"(She) was said to be the first Black principal player in a major American orchestra when she joined the San Francisco Symphony in 1972, and (she) mounted a legal battle over racial and sexual discrimination when she was denied tenure two years later." - The New York Times
The revival, starring Lea Michele and Tovah Feldshuh, grossed $2,005,696.80 last week, breaking the all-time record set by Mean Girls in 2018. - Broadway News
Clifford Schorer saw the painting, described as in the "manner of Rembrandt" in an auction catalogue with a high estimate of $1,500, he smelled a super-bargain. He's certain the piece is the Dutch master's Old Man (ca. 1627-29), and he's figured out where it's been since 1935. - Artnet
An announcement from the museum's administration says that temperature and humidity controls in the building aren't yet robust enough to protect the fragile artifacts that will be on display. The grand opening is postponed from Jan. 21 to sometime "in the first half of 2023." - The Post and Courier (Charleston)
“The Scottish Government makes great play of our cultural heritage and the importance of promoting culture. The cuts they are making – £7 million – is negligible in terms of redressing the economic and social issues the country faces, but astronomical in its destructive impact on our cultural industry.” - The Scotsman
The plaintiffs claim the artwork were stolen from Fritz Grünbaum by the Nazis via an unlawful power of attorney while he was imprisoned and tortured at Dachau. - The Daily Beast
Six in ten professional musicians say they are worse off financially now compared to the same time last year. Nine out of ten are worried about affording food over the next six months, with 84 per cent concerned about paying their mortgage or rent. - The Strad
“Nobody wants to admit that they’re not selling tickets. Because of COVID, now Broadway is sort of admitting … sales are down, audiences are not coming back. - AMNY
Detached from agency, the meanings of new terms drift. Nonprofit organizations alert supporters to “donation opportunities,” though “a chance to give” has half the syllables. Now, “donation opportunity” may also mean the organization’s chance to land a gift from a donor. - Hedgehog Review
Matt Zoller Seitz: "Badalamenti did what Herrmann did for Hitchcock and John Williams did for Steven Spielberg: he created a recognizable musical character to go along with Lynch's already keenly developed ear for sound design." - Vulture
What’s the point of watching workers? Maybe, as Franz Kafka suggested in a short parable, the point is not simply to alter a person’s behaviour temporarily, but to fundamentally change them. Through this transformation, the demarcations separating those who watch from those who are watched begin to dissolve. - Psyche
This month saw the inauguration of Jashn-e-Rekhta, an annual three-day festival devoted to Urdu verse, old and new. Attendance was over 300,000 —notwithstanding the fact that Urdu, while very, very closely related to Hindi, is commonly associated with Islam in a country awash in Hindu nationalism. - The New York Times
"The Guardian took every Christmas song that had charted in the UK Top 100 since 1952, and selected the 100 most popular of those on Spotify. Two-thirds were released at least 30 years ago." Which is to say: "all we want for Christmas is mid-20th-century nostalgia." - The Guardian
