of an injury accused just before, on 79' space for Sergio Rico, the reserve goalkeeper. Eleven minutes to go, Mbappé made another mistake (very good Palomino in closing). Gasp called for Castagne and Da Riva, midfielder of the 2000 class at his debut in the Champions League. PSG tries, tries and tries. And at the end, in the 90th minute, he finds a draw with Marquinhos, who puts it in the fray from a few steps. And in the 93rd minute he even overtakes Choupo-Moting, who receives a "chocolate" from Mbappé. Unbelievable, unbelievable stuff. Although a round of applause for this Atalanta is certainly not to be missed.
POST-MATCH INTERVIEWS & QUOTES

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Looking for a rental apartment in Paris

In Winter 2019/2020, I moved here and looked for an apartment in Paris for the first time. The process was more complicated than I expected so I decided to summarize what I learned. My criteria going in were 1) within the périphérique and 2) under €1,600. I am employed, but I did not have relocation assistance from my employer, nor did I use an apartment-search agent.
I hope the following is useful for first-time renters in Paris. The first section goes over the rental market in Paris. The second section walks through the steps to finding an apartment in Paris. Finally, the appendices information on A) useful vocabulary, B) flat-sharing, C) recap of the flats I visited, and D) scooters.

Rental market in Paris

Prices
As of winter 2019/2020, average monthly rent is:

600-800 € for a room in a shared apartment (see Appendix B for caveats)
1 000 €: Studio with 1+ Major Issue
1 300 €: Studio with no Major Issue or 1-bedroom with 1+ Major Issue
1 600 €: 1-bedroom with no Major Issues

By Major Issue I mean:

Very dark: Possible in apartments that are north-facing, has a vis-a-vis (another building blocking the window view), or located on a low floor with vue cour (facing the courtyard)
Very small: The legal minimum size for an apartment (not per room) is 9 m². For me personally, very small means <20 m² for a studio or <25m² for a 1-bedroom.
Poor condition: Recurring problems include stained carpet, peeling paint in bathroom due to lack of ventilation, poor quality furniture (for furnished apartments)
Low income neighborhood: Not an issue per se, but logically low income neighborhoods would have cheaper apartments
Noise: Some boulevards have heavy car noises into the night. Quaint streets can have noise from bars. There's also noisy neighbors, but those won't be apparent until it's too late
High floor without elevator

Your (net) salary needs to be 3 times the amount of the rent. The salary can be the combined salary of the tenants (if say a family is moving in) or the salary of a guarantor. I've heard that foreigners and locals alike often fabricate the proof for this requirement.
Other than the rent, you pay

Honoraires du locataire (agency fees paid by the renter): This applies if you rent from an agency. Commonly assessed at 15 € per m². Fees are much higher if you have a bail de courte durée (short-term lease) of less than 1 year, because it's treated as société/résidence secondaire (company rental/secondary residence). If you rent from an individual, there may still be a move-in fee of a lesser amount
Deposit: 1 - 2 months of rent
Charges (utilities): Electricity and internet are always paid by the tenant, even when it's charges comprises (utilities included). Some apartments charge for chauffage (heating). Covered parking 110 €+ per month if available

The people you'll deal with
Les agences (agencies)

Renting an apartment from an agency is recommended for first-time renters in Paris. Just swallow the fee for the peace of mind, a base line of English capability, and a legal/organised/reasonable contract. Most are open only Monday-Friday. Always contact the agency directly using the phone number found on Google Maps or the agency's official website, rather than the phone number posted in the listing. They are usually good at taking apartment photos, so prepare to be slightly disappointed when you visit the flat in person

Les particuliers (private landlords)

Some chance that they are creeps or scammers or very odd. Unlike normal agencies, they can and may take advantage of foreigners. Sous-location (subletting) may not entitle you to the same protections that legitimate renters have

Les arnaquers (scammers)

I got close to giving away some money to a scammer. It started when I found a listing that was too good to be true. When I reached out, they told me I must prove my identity before I can visit the apartment. One of the things they asked me to do was to verify that I have my deposit ready using Transcash. Transcash is the equivalent of a Visa gift card; you buy it in the store and you can use it like cash. If someone gains access to a number on the card then they can gain access to the money. I realized that this was a scam when they told me to "verify" the Transcash card (that I have already paid for) using a suspicious website link.
The two tells of a scam are abnormal rapport qualité-prix (value for money) and dossier requests before visiting. While your dossier should be ready (see next section) by the time you visit, there's little need to send it to them before the visit. In terms of value for money, it's hard to tell if you're new to the city like I was. Best bet is to ask a local to have a look if something sounds too good to be true.

Steps to finding an apartment in Paris

Step 1: Prepare your dossier
When you apply for an apartment, and sometimes when you request a viewing, the proprietor asks for your dossier. Each proprietor will specify what they want in the dossier, but it will be some combination of these documents:

carte d'identité : passport or ID + visa
current work contract
attestation (statement from employer): In French. Should include gross salary, net salary, the date you started on the job, your title, whether you're on période d'essai (trial period), confirmation of your visa situation in France, French contact information for the company
last 3 payslips
bank account information: they're looking for Relevé d'Identité Bancaire (RIB, or the unique bank account identifier for French bank accounts)
last 3 bank statements
previous rental agreement
proof of last three rent payments
last 2 annual tax return

I created a folder with all of the following and simply combine them in PDF as the need arises. I also annotated each page that was not in French with a short description in French. If you don't have something, find the closest substitute. I always tacked on a business photo and my LinkedIn. It's good practice to label everything clearly.
If you do not make 3x the rent in salary, you may need a garant (guarantor). I assume you would need the exact same documents above for each of your guarantors. As I mentioned above, I was surprised to find out later on that a lot of locals and foreigners alike forge their dossier. This can have major negative consequences down the line.
Step 2: Look for apartments
Figure out what you want and what is available in your budget by looking through a lot of listings. Call every single listing that you're interested in to schedule a visit. Email, voicemail, and texts are basically useless. The only way to get through is by calling during business hours. Start by browsing these:

