“Twenty-two of the new list (44%) are women, a considerable advance on the blokeish 2013 squad. How has that been achieved? One factor is a marked increase in the number of philosophers, up this time from four to 14 (28%) to improbably make philosophy the second best-represented subject behind economics, which boasts a spectacular proportion.”
Archives for March 2014
The Paper Versus EBooks Debate Is A Waste Of Time (Isn’t It?)
“Until a digital book is a magical object which physically transforms from 50 Shades into the new James Smythe novel according to your whim; until you can walk through a digital library and open books at random; until the technology becomes as satisfying to the physical senses as the text is to the cognitive self, there’s still a need for shiny, gorgeous, satisfying books.”
Why Hire One Music Director When You Can Hire Two?
The Westchester Philharmonic: “While the leadership arrangement is unusual, its contours have become clearer in recent weeks as next season’s programming takes shape. Mr. Laredo and Mr. Sperling will each conduct two concerts — a fifth conducting slot will be filled by a guest — and both will have substantial sway over the choice of material and soloists.”
Dancer Wendy Whelen To Leave NY City Ballet After 30 Years
“It’s exactly like a 30-year circle,” said Ms. Whelan, 46, who joined City Ballet as an apprentice in 1984 and went on to become a prima ballerina and to create roles in new ballets by choreographers including Christopher Wheeldon, Twyla Tharp and Alexei Ratmansky, among others.
This Year’s Winners Of The Met Opera National Auditions
This season more than 1,500 aspiring singers participated in the Metropolitan Opera National Council Auditions, thought to be the most prestigious voice competition in the field.
New Interactive Site Lets You Create Your Own Symphonies
“Each letter of the alphabet gets mapped to a unique sound and a playful animation. Holding down a key plays both the sound and the accompanying visual on repeat; smashing several at once layers everything into more complex soundscapes.”
Geoff Dyer Had A Stroke At 55. It Changed How He Sees Himself
So no, nothing had gone permanently wrong in my head, or at least nothing had gone wrong that had not been in the process of going wrong for a while, but I now regarded my head and the brain snuggled warmly inside it in a new and vulnerable way.
The Other Levine Boy (James’s Little Brother)
“Tom Levine’s works are represented in the collections of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the Museum of Modern Art, the Whitney Museum of American Art and the National Gallery of Art in Washington. His paintings sell for between $10,000 and $25,000.”
The Importance Of Selfies In Art History
“It’s hard to understand why self-portraits, as a genre, have until now been so little discussed. They include some of the greatest works of all time.”
Houston Grand Opera: Bucking The Trend And Succeeding
Since the 2009-2010 season it has seen its attendances grow by 24%. The secret: a growing reputation among opera-lovers, cemented by…
Glenn Gould Foundation Salutes Robert Lepage
The Glenn Gould Foundation congratulates Robert Lepage, Tenth Glenn Gould Prize Laureate. Director, playwright, actor – he is one of the world’s most honoured theatre artists. Your brilliance inspires us. [read more]
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.30.14
More Troubles For DIA-Detroit
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts | Published 2014-03-30
The Talking Cure, Part II (discussion and debate)
AJBlog: We The Audience | Published 2014-03-30
English director provokes German storm by supporting opera cuts
AJBlog: Slipped Disc | Published 2014-03-30
Woman’s Point of View from a Tough-Guy Novelist
AJBlog: Straight|Up | Published 2014-03-30
What’s the Matter With San Diego, and a Deadly Impostor
AJBlog: CultureCrash | Published 2014-03-27
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Philip Roth Really Loves His Retirement From Writing
“Everybody has a hard job. All real work is hard. My work happened also to be undoable. Morning after morning for 50 years, I faced the next page defenceless and unprepared. Writing for me was a feat of self-preservation. If I did not do it, I would die”
Are (American) Orchestras Closing The Gender Gap?
“People are apt to hire people who are more like themselves. Ten to 15 years ago, (orchestra) boards were mostly all male. Now they’re mixed. I think that has created a positive evolutionary change.”
Bach Fans Want To Save His Weimar House From A Parking Lot
Bach fans “are campaigning to buy the site, under which the foundations of Bach’s house remain under heritage protection, and to rebuild the house the composer moved to with his pregnant wife when he was 23.”
When The Delaware Art Museum Decided Survival Trumped Its Core Mission
“When the bank called the museum’s bluff last year, demanding full repayment, leaders scrambled to restructure the debt, partner with another arts institution, transform the museum’s operating model and persuade donors with deep pockets to rescue the institution. All attempts failed.”
Why The Effing Eff Do We Censor The News?
“Even when certain words are necessary to the understanding of a story, the media frequently resort to euphemisms or coy acrobatics that make stories read as if they were time capsules written decades ago, forcing us all into wink-wink-nudge-nudge territory.”
Cincinnati Chamber Orchestra’s Board May Be Questioning Its Future
“We want to ask our audience, do people really care? We’d like to think that what we do is better than a lot of the competition out there. We deliver high-quality music, and we have great musicians. We think we have a reason to be here.”
What Does A Literary Writer Read As A Guilty Pleasure?
“Do you realize that asking writers to pick favorite writers causes us physical pain — like asking a 5-year-old to name her bestest best friend while the rest of the class is listening?”
The BBC Doesn’t Serve Black Comedians? Fine, They’ll Make It On YouTube
“The internet is a great opportunity for black comedy, Asian comedy and frankly anybody who wants to get their work on TV but cannot get through the gatekeepers.”
New March Madness Idea: Set Shakespeare Against Himself
“Here’s some comedy: Twelfth Night over The Tempest. Are you crazy? Who’s gonna stop Prospero when he’s in the zone? Viola? The Duke? Malvolio? Malvolio??
British Theatre And Studios Destroyed By Fire
“We looked round and saw smoke pouring out of the corner of the theatre. We went running over with a fire extinguisher, thought ‘well maybe it’s just a small fire’, went in and the whole building was just well alight.”
A Show At First Hailed For Diversity Now Gets Called Out For Its Lack
“Some say Kaling is being unfairly singled out and held to a higher standard because of her ethnic background. Shows with predominantly white casts, such as CBS’ ‘The Big Bang Theory’ or HBO’s ‘Veep,’ are rarely asked about including multi-ethnic characters.”
What’s Really Going On At Kevin O’Hare’s Royal Ballet?
“Can O’Hare’s dazzling company be related to the Royal Ballet which had Equity banging on his door complaining that the dancers were overworked, let alone the company from which glittering principals Tamara Rojo and Alina Cojocaru defected to the rival English National Ballet?”
Dynamic Pricing Actually Means Theatres Doing Their Own Scalping
“After all, scalping—or price-gouging, if you prefer—already works for airlines and sports teams and hotels and Broadway shows and nobody seems to complain—at least, not those that can afford them. And furthermore, like it or not, pretty soon everybody will be doing it. So hey, why fight it?”