AJ Four Ways: Text Only (by date) | headlines only
DANCE
IDEAS
- AJ Chronicles: “Future Vision” and what the Boston Symphony signaled this week
The Boston Symphony’s board didn’t fire Andris Nelsons as its music director. Not exactly. They declined to renew his contract because he and the BSO weren’t “aligned on future vision” — the board’s own words, offered without apology. Not artistic differences. Not budget. Not performance. Future vision. That phrase is doing a lot of work here, and it’s worth thinking about, because it signals a structural institutional shift, one that appears, in different vocabulary, in many of the stories in arts and culture this week. - Good Morning
This Week’s Highlights:
Two stories from opposite ends of the cultural economy landed this week that belong next to each other. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a $110 billion merger — one of the biggest media deals in history — that would combine CBS, CNN, HBO, and Discovery under a single roof (The Wall Street Journal). The same week, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre cut 14 staff positions and paused education programs due to cash flow problems (The Seattle Times), DePaul University announced it’s closing its art museum (Hyperallergic), and Indianapolis closed its high-tech immersive art space after a five-year run (The Indianapolis Star). Antitrust lawyers began arguing in federal court that Live Nation’s grip on music ticketing and venues amounts to an illegal monopoly (The New York Times).
Meanwhile, culture kept functioning as a proxy for geopolitical repositioning. Russia returned to the Venice Biennale for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine (The New York Times) — while exiled Belarusian theatre brought dissident work to the same venue (Artnet). The Berlinale’s speech controversies prompted serious questions about whether Germany can run major cultural events at all (The New York Times). Who gets to show up, and under what terms, turns out to be a question with no clean answer anywhere right now.
Finally, here’s my essay connecting stories of the past week to larger trends in arts and culture. This week, did you notice the wording the Boston Symphony used in deciding not to renew music director Andris Nelsons’ contract? It signals a shift in power in orchestras (and more broadly across cultural institutions). You can read it here on my blog Diacritical.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Andris Nelsons Out As Music Director Of The Boston Symphony
“The decision to not renew his contract was made by the BSO’s board of trustees because, beyond our shared desire to ensure our orchestra continues to perform at the highest levels, the BSO and Andris Nelsons were not aligned on future vision,” the BSO said in a statement from its trustees and CEO Chad Smith. – AP
- Ukrainian musical mosaics in New York City
The seventh annual Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival returns to The DiMenna Center for Classical Music on March 19–21, 2026 with a three-day celebration of new music from Ukraine.
This year’s festival explores “Mosaics” — the rich diversity of peoples, places, and musical practices that make up Ukraine’s cultural identity today.
Opening night on March 19th, focuses on Ukrainian places, will be presented by the esteemed International Contemporary Ensemble and will feature a world premiere co-commissioned arrangement from composer Anna Korsun. Exploring the relationship between geography and imagination, portraying how Ukraine’s vast and varied landscapes shape the sonic imagination of its composers.
Our second concert on March 20th, will highlight Ukraine’s diverse peoples. Celebrating the many ethnic and cultural voices that make up Ukraine’s history. Highlighting works that reflect Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Hutsul, and jewish influences. Of note, this year’s composer-in-residence, Alla Zahaykevych’s Rituel for voice and electronics.
Closing the festival on March 21st, our long-time friends The Rhythm Method celebrate the diversity of Ukrainian composing practices with an all-string quartet program. This program will showcase how experimentation, reflection, and spirituality coexist in Ukrainian musical practices. Works include Turkevych’s String Quartet No. 1, Zahaykevych’s String Quartet No. 2, Loginov’s sleep during insomnia, Zavhorodnii’s Music That Leaves Itself, Valentyn Sylvestrov’s Icon, and Hanna Havrylets’s For Maria.
Join us at The DiMenna Center on March 19-21, 2026. Tickets can be purchased through our website at ucmfnyc.com/mosaics
- Good Morning
At the top of today’s news are some prominent orchestra departures. Andris Nelsons is out as music director of the Boston Symphony, and the orchestra is making no secret — bluntly — of why his contract won’t be renewed. (AP)
The Kennedy Center keeps finding new ways to unravel. A congresswoman filed suit in federal court Friday to block the closure (The Hill), and the same day the National Symphony Orchestra’s top official announced she’s leaving — “It’s no secret that this has been a really hard year” (The New York Times). The institution is coming apart from multiple directions at once.