LouerAgile: Interesting app through Facebook Messenger. You get a message as soon as a new listing that fits your criteria comes online. It's indispensable given how competitive some apartments are. Be careful to set your parameters tightly or you'll be overwhelmed
Lodgis: Online agency with pretty good service for foreigners. You send in your dossier and once they approve they will take you to visit up to 3 flats
Century 21 (and other traditional real estate agents): I use Century 21 as an example as they seem to be the biggest one in Paris. Listings are specific to an office, meaning if you saw a flat in the 17th that you liked you have to contact the Century 21 office in the 17th
Chez Nestor: The only "co-living" set-up in Paris that I found. Move-in fee is a little steep but at least from the photos the properties look reasonably priced for those wanting a hassle-free experience
PAP: A good aggregator but sometimes difficult to find the contact information of the proprietor
SeLoger: A big listing aggregator; beware of scams
La Carte des Colocs: The best site for flat-sharing
LeBonCoin: Equivalent of Craigslist. There are so many scams that I wouldn't recommend for newcomers, but people find deals here. Great for buying household goods on the cheap after you move in
Book-a-flat, FUSAC: Additional sites, there are many more

You should know enough French to do the following: greeting / tell them which listing you're calling about, usually by quoting the rent amount and the square footage / provide personal details like name, email, phone number / provide apartment search parameters such as move-in date, budget, occupation, salary, marital status, furnished vs unfurnished. See Appendix A for vocabulary.
Step 3: Visit apartments
Once you've scheduled apartment visits, be organised and take notes before and after each visit. In Appendix D, I talk about how knowing how to drive a scooter can come in handy.
Spend some time in the quartier (neighborhood) before each visit. Many people like myself come to Paris with some romanticism in mind, and reality may not always match up. Some of the "sketchier" areas within Paris are not too bad if your reference point is a major US city. Below is my own take on the different neighborhoods after visiting 20+ apartments (see Appendix C). Very subjective, but relevant for my own apartment search:

1, 2, 4 arrs. have interesting lofts but are difficult to park
15 and 16 are boring
6, 7, 8, 11 are touristy
Even better than talking about arrondissements (dividing Paris into 20 subdivisions in a outward spiral) is to talk about quartiers (smaller neighborhoods with less rigid borders)
The quartiers near the canals are less picturesque than I pictured
Montmartre felt very calm
Belleville is hip, maybe too hip
My favorite neighborhoods are in the 5th, 17th, 18th, and 20th arrs.

During the visits, I look for:

Vue couvue rue/vue vis-à-vis (windows facing courtyard/street/another building respectively): Made a bigger difference than I thought. For me, having windows that face the courtyard felt suffocating, especially on lower floors. Windows facing another building is of course not ideal. Windows facing the street may mean noise, but not necessarily if it's high enough or on a quiet street.
General conditions of appliances, walls, furniture. I heard "We'll fix this next week" many times. Up to you if you want to take the risk
Noise
Stairs if no elevator
Whether there's a building gardien (caretaker)
Temperature (whether it's warm enough)
The layout (whether it really feels 25m² or whatever size advertised)

Two things surprised me about the visits. The first is that there will probably be lots of other people. Proprietors may suggest a time like 19h50 (7:50pm) because they want to squeeze 6 people into one hour. They will also schedule multiple candidates at the same time. The second thing that surprised me is that you may get interviewed on the spot about your dossier and eligibility.
In one instance, I went up to the apartment at the same time as a charismatic French journalist looking for a pied-à-terre. After viewing the apartment (it was tiny), we were sat down and interviewed by the proprietor in the same room at the same time. The journalist did really well in the interview, not surprising considering that's basically his job. When we left, we met five more people waiting to view the apartment. Thus is the demand for a moderately desirable apartment in Paris.
Step 4: Apply, get accepted, sign, and move in
Apply: This is the easy part hopefully. The application process is simply handing in your dossier. If you’ve already submitted the dossier, then a quick text or call to the person who showed you the apartment saying that you’re interested and would like to proceed is enough. If you ask, and you should, they will tell you when they plan to make a decision.
Get accepted: The proprietor then takes all of the applications they received and make a choice. You should be informed either way. Assuming that you visited a spectrum of apartments, you should get some acceptances.
Next comes the part that confuses me the most. You know you applied to more than one apartment, and the proprietor knows that you applied to more than one, but somehow everyone wants you to make the decision immediately. This is very difficult to do if you are waiting for a response from a better apartment.
Sign: In any case, when you're accepted, you are notified via phone call or email. You should then receive the draft contract and schedule a rendez-vous (meeting) to sign. A legitimate contract will be quite a hefty document. I assumed that given how favourable to the tenant French law is, they can't screw me over too much. So I did not scrutinize the contract. You should expect to pay the deposit, the agency fees, and first month’s rent at the same time or immediately thereafter.
Everything from applying to signing can happen within 2 days and usually no more than a week. The only case where it would take longer is if you were on the “waitlist” and the person who got the apartment first did not want it.
Move in: You will arrange a move-in date with the proprietor. On that date, you should take an extremely detailed inventory of every corner. The person from whom I rented the apartment took more than 80 photos with me looking over and shared them with me.
As noted above, you will almost always pay for electricity and internet. I do not know about electricity as the owner set it up for me (you can ask to see if they are willing to help). For internet, there are two companies (SOSH and RED by SFR) who do not make you commit to a long-term contract. I chose one of them, had the router delivered, had the technician come in to make the necessary connections, and I was online. The last thing is tenant insurance, which you must set up from the moment you move in. For me, this was partly set up by the owner, but it seems pretty straightforward and the popular providers (AXA, MAAF, Allianz) have physical branches around the city.

