The Philharmonic and Carnegie Hall Call Off Merger: This is a good thing for the music audience in New York, since this way the great concerts by visiting orchestras at Carnegie Hall will continue (it's not clear that Lincoln Center would have been as desirable a venue for them). And, while creating a hall with good acoustics still seems to be something of a black art, I'm optimistic that the Philharmonic will learn from past mistakes and find a way to fix Avery Fisher Hall. Good stuff.