DC’s cultural institutions aren’t the only ones losing their watchdogs. The Washington Post’s theater critic seat has been empty since layoffs, and DC theater companies are left with a question that won’t go away: make art for critics, or just make art? (American Theatre). On the AI front, an autonomous agent — rejected by a human coder — apparently researched and published a personalized attack piece on him in retaliation (Undark). The Atlantic asks whether we should stop calling it “intelligence” at all (The Atlantic).
Scientists traced the wood in Stradivarius violins to a specific alpine valley in northern Italy — the same one that just hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympics (The New York Times). Even the trees have a history.
All of our stories below.
ISSUES
- The Giant Nude Woman In SF’s Embarcadero Plaza Will Be Staying All This Summer
“On Tuesday, March 4, commissioners voted to keep the temporary installation of ‘R-Evolution’ on display through October. The 48-foot-tall, steel-and-mesh figure of a naked woman by Petaluma artist Marco Cochrane was previously approved to be on view from mid-March 2025 to early March.” – San Francisco Chronicle (Yahoo!)
- Architect: What’s Wrong With Trump’s Grandiose Ballroom Design
“The net effect of this is to adversely impact what is the most important historic — the most identifiable historic — house in the entire United States. This is permanent, what it will do to the White House.” – AP
- Zaha Hadid’s Successor Wins Right To Rename Her Architecture Firm
Britain’s Court of Appeal has overruled a High Court judgement from 2024 over a licensing agreement which required the studio Zaha Hadid Architects to retain her name and pay a fee to use it. The ruling opens the door for current principal Patrick Schumacher to change the firm’s name or to renegotiate the contract. – Dezeen
- The British Museum Employee Who Stole More Than 300 Prints
“Nigel Peverett, who worked at the museum’s Department of Prints and Drawings in the early 1970s, had remained a ‘frequent visitor’ until one day in April 1992, when he was caught.” He was prosecuted, hospitalized after a suicide attempt, and got a suspended sentence. Amazingly, he kept his employee pension. – The Independent (UK)
- Russia Returns To Exhibiting At The Venice Biennale
Russia will host a pavilion at this year’s Venice Biennale, the world’s most important art event — the latest sign of the country’s will to end its pariah status in global cultural and sporting life amid the war in Ukraine. – The New York Times
MEDIA
- Congresswoman Files Suit To Stop Trump From Closing The Kennedy Center
Rep. Joyce Beatty (D-Ohio) on Friday filed a lawsuit asking a federal court to block President Trump from closing the Kennedy Center after he announced last month that it would shut down to allow for renovations. – The Hill
- Classic Reconsidered: Hudson’s Bay Coat Gets Historical Reality Check
That vintage striped coat commanding boutique prices? Turns out its colonial baggage is heavier than its wool. Fashion meets reckoning as shoppers discover their thrift store treasure carries more than just warmth. — The Walrus
- Mexico Sees Increasing Backlash Against Over-Tourism
“The Guardian visits Oaxaca, … where tourism has grown 77% since the pandemic and once-private family rituals such as the Day of the Dead are now big international parties. But with this opportunity comes a growing backlash across the country, as local people struggle with a cost-of-living crisis.” (video) – The Guardian
- Trump’s “Freedom Truck” Mobile Exhibitions Are Now On The Road
“As the U.S. gears up for the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence, President Donald Trump has dispatched six roving Freedom Truck exhibitions to crisscross the country. The first of 20 planned stops — mainly in the South, with forays to the Midwest, Arizona, and Utah — was last month in Nashville.” – Artnet
- LA’s Art Gold Rush Ends, Actual Work Begins
The carpetbaggers have packed their Hermès bags and fled back east. What remains? The unglamorous business of building a real art scene—one gallery lease and artist studio at a time. — Artnet
MUSIC
- When Your Reading List Becomes A High Score (Is That Good?)
