Yearly Archives: 2023
This Prominent Woman Conductor Isn’t All That Interested In The Gender Issue
Simone Young: "What does being a woman have to do with conducting? My tits don't get in the way. ... And it is maestro,...
Appreciating Burt Bacharach
Bacharach may have been a uniter, not a divider, but surely it’s easy to hear the complexity underneath that ease. The unpredictability and the...
A Second-Day, Six-Point Look At Australia’s New Cultural Policy
"1. It is a truth universally acknowledged that democratic governments who produce National Cultural Policies sound decidedly naff. Sorry, but there's no escaping it....
Hirshhorn Museum Hits The Reality TV World With An Artist Competition
The program, which starts March 3, focuses on seven rising artists from around the country who were selected by Hirshhorn curators. Each week, the...
For The Sake Of “Moral And Spiritual Values,” The Kremlin Fires The Tretyakov Gallery’s...
Two weeks ago, following an alleged complaint from a visitor about art with a "destructive ideology." Russia's Ministry of Culture demanded that the Moscow...
Two Major Maestro Appointments This Month: What They Tell Us About The Orchestra Business
Both Lahav Shani and Gustavo Dudamel are safe choices. Musicians and audiences feel comfortable with them. Unfortunately, challenging programs will probably be rare. - Van
Marianne Mantell, Co-Creator of The Audiobook Industry (Yes, Really), Is Dead At 93
At age 23, she and college pal Barbara Holdridge launched Caedmon Records with an LP of Dylan Thomas reading A Child's Christmas in Wales....
New Voices And A New Aesthetic At Hubbard Street Dance Chicago
Linda-Denise Fisher-Harrell, the company's new artistic director: "I could have said, 'Oh, I'm throwing everything out,' but I don't think that's smart. ... (Yet)...
Actors’ Equity Makes Its Open Access Membership Program Permanent
"(The policy allows) any non-union theater worker to join who can demonstrate that they have worked professionally as an actor or stage manager within...
The Smithsonian Is Doing A Reality Show Competition — On MTV — For Artists
"The Smithsonian's Hirshhorn Museum and Sculpture Garden is teaming up with MTV Studios to create the six episode docuseries The Exhibit: Finding the Next...
Hollywood Appears Headed For A Writers’ Strike. At Issue: The Streaming Economy
"The Writers Guild of America's current contract expires on May 1, and the industry is bracing for a major battle, and what could be...
The Strike At HarperCollins Appears To Be Settled
"HarperCollins Publishers and the union representing around 250 striking employees reached a tentative agreement providing increases to entry level salaries. If union members ratify...
Philadelphia Folk Festival Cancels This Year’s Edition, Says It’s Broke
"The Philadelphia Folksong Society is teetering on bankruptcy and won't put on its annual festival this summer for the first time in more than...
Nezet-Seguin Talks About His Next Chapter
Now in his 11th season as music director, he’s hired 23 new musicians and commissioned 37 works, including from composers of different cultures, backgrounds,...
Canada’s CBC Is Heading To A Digital-First Future, Says Its President
“If we’re going to be audience first we have to be digital first. We get up every day and say, ‘What do our audiences...
New Numbers: North America Is No Longer Netflix’s Biggest Market
Europe, the Middle East and Africa (EMEA) quietly became the streamer’s biggest region in terms of subscribers, overtaking the combined user figure for the...
New Research: Vermeer’s Major Patron Was A Woman
The identity of Vermeer’s patron is of vital importance, since they purchased half of the artist’s entire oeuvre, at least 20 paintings. Equally significantly,...
Disney Will Reduce Spending On “Content” By $3 Billion
Disney still expects its content spending to remain “in the low $30 billion range” for fiscal 2023. - The Hollywood Reporter
The New Zealand Government Just Boosted Its Culture Funding. So How Will It Be...
While this Ministry of Culture and Heritage announcement is money already in the kitty for the sector’s from the COVID recovery fund rather...
Why There’s Such A Fuss Over Andrea Riseborough’s Oscar Nomination: An Explainer
"(She) managed a surprise best-actress nomination last month that quickly turned from boon to boondoggle. It's the story everyone in Hollywood is talking about,...
We’re Learning Lots About How Brains Work. Here Are Three Misconceptions
From the myth that humans only use 10 percent of their brain to the idea that creativity and logic is a "right-brained" versus "left-brained" issue, there are many...
Righteous Anger, Rightly Directed: Edouard Louis’s Books About Working-Class Poverty And Pain
"Louis's depiction of poverty is more radical in its honesty. Deprivation doesn't just cause pain and hunger; it also fosters hostility. Circumstances warp behavior....
Is It Time To Rethink The Idea Of States In America? (Do Mega-Cities Make...
The modern U.S. economy is really made up of metropolitan regions, not states whose boundaries are arbitrary compared to local economies. A 2009 study...
How American Not-For-Profit Theatres Fared In 2021: A Look At The Numbers
"Sharp reductions in expenses coupled with large growth in government contributions and investments kept theatres afloat. ... As audiences return to live performances, theatres...
America’s Theatres Are Struggling After COVID
"The key question is, what are the things that are being done in order to emerge from the pandemic in a sustainable way?" said...