Appendices

Appendix A: Vocab for apartment hunting
Outside the apartment

Étages: floors. note that 1er étage in France would be 2^nd floor in the US, and so on
Dernier étage: top floor; I think this is a plus? It's often advertised when it's the case
Mezzanine: some apartments (studios especially) have a built-in mid level within a normal level. They are always shortemore cramped in person than they are in the pictures
Rez-de-chaussée: ground-level. It's rare to see apartments on ground level unless they're inside a courtyard
Sous-sol: basement
Cave: cellabasement for storage
Vue couvue rue/vue vis-à-vis : windows facing courtyard/street/another building respectively
Mètre carré: square meter
Digicode: a common security system where you enter a code to enter a building
Gardien(ne): caretaker of the building, thankfully common in large apartment buildings

Insider the apartment

Meublé/vide: furnished/unfurnished. Furniture quality varies. The difference between furnished apartments and unfurnished apartments have other implications, including notice periods
Pièce vs chambre: Pièce is a room, including living rooms and large kitchens. Chambre is bedroom. For example, a studio can have 2 pièces and 0 chambre if it has a living room and a large kitchen with dining area
Refait a neuf: renovated. Usually the lack of this description means that everything is really really old
plein de ... : technically lots of .... but often a code for a serious lack of (light, space, amenities)
Four: oven; sometimes portable toaster ovens are passed off as a "four"
Frigo/congélateur: fridge/freezer; often of the 2-in-1 variety
Lave-vaisselle: dishwasher; not always included
Machine a lavesécher: washedryer; not always included (even the washer)
Cuisine Américain: open kitchen
Cuisinière: stove/cooking ranges; from most popular to least are electric, coil, gas-fired

Intangibles

agence/particulier: agent/private individual (the proprietor of the apartment)
honoraires: agency fees
dossier: set of documents to support your rental application
contrat à durée indéterminée (CDI): employed on a permanent contract; if your employer can issue a letter in French confirming that you are employed on a permanent basis (along with your salary and the fact that you are not on a trial period), it would help your application a lot
période d'essai: trial period at work
carte d'identité: ID card, passport
bail/contrat: contract
loyer: rent (n.)
Transcash: if the person you're talking to asks for this, it's a scam
charges: utilities bills
chauffage: heating
individuel/collectif: individually-controlled vs. building-wide; usually describing heating
fibre: fiber internet
électricité/internet: electricity and internet, the two utilities usually excluded even when they say charges are included

Appendix B: Flat-sharing/colocation
Finding une colocation (a shared apartment) in Paris is a hassle, coming from someone who always had roommates before. It is an competitive process (40 people applying for 1 spot in one case). The non-competitive ones usually have something wrong. I use the travel website Couchsurfing, and the same types of creeps I see there I see on the colocation sites. Shared accommodations sometimes require more documents/guarantors than agencies.
If you're a student (there are student-only groups) or a girl (more creeps but you'll be eligible for flats with girls looking to share with other girls), you may have a different experience. Check out La Carte des Colocs to see what's available.

Appendix C: All the flats I visited in order
[Removed because I can't get tables to work]

Appendix D: Scooters
Not les trottinettes (Lime electric scooters), but the vespa-looking/baby motorcycles. Driving a scooter in Paris is not for the uninitiated, though probably no more dangerous than in any other European capitals.
If you decide to do it, it is hands-down the best way to navigate Paris. This is especially the case when you need to go from neighborhood to neighborhood to visit apartments. Two biggest benefits are filtering and parking. Being able to filter (lane-split) means that it is usually the fastest mode of transportation within Paris. In terms of parking you have 4 options:

Covered parking: Search online for parking lots around Paris. They cost around 50 € per month (long-term). Recommended for overnight
Motorcycle-specific parking space: Ideal and plentiful, but often crowded and littered with bicycles and Lime scooters. If parking over night, choose one that is brightly lit and be sure to remove all valuables. At a minimum use a u-lock
Car parking space: Motorcycles and scooters can park in all roadside car parking spots for free, even if it says payant (paid parking). The downside is that cars often park with à touche-touche (bumping the cars behind and in front)
Sidewalks: It's technically illegal to park on sidewalks but it is widely practiced. As long as it's temporary (not overnight), not blocking the main pedestrian thoroughfare, and the nearby dedicated motorcycle parking are full, parking on sidewalks seems tolerated.

You can share, rent, or buy a scooter. Shared scooters are currently offered by CityScoot. They are fast, cheap, and everywhere. Renting a scooter is recommended if you plan to use it a lot and is available from 22 € per day. Search location de scooter (scooter rental places). Buy a scooter if planning to use it for more than a month. Used scooters were somewhat hard to find. At first I wanted to buy from a dealer, but then I realized that many of their scooters are in poor condition and don't come with warranty. Because of that, consider buying from particuliers (individuals). Listings are found on LeBonCoin (French version of Craigslist; beware of scams) and Facebook.
In terms of specs, there are 3 key things. First, accessories like le top case and la jupe (leg covers) are very helpful. Second is engine size. 50cc is sufficient for Paris intra-muros (Paris proper), but they may struggle with pillions, starting off from a red light, and the speed on some of the boulevards. 125cc is the sweet spot. The 300cc tricycle are very common as well. I can't imagine riding a proper motorcycle with all the narrow streets, low speeds, and tight parking. Finally, due to Crit'Air (emissions control scheme in major French cities), the only two-wheeled vehicles technically allowed on the roads are those registered after June 2004. Gas-fueled vehicles in general are being phased out over time.

Miscellaneous

Timeline: I stayed in an AirBnB for 3 weeks and searched for the apartment during that time. I moved in on the 4th week. I worked full-time during those 3 weeks but my schedule was flexible.
Even with the virus and my horrible French I didn't perceive xenophobia (I'm Asian). On the other hand they're usually quick to check my salary to confirm that I'm a viable candidate, so I guess money opens doors.
You can get a SIM card without a bank account by visiting the FREE store at Madeleine.
Opening a French bank account is very difficult. I needed one for electricity bills, so I opened one that doesn't have any cards (not even debit card). It's free but the banker was about to call the whole thing off when I told her that I won't be depositing my paychecks in this account.
I did not track how many calls I made like this person, but my guess is 200+.
I rate the difficulty of the whole experience 8 out of 10.