LitHub explores how platforms like Letterboxd and Goodreads transform intimate cultural experiences into competitive metrics. Because apparently we can’t enjoy a book anymore without turning it into content for our personal brand. — Literary Hub
- Britain’s Daily Telegraph Bought By German Media Conglomerate Axel Springer
Axel Springer, which owns the German publications Bild and Die Welt and the US website group Politico, will pay £575 million ($766 million) for Telegraph Media Group. Springer intends to “turbocharge” the Telegraph’s expansion into the U.S. marker and to make it “the leading center-right media outlet in the English-speaking world.” – AP
- Why Dictionaries Still Matter
The book is formal and highly structured; it seems like something from another, vaguely bygone time. Still, dictionary editors have long paid close attention to how language is used and perused—in signs, in novels, in articles and pronouncements, and lately on the Web. – The Nation
- How A Scholar Stumbled On Handwritten Notes By Galileo
Historian Ivan Malara spotted notes, annotations and a Bible verse handwritten by the young Galileo circa 1590 in an early printed copy of the Almagest, the second-century C.E. treatise on astronomy by Ptolemy which placed the Earth at the center of the universe. – Smithsonian Magazine
- Colm Tóibín: Of Course AI Is A Threat To Creative Writing
“This idea [that] no machine could ever replace my sensibility, which is so rich, varied, complex, and arising from experience and from history – that’s all rubbish. You can actually manufacture that.” – The Conversation
PEOPLE
- AJ Chronicles: “Future Vision” and what the Boston Symphony signaled this weekThe Boston Symphony’s board didn’t fire Andris Nelsons as its music director. Not exactly. They declined to renew his contract because he and the BSO weren’t “aligned on future vision” — the board’s own words, offered without apology. Not artistic differences. Not budget. Not performance. Future vision. That phrase is doing a lot of work here, and it’s worth thinking about, because it signals a structural institutional shift, one that appears, in different vocabulary, in many of the stories in arts and culture this week.
- Good Morning
This Week’s Highlights:
Two stories from opposite ends of the cultural economy landed this week that belong next to each other. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a $110 billion merger — one of the biggest media deals in history — that would combine CBS, CNN, HBO, and Discovery under a single roof (The Wall Street Journal). The same week, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre cut 14 staff positions and paused education programs due to cash flow problems (The Seattle Times), DePaul University announced it’s closing its art museum (Hyperallergic), and Indianapolis closed its high-tech immersive art space after a five-year run (The Indianapolis Star). Antitrust lawyers began arguing in federal court that Live Nation’s grip on music ticketing and venues amounts to an illegal monopoly (The New York Times).
Meanwhile, culture kept functioning as a proxy for geopolitical repositioning. Russia returned to the Venice Biennale for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine (The New York Times) — while exiled Belarusian theatre brought dissident work to the same venue (Artnet). The Berlinale’s speech controversies prompted serious questions about whether Germany can run major cultural events at all (The New York Times). Who gets to show up, and under what terms, turns out to be a question with no clean answer anywhere right now.
Finally, here’s my essay connecting stories of the past week to larger trends in arts and culture. This week, did you notice the wording the Boston Symphony used in deciding not to renew music director Andris Nelsons’ contract? It signals a shift in power in orchestras (and more broadly across cultural institutions). You can read it here on my blog Diacritical.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Andris Nelsons Out As Music Director Of The Boston Symphony
“The decision to not renew his contract was made by the BSO’s board of trustees because, beyond our shared desire to ensure our orchestra continues to perform at the highest levels, the BSO and Andris Nelsons were not aligned on future vision,” the BSO said in a statement from its trustees and CEO Chad Smith. – AP
- Ukrainian musical mosaics in New York City
The seventh annual Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival returns to The DiMenna Center for Classical Music on March 19–21, 2026 with a three-day celebration of new music from Ukraine.
This year’s festival explores “Mosaics” — the rich diversity of peoples, places, and musical practices that make up Ukraine’s cultural identity today.
Opening night on March 19th, focuses on Ukrainian places, will be presented by the esteemed International Contemporary Ensemble and will feature a world premiere co-commissioned arrangement from composer Anna Korsun. Exploring the relationship between geography and imagination, portraying how Ukraine’s vast and varied landscapes shape the sonic imagination of its composers.
