Douglas McLennan
Doug is the editor of ArtsJournal
The Many Crises Facing Opera
"The orchestral sector and the opera and ballet sectors are facing a funding crisis at the moment, which might mean that the focus is...
Le Monde Started Translating Its Stories Into English. Here’s What It Learned
"We feel that our reporting is good enough to exist globally and we feel that it's important to add a different perspective than the...
After Recent Events, What Will Academic Freedom Look Like?
Professors and students have a right to express themselves on campuses but universities have restricted when and how they can do so, with limitations...
Work Sucks. But What Could Replace It?
It’s no wonder that anti-work thought has gained such traction in recent years. - The New Yorker
When The Writer Attempts To Do The Thing
Nicholson Baker is a professional writer who has become an amateur artist. It is hard to get good at one art form, harder still...
A Musicologist Explains Beyonce’s Cowboy Carter
At 78 minutes, Cowboy Carter is nearly as long as composer Dmitri Shostakovich’s epic Seventh Symphony (1941) and has structural similarities to symphonic music...
Kurt Cobain, 1994 And The Rise Of “Authenticity”
The embrace of Nirvana showed how the recording industry has changed tactics to embrace what was once underground culture. - 3 Quarks Daily
Marin Alsop In Search Of Her Next Act
At a time when orchestras are eager to connect with a broader swath of their communities, Alsop’s struggle to score a position at the...
Barenboim: What Beethoven’s 9th Means To Me (On The Piece’s 200th Anniversary)
"Music on its own does not stand for anything except itself. The greatness of music, and the Ninth Symphony, lies in the richness of...
Kennicott: When George Washington (The Statue) Is Repurposed For Political Protest
What is most striking is the symbolic incorporation of the statue into the wider messaging of the protest... The students have dressed up Washington...
So TikTok Might Be Banned In The US. But It’s Already Been In Decline
“It’s just not hitting like it used to.” I still find some joy on the app. The delight is just less abundant than it...
How Orchestra Conductors Have Changed
The reason conductors have changed is that the musicians they lead have changed. And the reason the musicians they lead have changed is that...
NextDoor: The Art Of Neighborhood Surveillance
Oh, no, there’s no butting out on Nextdoor, only butting in. Somebody posted the other day about the “slow moving vehicle following the school...
Wall Street’s “Fearless Girl” Sculpture Lawsuit Settles
The 250-pound bronze statue was commissioned by State Street Global Advisors to express its support for gender diversity in the corporate world. State Street...
ACT Seattle Loses Its Artistic Director
Throughout his time in Seattle, John Langs has become known as a champion of new work, an advocate for local artists, and a director...
The Atlantic Magazine Is Profitable And Gaining Readers. Here’s What’s Been Learned
“Our editorial model is to publish not nearly as many stories as many of our peers but to every now and then, as best...
Study: A Neuroscience Technique To Learn Choreography
The technique uses a wave-like visualization of model dancers, enabling learners to anticipate and execute dance moves without prior rehearsal. - Neuroscience News
Keith Haring And Defining Art And Artists
“I arrived in New York at a time when the most beautiful paintings being shown in the city were on wheels,” Haring wrote. This...
Eurovision, High Camp, And Opera
Opera, too, is no stranger to intersections of camp and politics, and some of Eurovision’s campest entries have been sung by opera singers. - Van
Universities’ Free Speech Crisis Is A Problem Of Their Own Making
The challenge universities are confronting is not just the law but also their own rhetoric. Many universities at the center of the ongoing police...
Why It’s Impossible To Get Restaurant Reservations In New York City
In New York, the neighborhood restaurant doesn’t have much room for neighbors anymore... Reservations are scooped up fourteen days in advance by residents of...
The Complications Of Collecting Rare Books
A book’s demand, condition, publishing history, whether it is signed or inscribed, and even the timing of when a book enters the market are...
LA Philharmonic Taps Dallas Symphony CEO As Its New Leader
Kim Noltemy’s appointment comes at a pivotal time for the L.A. Phil, which must find someone to take the reins as the organization’s music...
Has Taylor Swift Transcended Critics?
There has long been a disconnect between how music critics and Swifties consume Taylor Swift’s work, but never before has that split been so...
Rather Than Something To Be Avoided, Anxiety Helps Focus Our Creativity
Even if we are fated to anxiety by our very nature, we needn’t be anxious about being anxious. Contra those who would abolish every...