[Table] IamAn orchestra conductor - I wave my arms for a living (or did, during non-COVID times)! AMA!

Source
The conductor answered nearly all the questions, so there were some repetitive ones mixed in.

Questions	Answers
Could an orchestra actually function/perform perfectly fine without you?	The musicians all have their music in front of them and and a good part of their training has to do with really learning to play with each other, whether in the section, like string players matching the way they play, or within the orchestra, like when percussionists really know how to play with other instruments in the orchestra (unlike strings, percussionists can't really just "sneak in"). Honestly 85% of the time an orchestra might not need a conductor at all. But especially during times when the tempo is flexible a conductor is essential. And there needs to be an agreement on an artistic approach to the work. While some conductor-less orchestras have developed amazing systems to gain consensus about an artistic vision, in most cases the conductor is the one that unifies the approach to a piece. There might be a crescendo, a swelling in the music, but how is that crescendo done? With urgency? With patience and a slow build? The conductor generally decides those aspects.
^{the below is a reply to the above}
Hmmm, doesn't the Hannover Band play (and record) without a conductor?	There are several conductor-less orchestras, one of the most famous being the Orpheus Chamber Orchestra which has released many recordings. New Century Chamber Orchestra in the SF Bay Area is conductor-less, and there are many others. But the vast majority of orchestras use conductors.
I have my hands in the air for a living too--only directing heavy equipment, so actually completely unrelated. Do your arms get tired? My arm actually feel asleep yesterday. What are the pro tips for tired conductor arms? You ever think about installing dry wall? I bet those guys got nothing on you.	That's why we use batons! For conductors the tiring part comes when using your shoulders. The more just using forearms and a baton, the more stamina you have. And then when you're older you don't have big shoulder issues like many people have. And batons are designed to be ultra light and balanced so not too much strain.
Are you still able to make a living as an orchestra conductor with COVID impacting performances for live audiences?	Many orchestras have completely shut down, some even completely cancelling their 20-21 seasons. For musicians it's a very difficult time as even when restrictions are relaxed, it'll be hard to get audiences into a concert hall when it's an enclosed space with lots of people over a longer period of time. So it's very difficult to know when the industry will be back. Many orchestras are pivoting to online concerts, but obviously it's not the same at all.
	Some of my groups are now fully online for the time being, so it's not a complete loss. Even if the activities aren't full concerts, we're working on staying in the public eye and continuing to make artistic contributions during this time.
	Yes, possible to make living, but the situation is now completely different on the ground!
Why does the media portray conductors like they're assholes with horrible tempers? Tom and Jerry and Ghostbusters for example.	It used to be that conductors were actually like that, dictators on the podium. Toscanini, the famous italian conductor, was the Music Director for the NBC Orchestra for a long time. He was famous for his tirades. And there are still some conductors today with terrible tempers.
	But today orchestral players have a lot more say about the conductors and even rate them. There are secret evaluations that orchestras have on conductors that we actually never see. Most conductors love collaborating with musicians, so conductors like Simon Rattle are leading the new charge of how conductors interact with orchestras.
^{the below is a reply to the above}
Nice thanks for answering. I'm a union member and am curious if (I believe they're unionized) the musicians union had any role to play in musician's rights so far as dealing with a jerk conductor and the evaluations you mentioned.	Oh of course, ICSOM, OCSM, and ROPA all use evaluations and can request of other orchestras the evaluations of a conductor they're considering hiring for guesting or longer term things. And yes, many musician friends have good stories of the union standing up for players, even in the middle of rehearsal.
	One opera conductor was pissed off about one section that the first violins were playing. It had happened to be that the second rehearsal had a few more subs in the first violin section - which is probably why some of the things rehearsed and intonation weren't like they were at the end of the first rehearsal. Anyway, the conductor was really mad and pointed at one of the players to stand up and play the excerpt solo. The union rep immediately jumped up and said, "maestro, unfortunately you can't do that - you can't single out players." Then the conductor said, fine the stand partner can stand up too. Union rep - "sorry, can't do that either." The players' committee and the conductor then went out to have a long discussion about this all... :p
Which instrument do you think is underutilized and you would like to hear more from?	Hm, at this moment? Why not the theremin? That's the instrument that was often used for alien spooky sounds in old tv shows and movies. But it can be a gorgeous instrument, especially in the hands of somebody like carolina eyck. SF Ballet just did Little Mermaid with a score from Lera Auerbach. It uses theremin throughout and it's absolutely amazing as a legit instrument.
^{the below is a reply to the above}
are there any recorded works you might recommend that use a theremin throughout?	I don't know if there's a released recording of Little Mermaid - but this video describes the composer's thoughts on using the theremin in the ballet:
	https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oJfUYS7fbHk
What are your thoughts on symphonies playing along to movies like the Harry Potter series? My kids and I absolutely love these when they are available, but what do you and the other musicians think about this? Is it boring, exciting, or just another job?	John Williams is a personal hero of mine. His background and training is rooted in classical music and continues the traditions of many of the greats. Most classical musicians I know absolutely love his music though it's a pain to play (since it can be really difficult). I remember conducting a pops concert of Harry Potter music when the movies had just come out. The orchestra players didn't know the music because it was so new and they were so upset because it was really difficult. And it was a pops concert so they only had one rehearsal to put it together.
	All music though can get tiring if you do it too much - I'm lucky to be involved in many areas of music (choral, orchestra, opera, ballet, pops). If I had to do Star Wars every single weekend... well... honestly, I don't think I could get tired of that... :D
You ever go full Toscanini on a section/musician?	One never goes full Toscanini ;)
Do you require that everyone refer to you as Maestro?	Seinfeld... heh
	I don't require it and do find it awkward, but often people do it as a default, especially if you don't know the person.
Who are some contemporary conductors you’re impressed by?	I can't get enough of Anna Clyne. Conducted her night ferry last year which is a fantastic work. She just released a new cello concerto called Dance which is unbelievable.