Our second concert on March 20th, will highlight Ukraine’s diverse peoples. Celebrating the many ethnic and cultural voices that make up Ukraine’s history. Highlighting works that reflect Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Hutsul, and jewish influences. Of note, this year’s composer-in-residence, Alla Zahaykevych’s Rituel for voice and electronics.
Closing the festival on March 21st, our long-time friends The Rhythm Method celebrate the diversity of Ukrainian composing practices with an all-string quartet program. This program will showcase how experimentation, reflection, and spirituality coexist in Ukrainian musical practices. Works include Turkevych’s String Quartet No. 1, Zahaykevych’s String Quartet No. 2, Loginov’s sleep during insomnia, Zavhorodnii’s Music That Leaves Itself, Valentyn Sylvestrov’s Icon, and Hanna Havrylets’s For Maria.
Join us at The DiMenna Center on March 19-21, 2026. Tickets can be purchased through our website at ucmfnyc.com/mosaics
- Good Morning
At the top of today’s news are some prominent orchestra departures. Andris Nelsons is out as music director of the Boston Symphony, and the orchestra is making no secret — bluntly — of why his contract won’t be renewed. (AP)
The Kennedy Center keeps finding new ways to unravel. A congresswoman filed suit in federal court Friday to block the closure (The Hill), and the same day the National Symphony Orchestra’s top official announced she’s leaving — “It’s no secret that this has been a really hard year” (The New York Times). The institution is coming apart from multiple directions at once.
DC’s cultural institutions aren’t the only ones losing their watchdogs. The Washington Post’s theater critic seat has been empty since layoffs, and DC theater companies are left with a question that won’t go away: make art for critics, or just make art? (American Theatre). On the AI front, an autonomous agent — rejected by a human coder — apparently researched and published a personalized attack piece on him in retaliation (Undark). The Atlantic asks whether we should stop calling it “intelligence” at all (The Atlantic).
Scientists traced the wood in Stradivarius violins to a specific alpine valley in northern Italy — the same one that just hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympics (The New York Times). Even the trees have a history.
All of our stories below.
PEOPLE
- AJ Chronicles: “Future Vision” and what the Boston Symphony signaled this weekThe Boston Symphony’s board didn’t fire Andris Nelsons as its music director. Not exactly. They declined to renew his contract because he and the BSO weren’t “aligned on future vision” — the board’s own words, offered without apology. Not artistic differences. Not budget. Not performance. Future vision. That phrase is doing a lot of work here, and it’s worth thinking about, because it signals a structural institutional shift, one that appears, in different vocabulary, in many of the stories in arts and culture this week.
- Good Morning
This Week’s Highlights:
Two stories from opposite ends of the cultural economy landed this week that belong next to each other. Paramount and Warner Bros. Discovery announced a $110 billion merger — one of the biggest media deals in history — that would combine CBS, CNN, HBO, and Discovery under a single roof (The Wall Street Journal). The same week, Seattle’s 5th Avenue Theatre cut 14 staff positions and paused education programs due to cash flow problems (The Seattle Times), DePaul University announced it’s closing its art museum (Hyperallergic), and Indianapolis closed its high-tech immersive art space after a five-year run (The Indianapolis Star). Antitrust lawyers began arguing in federal court that Live Nation’s grip on music ticketing and venues amounts to an illegal monopoly (The New York Times).
Meanwhile, culture kept functioning as a proxy for geopolitical repositioning. Russia returned to the Venice Biennale for the first time since its 2022 invasion of Ukraine (The New York Times) — while exiled Belarusian theatre brought dissident work to the same venue (Artnet). The Berlinale’s speech controversies prompted serious questions about whether Germany can run major cultural events at all (The New York Times). Who gets to show up, and under what terms, turns out to be a question with no clean answer anywhere right now.
Finally, here’s my essay connecting stories of the past week to larger trends in arts and culture. This week, did you notice the wording the Boston Symphony used in deciding not to renew music director Andris Nelsons’ contract? It signals a shift in power in orchestras (and more broadly across cultural institutions). You can read it here on my blog Diacritical.
All this week’s stories below, organized by topic.
