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Amid Financial And Leadership Woes, San Francisco Symphony Considers Cutting Its Chorus

Dozens of San Francisco Symphony Chorus members say leadership has proposed slashing their budget by up to 80%, a move they believe could further tarnish the institution’s reputation. - San Francisco Chronicle

Climate Change, Pandemics… We Face Global Threats. Our National Governments Aren’t Equipped

This basic mismatch between the scale of the problem and the scale of possible solutions is a source of many of today’s failures of global governance. Nation-states and the global governance institutions they have formed simply aren’t fit for the task of managing things. - Aeon

Major Recording Labels Sue Verizon For Not Banishing Pirates

Verizon "knowingly provides its high-speed service to a massive community of online pirates," said the complaint filed in US District Court for the Southern District of New York. - Ars Technica

Does Music Lose Its Power When It’s Too Easy To Make, Too Easy To Listen To?

Music being too easy to make means too much of the same music is made, “making it harder to find really exceptional things.” Because of the creative dependency there’s likely not much exceptional to listen to, anyway. - 3 Quarks Daily

Now That Breakdancing Is An Olympic Sport, Will Dancers Get Paid Like Athletes?

"The 2024 Olympics could be a turning point for dancers who are accustomed to making a living performing and teaching." What's more, "like dancers, athletes have short professional careers, but Olympic success can extend their shelf life: There’s a well-constructed off-ramp for Olympic athletes." - Dance Magazine

Disney’s Plan To Keep You Watching More

The entertainment giant is developing a host of new features aimed at lengthening the amount of time subscribers spend viewing its shows and movies. The goal is to mitigate customer defections and generate more revenue from advertising sales. - The Wall Street Journal

Badass Bathing Beauties: A Brief History Of Synchronized Swimming

"Now known at the highest level as 'artistic swimming,' it was for decades one of the few athletic activities women could pursue, albeit in uncomfortable, baggy, not-exactly-aerodynamic attire. Despite — or perhaps because of — its popularity, synchronized swimming’s status as a legitimate sport would be contested for just as long." - The American Scholar

Nicholas Serota’s Plan For The UK Arts Sector In The New Era

The plan includes putting culture and creativity at "the heart of education" and advocating "for the role culture can play in local renewal", as well as strengthening freedom of expression among creatives. - The Stage

Madrid Tries Luring Folks To Spend Scorching Summer Afternoons At Air-Conditioned Arts Venues

"The new programme, called Refúgiate en la cultura (Take Shelter in Culture), offers free flamenco shows – in the Prado, the Reina Sofía and the Thyssen-Bornemisza museums, and the Royal Collections Gallery – as well as free comic monologues in libraries and discounted cinema tickets for screenings before 5pm." - The Guardian

Hum-And-Search Music Is Here

The tool lets people hum the song, sing the song or even play the song on another instrument. The feature is rolling out to YouTube music subscribers on both iOS and Android. - Engadget

Pennsylvania Academy Of Fine Arts Loses Its Chief Curator (And Isn’t Replacing Her)

PAFA chief of curatorial affairs Anna O. Marley is departing for a similar position at the Toledo Museum of Art in Ohio. The financially strapped museum and school, which is eliminating its BFA program, will "evaluate the current staff configuration … and thoughtfully consider next steps." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

When Police Came For Her Child-Molesting Husband, Alice Munro Told Them Her Daughter Was Lying

Retired Ontario Provincial Police Detective Sam Lazarevich recalled coming to arrest Gerald Fremlin in 2004 and the furious reaction from Munro; he remembers thinking "Aren't you going to defend your daughter?" Police already had Fremlin's letter confessing the sexual abuse; it had been sent to Munro 11 years earlier. - AP

Chrysler Building, New York’s Most Beautiful Skyscraper, Is In Pretty Sorry Shape

Its iconic crown and fabulous Art Deco lobby are still handsome — if you don't look closely. As the 94-year-old landmark's ownership keeps changing and its value keeps falling, maintenance has been seriously neglected. Not surprisingly, companies don't want to rent office space there. - The New York Times

German Media Giant Axel Springer, Owner Of Politico And Business Insider, Considers Breaking Itself Up

"A potential deal would separate its media assets from its digital classifieds operation, handing the former to CEO Mathias Doepfner and the founder's widow Friede Springer, and the latter to KKR and the Canada Pension Plan Investment Board." - Reuters

Amid Job Cuts, SoCal Public Radio/LAist Appoints New CEO

Alejandra Santamaria, most recently interim president and general manager at Univision Los Angeles, takes the helm at a difficult moment: 28 positions were recently eliminated as the station faces an expected deficit of $4 million to $5 million, due primarily to "a decline in advertising." - Variety

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