Hello!! I'm in college for teaching band/orchestra and hoping to eventually get into professional conducting. I've noticed there's a distinct lack of women in the profession, at least on the instrumental side. It definitely seems to be a unspoken thing in instrumental music that women stick to the younger kids. What do you think we can do to help make instrumental conducting/teaching less intimidating for women to advance in? Do you have any specific tips for women (or anyone) entering the field? Is there a way to make myself stand out against the other candidates besides networking and practice? I understand if you don't want to answer this question as I can see how it would be controversial, but thanks for doing this!	I hate that it's still common for some of the old guard to disparage female conductors. Conducting is a hard profession as it is anyway, but those that persevere will definitely make it. Definitely reach out to Marin Alsop, Joann Falletta - they really go out of their way to support female conductors. Orchestras will eat conductors alive, so it's key to know how to gain their respect.
	This 27 year old conducted NY Phil and the flute player asked, do you want me to play it this way or this other way. The conductor said, the other way. The flutist snapped back, I played it the other way before and you didn't say anything, were you even listening?
	Some conductors might have flinched, but he just laughed and said, "no, i didn't hear what you played, but i'm glad you brought it up." he gained the respect of the orchestra and they just got back to work.
	There will still be people that disparage you - for being young, or being female, or being short, or not using a baton or whatever. But as long as you know your stuff, have a good working relationship with them, and don't waste their time - all that will go away. Ultimately they want to work with somebody that's not going to waste their time and who is going to get stuff done. After that, they won't care about anything else!
What's your favorite piece/composer to conduct? Anything you'd like to conduct but have never gotten the chance? Anything you see on a program and go "Ugghhhhhhhh"?	Prokofiev Romeo and Juliet - so much color and power. The last scene, the death of Juliet, is so amazing.
	There are hundreds of pieces I've never conducted yet, gotta do them all ;)
	There are certainly pieces that are fun to conduct but I don't want to hear in concert. But more often it's the the performance isn't engaging. Even if it's a piece I wouldn't think to listen to but it's an amazing performance, it'll be great!
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Is there a rule that when conducting pieces from a ballet sans dancers you have to conduct it at an absurd speed that would give anyone who ever danced it a heart attack?	Actually, SF Ballet was on tour to NYC and we were doing a piece that they were doing, but a completely different choreography. The NYCB dancers heard our tempo and completely freaked out - they immediately came out and were like that's utterly impossible to dance to! Heh, that was fun.
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I can not remember when SF ballet came here. Anyways, and on top of that NYCB is already too fast since Balanchine is the F1 of ballet.	Did you or do you dance currently? It's a notorious battle between musicians/conductors and dancers about tempi like you mention. A hint that I'll mention is that musicians tend to prefer to be too fast when working with dancers than too slow. If it's too slow it kills the dancers, whereas if it's too fast they can leave out something. Obviously neither are ideal and I love collaborating and trying to really connect to what is going on on stage. But yes, many ballet conductors are told "if you miss a tempo, better to be too fast than too slow." (for what it's worth)
Forgive me if this seems ignorant, but I'd like to ask, with each person playing their instrument and having a sheet in front of them, what is the role of a conductor? Do you point towards the people you want to take the lead in a particular verse, and then point up or down depending on the volume and tone you want them to play at?	Just answered a similar question above! But I'll also add that professional orchestras often put together music very quickly. A normal pace is the week of the concerts (3-5 rehearsals). There are many concerts, especially pops or education concerts, which have only a single rehearsal! So a conductor is needed to ensure that the process is efficient.
	Yes, cuing (pointing or gesturing towards certain instruments) is an important part of conducting. As mentioned in the other comment, the musicians have the music in front of them. It might say to play loud, but how are they to play loud? Aggressive and with force? Warm and comforting? Brilliant and bright? The conductor and our gestures help convey the style of the music.
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[deleted]	It has to do with perception of weight often. Gesturing with a very tight intense arm will imply aggression. If you hold your arms like you're holding something, like a pumpkin in implies a weight that will imply a certain type of tone that is warmer, fuller, richer. If your hands are palms down and relatively higher, like elevated near your face, it's like they're floating. You might imply a more ethereal, lighter sound in that manner.
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Not always gestures - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=G7_6Z33eCaY (a video I watched a number of times - always get a kick out of the expressions)	Hey man, with masks on during performances and rehearsals I have to work on my eyebrow gestures too... :D
How did you find your calling?	I was on a choir tour in undergrad (as a piano major) and we were giving our 7th concert out of something like 14 concerts. So the same repertoire each time that we had been working on for months. However, this performance was transformative. One of the works was a Ukrainian carol and this seventh performance happened to be at a Ukrainian church with a large Ukrainian population. We realized they all knew the carol we were singing and there was something transformed in the performance. The entire room, audience, performers, conductor were fully in the performance together. I realized at that point that the conductor was the conduit for the energy in the room - it was the start of my love of conducting.
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Was it Shchedryk?	That wasn't the particular piece but we did have a version of Carol of the Bells that we performed. I actually don't remember the song itself, but it was a holiday song about girls singing and rocking their dolls?
How much do you get to override the arranger? Like if something just isn't working for your players, can/do you rewrite some measures here and there to keep everybody happy?	Yes, that happens a lot with new works or pop pieces. Sometimes if you get a poor arranger they write something that's not playable for the instrument. So if the arranger or composer isn't there, the conductor and player can change the music. Sometimes we have to make interpretive decisions, that even still happens with composers like Beethoven. The instruments during Beethoven's time didn't have the full range of today's instruments and sometimes he wrote awkward things for them to play to adjust. But if those instruments had the full range, it's obvious he would have just written it how he wanted it. So you can choose to do what is currently written, or what you think Beethoven would have actually wanted.