- Andris Nelsons Out As Music Director Of The Boston Symphony
“The decision to not renew his contract was made by the BSO’s board of trustees because, beyond our shared desire to ensure our orchestra continues to perform at the highest levels, the BSO and Andris Nelsons were not aligned on future vision,” the BSO said in a statement from its trustees and CEO Chad Smith. – AP
- Ukrainian musical mosaics in New York City
The seventh annual Ukrainian Contemporary Music Festival returns to The DiMenna Center for Classical Music on March 19–21, 2026 with a three-day celebration of new music from Ukraine.
This year’s festival explores “Mosaics” — the rich diversity of peoples, places, and musical practices that make up Ukraine’s cultural identity today.
Opening night on March 19th, focuses on Ukrainian places, will be presented by the esteemed International Contemporary Ensemble and will feature a world premiere co-commissioned arrangement from composer Anna Korsun. Exploring the relationship between geography and imagination, portraying how Ukraine’s vast and varied landscapes shape the sonic imagination of its composers.
Our second concert on March 20th, will highlight Ukraine’s diverse peoples. Celebrating the many ethnic and cultural voices that make up Ukraine’s history. Highlighting works that reflect Ukrainian, Crimean Tatar, Hutsul, and jewish influences. Of note, this year’s composer-in-residence, Alla Zahaykevych’s Rituel for voice and electronics.
Closing the festival on March 21st, our long-time friends The Rhythm Method celebrate the diversity of Ukrainian composing practices with an all-string quartet program. This program will showcase how experimentation, reflection, and spirituality coexist in Ukrainian musical practices. Works include Turkevych’s String Quartet No. 1, Zahaykevych’s String Quartet No. 2, Loginov’s sleep during insomnia, Zavhorodnii’s Music That Leaves Itself, Valentyn Sylvestrov’s Icon, and Hanna Havrylets’s For Maria.
Join us at The DiMenna Center on March 19-21, 2026. Tickets can be purchased through our website at ucmfnyc.com/mosaics
- Good Morning
At the top of today’s news are some prominent orchestra departures. Andris Nelsons is out as music director of the Boston Symphony, and the orchestra is making no secret — bluntly — of why his contract won’t be renewed. (AP)
The Kennedy Center keeps finding new ways to unravel. A congresswoman filed suit in federal court Friday to block the closure (The Hill), and the same day the National Symphony Orchestra’s top official announced she’s leaving — “It’s no secret that this has been a really hard year” (The New York Times). The institution is coming apart from multiple directions at once.
DC’s cultural institutions aren’t the only ones losing their watchdogs. The Washington Post’s theater critic seat has been empty since layoffs, and DC theater companies are left with a question that won’t go away: make art for critics, or just make art? (American Theatre). On the AI front, an autonomous agent — rejected by a human coder — apparently researched and published a personalized attack piece on him in retaliation (Undark). The Atlantic asks whether we should stop calling it “intelligence” at all (The Atlantic).
Scientists traced the wood in Stradivarius violins to a specific alpine valley in northern Italy — the same one that just hosted part of the 2026 Winter Olympics (The New York Times). Even the trees have a history.
All of our stories below.
THEATRE
VISUAL
- An Ethics Problem: AI Agents Go Rogue, Write Hit Pieces
When a coder rejected an autonomous AI’s contribution, the digital diva researched and published a personalized attack piece. Welcome to the age when artificial intelligence doesn’t just create—it retaliates with very human pettiness. – Undark
- Let’s Not Call It “Intelligence”
“When I speak to high-school and college students (including my own children), I worry that at the time when they should be developing their own voices, they’re being told they don’t need to bother. AI writes for us, reads for us, thinks for us. It replaces our voice with its own.” – The Atlantic
- Our Culture Of Insurance Is Breaking Down
What emerged in tandem with the growth of capitalism was a system in which insurance and investment were bound together until it became integral to the economic system, seen as essential in protecting investments. This is why today you can’t get a mortgage without it. – Aeon
- How We Can Shape Our Dreams
Targeted Dream Incubation (TDI) uses external stimuli to connect with a dreamer and encourage them to focus on a particular topic or theme. – The Walrus
- Universities As Practical Job Creators? We Ought To Do Better Than That!
An education spent in pursuit of material comfort and convenience is a recipe for unhappiness, an existence in thrall to the raw, hungry American mantra of success, “More! More!” – LA Review of Books