Doing concerts and traveling a lot, how do you balance that with family life, having pets, hobbies, ...?	Honestly it's REALLY hard. Many very famous conductors who are on the road have horrible personal lives. Luckily I have/had a good balance between concerts near my home and traveling. My wife likes to bring up at dinner parties when I left for Paris for five weeks only a month after our second child was born. But I have many mornings free and early parts of the week so I see the kids to school for drop off and am involved with their school a bit as well.
	As for hobbies, I'm a sucker for restaurants/drinks so that works really well for travel. And if it's a particularly long trip and things make sense regarding school, oftentimes people have their families travel with them.
	Obviously everything's changed now and I'm home almost 24/7. I'm WAY more stir crazy as it's a drastic lifestyle change for me. But managing, like everybody else - chatting for this IAMA helps ;)
When the DJ says to "put your hands in the air" and "wave them around like you just don't care", do you join in? Or is that considered taking your work home with you?	man, but i wave them around like i do care. :p
Since you're a conductor and there is a pandemic going on, how do you continue your career from your home? I mean, I don't know an app that has zero latency for musicians to communicate and play along, so everyone needs to record their own tracks and send them to an arranger in order to have a clean recording. So we don't need a conductor in this case, right? Is there a way that you can continue as a conductor? If there is none, are you playing an instrument or are you doing the arranging?	Conducting in the traditional sense in Covid time is impossible. There's just no way for a large group of people/instrumentalists to actually play together. Too many issues with people's internet speeds, the delay of processing, actual distance, etc. All the videos you see online of virtual performances are artificial. They're not following the conductor, they're following a click track or a recording they're listening to (hence all the headphones). But Music Directors do more than just conduct, there's a lot of administrative responsibilities so we're still generally employed.
Thank you so much for doing this AMA! I am an undergrad for music ed. My goal is to be a choral director for advanced or professional choirs. I also hope to get involved in the musical theater scene. Do you have any experience working with choir or theater? How does your conducting style change when there is no orchestra? Do you change your style for ballet or opera? How much do you deviate from the traditional conducting pattern? I notice a lot of high level conductors rarely just beat time unless there is something of importance. Do you have any advice for someone starting down this path? P.s I would love if I could get the chance to chat live(or by email) about your thoughts around music and covid.	I actually started in choral and symphonic choral conducting! Yes, conducting for ballet/opera is completely different, especially opera, because your function is hyper critical. You're trying to align the sounds from the stage, which could be 40 feet away from you, with the sounds of the orchestra below the stage. It's really thrilling to do. In general the conductor needs to be of greatest service to the ensemble. So with professional orchestras, they need something very different than amateur or student groups. Opera orchestras need something different than choirs. So your conducting will change greatly.
	I deviate a lot from conducting patterns and would suggest practicing musical gestures first. I used to practice conducting patterns a lot and it's hard to break that as a default. Since you want to portray the music, it's good to connect to musical gestures too.
	Sure, I'm happy to chat - since my website is up in the proof section (www.mingluke.com), just email me through there.
If I (with basically no knowledge of classical music, other than being able to recognise some pieces from adverts) listened to the same piece of music conducted by three different people, would I be able to discern a difference? I assume you would be able to? Linked to that, I'm curious about whether conductors have their own discernible styles; would you be able to identify a particular conductor on hearing, for the first time, a particular piece conducted by them?	Yes! Definitely I think you'd be able to tell the difference. Obviously with more exposure, elements of each work would start to stand out more. But there are very different versions out there of various works.
	Listen to Shostakovich's String Quartet No. 8 - the heavy metal movement:
	Example 1 - Manic and out of control (deliberately so)
	Example 2 - tragic and depressing
	The first example is deliberately so fast and out of control, the playing is angular and aggressive. The second is much slower and really with (deliberately) better tone but still intense.
	It depends what affect you're looking to achieve - even the same conductor will change the way they approach a work each time they do it.
Are you also a musician? Did you go to college? What did you study?	Went to grad school and undergrad for music. Grad school was conducting, undergrad was piano pedagogy and music education. Piano was my main instrument and I still play a bit today. But had some tendinitis issues so I try to limit my playing!
	I also play violin and in the past used to sit in a community orchestra... and complain about how much conductors talk. ;)
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I'm a budding pianist so I had to ask this, can you tell me how you had the issue? I want to try and avoid that in the future!	Seriously take rests part of every hour. Remember that the pain you might feel in your wrist is the friction from inflammation. When you're having pain in your wrists and after advil you feel better, that's when it's healing, not that it's actually healed yet. Just like anything, it's building in the habits of resting enough, even if you think you don't need it. You do. And going to type at the computer is not giving your fingers/arms a rest. Those things! Hyper important!
What's the opera house or concert hall that's on your wishlist to conduct, and what opera house/concert hall impressed you the most?	Bolshoi theater in Moscow was one of my favorites. Amazing history and orchestra. The sound from the pit was so powerful and live.
	I've never conducted in the concertgebouw - would love to conduct there!
Reading up on John Cage, he apparently had some difficulties with some orchestras. He describes Bernstein as not getting what he and Feldman and others were doing and just allowing each member of the orchestra to improvise whatever they wanted was basically the same thing. And how members of the orchestra destroyed some of the equipment he had purchased for them to use (contact mics, etc). This was all in the late '50s, if I recall, but even in the '70s and '80s he had to stipulate in writing a minimum amount of practice time or he would withdraw the piece because apparently orchestras would assume that they could just wing it when it came to his music and not practice it ahead of time. I assume things are better now -- especially with Cage -- but do you run into pieces that some members of orchestras rebel against even if in minor ways? Do you conduct much music in that more avant-garde/experimental vein? How have audience reactions to this kind of music evolved over the years? Is it the essentially the same? Does location matter (thinking the LA Phil and SF Phil vs more conservative places) the most?	Oh god, it's actually NOT often better. There are conductors and orchestras that despise playing new music, even those that are known for doing new works. Sometimes composers are really given very little rehearsal time, or players complain about how the part is written.
	I absolutely LOVE new music - it's not only discovering what the composer is saying, but also learning the musical voice of a composer. This is different than in Beethoven's time as Beethoven, Mozart, Haydn were all writing within a certain style. Today's composers are finding their musical voices in addition to figuring out what to say about their works.
	But I'm not known as a new works conductor so I rarely get asked to do new works. I think that audiences sometimes are scared of new works, but if an organization or a conductor really embraces it and shows why these works are important, than that goes a long way to making it exciting for audiences.
Is there a particular section of an orchestra that you are not a "fan" of? I went to college as a piano major (did not work out, too competitive and I wasn't dedicated enough) and I had a personal beef with the french horns.	Are you trying to get me killed. I love ALL the instrument groups in the orchestra. Equally. Because, you know, if I didn't, I'd be in trouble. Especially the bassoons. :p
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As a trombonist I can confirm the answer is the trombone section. We think every note is a solo and Interpret every dynamic marking as triple-mother-forte.	Never look at the trombones... it only encourages them... (Strauss)
I've been to an outdoor performance of the 1812 Overture with real cannons, what weird instrument have you pointed your baton for conduction and direction? And how could you communicate to someone firing a cannon that you'd want more emotion from their performance? :)	Cannons are always the top for weird instruments. But the vibraslap (flexatone) is a favorite of mine for fun instruments. You can hear it in this recording.
During the performance, the conductor is, of course, God. But before that, do you have to listen to the stage managers like the rest of the mortals?	Always listen to the stage managers... :) some of my favorite people.
	Actually, once my vest came undone and the stage manager came rushing out on stage after me to fix it... the audience got a laugh out of that...
As a conductor, how big an influence do you have on the final performance. Would you be able to recognize the conductor based on their "signature style" when hearing a piece of music being performed?	There are some stylistic traits that might be identifiable, but the ensemble has SO much to do with the sound. Chicago Symphony was famous for their brass, Vienna has a very famous overall sound. Simon Rattle once did a Beethoven cycle with Berlin and London at the same time - the two recordings are very different!
Have you ever conducted a combination of two music pieces?	Yes! Some pieces were meant to be played on top of each other. I forget the piece, but one piece is actually supposed to be the sounds of a cell phone and conversation interrupting another.
	But some pieces are meant to sound like two pieces played at the same time - Charles Ives was famous for that. He lived in the center of a small town that had two marching bands. The bands, to avoid bothering each other, would play on opposite sides of the town. However, where Ives lived he could hear both bands. So he often wrote music to sound like two pieces played at the same time that had nothing to do with each other.
University viola student here and I found we actually happen to have mutual friends on Facebook LOL. Music world is small. Anyways I wanted to ask some things about what you listen for during auditions. I’ve heard many things from my teachers and other musicians who have been on the audition panel about what THEY listen for but haven’t heard all that much about what the conductors themselves are looking for. -What can make an audition positively stand out from the rest? -Are there any automatic giveaways that someone auditioning has what you are looking for or vice versa? And how long do you have to listen for you to know? Edit: One more question- Best viola joke you know?	You're a violist so you already know all the best jokes! But of course, my favorite is that this violist ran up to the conductor whining and said, "maestro - my stand partner detuned one of my strings!!" the conductor said, "man that's childish, oh well, sorry to hear about that." the violist whined again and said, "you don't understand the worst part - he didn't tell me which one!!!"
	The Met Opera is doing masterclasses and often on audition prep:
	https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89618549528?pwd=cXNlSE44c1pHTmlCUThGR09LNGREZz09
	July 15 11am EST. This is the cello/bass masterclass as the viola has already passed. But yes, feel free to watch.
	Auditions are brutal. Seriously. Single mistakes are perfectly fine, unless there's a hint of some systemic issue. Most people want to hear personality and a deep understanding of the music in excerpts.
Other than orchestras and music groups simply trying to convert ticket sales to "live stream" events, or "zoom" concerts, are you hearing or seeing any examples of new trends or innovations in "live" performances amid/post COVID? Classical/new music concert-going will be forever changed. Out here in Boston, my partner is still deeply mourning the personal and professional loss of what would have been a pretty baller 20/21 season. I'm so saddened for all my colleagues and friends in the performing arts. I suspect many won't be able to recover.	It's so tough because the power of music is the direct communication, not only with the audience but with the other players. I have no idea what trends will continue but everybody agrees that zoom and other virtual programming seem much more temporary fixes than industry changes. Unless there's a way to have truly simultaneous playing virtually it'll be impossible to have actual performances together.
	It's really just a tough time for everybody - something like 40% of restaurants have permanently closed because of COVID. My best it to try to keep people involved and excited about music. Hopefully we'll get back to performing sooner than later. It's hard to hear about orchestras in New Zealand and Europe already returning when in the US it looks like we won't be there for at least another year (for performances).
My perspective is the work of the conductor is making sure the piece is interpreted correctly by the orchestra. Making sure the orchestra is playing it flawlessly as a unit and also that the notes and timing are correct. What we see on stage is mostly theater. How far off am I?	Very close! The only difference it that there are many ways to interpret a piece, so the conductor decides the artistic vision of that particular performance. Orchestras often keep different sets for the same piece since conductors will have different approaches to the work.
	The conductor is essential during the performances too though. It can be very hard for orchestra members to hear across the stage and there's still a lot of flexibility that happens in performances. There IS a lot of theater and show during the performance, but lots of practical need too.
I keep going back to the recording of Klaus Makela conducting the Oslo Philharmonic Orchestra on the Ninth Symphony. He seems to express such affection for the musicians and (at least to my eye) seems to be connecting deeply. Am I over-romanticizing this, or is this anywhere near the experience for an experienced conductor? The filming of the performance was wonderful as well! https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=QkQapdgAa7o&t=1674s	The connection with the orchestra is utterly key. If you don't have the trust and respect from the orchestra, they will literally try to ignore you. The best performances, at least to me, are those where the orchestra and instrumentalists truly respect each other and work together for the performances. It really is one of the most critical things!
Favorite choral pieces written in the 21st century?	Oh I'm such a sucker for a cappella like Eric Whitacre's Sleep.
I play the violin. I dream of being an orchestra conductor since I was little. My idol is Gustavo Dudamel since we are from the same country. Any advice on how to be a conductor?	Learn your instrument as best you can and just be as curious as you can be. Try to ask conductors for their advice and try to emulate the ones that the orchestras respect. Learn as much about music history, theory, orchestration, etc. as you can!
Favorite funny memory from a performance/rehearsal?	I was conducting Giselle (ballet) for the first time and there was a hunting scene with two dogs in it. In the middle of the scene they just start having sex - the audience went nuts. They were laughing so much that the orchestra couldn't even hear themselves play (and couldn't see what was going on). Best part was the ballet artistic director was so mad that at intermission he went backstage and fired one of the dogs...
What is the most satisfying part of your job?	There are moments in the concert where everything goes right. The intonation, alignment, the way everybody plays together, a particularly beautiful solo from a player. Those are my favorite moments.
How does one get to carnegie hall?	To perform? You just rent it out - it's actually a common rental and I can say I "performed" there when I was like 13 or so and also gave a piano performance in one of the smaller rooms at age 18.
Who were the conductor you were influenced by?	Kleiber's musicianship and ease of conducting. Bernstein's infectious buoyant energy. Simon Rattle's curiosity and joy.
This just popped up in my feed so I hope it’s not too late to ask a question. With the autonomy that conductors have (urgency of a crescendo example); how close do you feel modern day renditions of the classics are to say a Mozart or Beethoven’s vision of their original piece?	Period performances, which is the practice of trying to recreate as much as possible the original performance practices of Mozart's and Beethoven's day is a whole field of classical music. Instruments have greatly changed since that time and the range and strength of instruments have increased in the modern day. So right away modern orchestras have a different sound. There are some orchestras, like the Vienna Philharmonic, who are considered the authority for how Mozart and Beethoven should be performed. But there really are different ways of approaching their works. Beethoven's metronome markings are notoriously weird, people even speculate it was broken they're so off from what seems normal. So a lot of debate!
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Thank you so much for your response and this AMA. I totally get your point about the evolution of instruments, if I could ask you one more question regarding that; how would you reconcile today’s instruments and said advancements to the unicorn of orchestra instruments, the “Strad”. Cellist hobbyist here and to the guy that questioned your intent on doing this AMA, screw him.	Eh, it's okay - the guy's a troll - his account is filled with him saying the same thing for various IAMAs - so not even worth getting worked up about it.
	Yes, with stringed instruments the old italians, bunch of french, and some germans are fantastic! But with some instruments, like basses, wind instruments, various brass instruments, a lot of changes have taken place over time. Even in Brahms' horn trio was written for natural horn, not the modern horn. And man, the tuba is still going through changes.
	Many modern high end string instruments are really fantastic instruments. And the difference between them and strads etc really isn't that much. Obviously strads have a marketing value and historic value. But as instruments, there are plenty that are very close.
How does one become an conductor? I’ve always wondered	Most people learn an instrument as best they can first. There typically aren't undergrad conducting programs - just grad programs. They have to learn music theory, history, and how each instrument works (but they don't have to know how to play them). If you take the responsibility to lead a group, you need to know everything about the piece you're conducting!
I listened to an interesting podcast recently in which somebody from an orchestra described some stereotypes about the musicians who play different instruments, with the violin players as prima donnas, the viola player as wannabe violin players and so on. How would you briefly describe the players of the major instrument groups?	Heh... a lot of those tend to be true... this is a cop out but I'm going to play nice and not stereotype orchestra sections too much. Except for the contrabassoon specialists... they're a special breed... j/k :p
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Hey now! Have you ever gotten to play a contrabasoon? I’m just saying it rattles something deep inside. It could change your life.	One of my closest friends is married to a contra player - heh :) I just like giving him a hard time. Beauty and Beast excerpt is so great too. And had a crush on a contra player when i was younger, man, she was good with a knife :p
Hi maestro, I’m a composer and have lots of questions. In your career, what have been the most challenging pieces to tackle and why? Which pieces have required the most workshopping with the orchestra? What are the biggest sins a musician can commit and have you ever had to fire somebody? Have you ever heard this piece? I’ve always wanted to get a conductor’s take. And finally, what’s the most underrated ballet and why?	I think the word challenging can be taken in two different ways - one could be technically/practically challenging, the other could be musically challenging. Practically, works with a lot of changing meter but also shifting emphases often are difficult. John Adams is famous for music that doesn't sound like the meter that it's written in. Some of those works are pretty challenging. Musically it's all over the place - even Mozart can be difficult to get musically satisfying!
	Musicians need to prepare their parts and be ready to work on orchestra. While I've never fired people during a concert, I've definitely stopped hiring people or removed them from the orchestra for not preparing (multiple times).
	I love Zappa!!!
	Most underrated ballet - it's hard because there are ones that are audience favorites, but all the new works out there can be absolutely amazing. There's a work called Hummingbird by Liam Scarlett that I absolutely love!!
Do you think you can be good with dance pad with your legs?	I'm actually notoriously terrible with dancing! Conductors aren't supposed to move their feet so perhaps I lost some ability there.
Do you wave your hands when you talk on the phone?	AND pace. I find it pretty annoying that I can't sit still when talking on the phone... it's really bothersome...

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[Next-Day Discussion Thread] Atalanta 1-2 PSG (UEFA Champions League - Quarterfinals)

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UEFA: "Tuchel's side pull off stunning late comeback."

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Paris Match - Metro - YouTube