Bands had traveled as far as hundreds of miles to climb into the landmark Trinity Church tower and strike eight bells in a complex, intricate order for the national Trinity Striking Competition, a demonstration of skill in the 17th-century art of change ringing. - Gothamist
Opera 5’s Toronto Opera Festival is Toronto’s first-ever festival to combine opera and musical theatre in a celebration of Canadian creators and performers. - Ludwig Van
Koteba, a traditional form of theater by Mali’s largest ethnic group, the Bambara, mixes acting, singing and dancing to work through villagers' problems and offer satire. At one of Bamako's largest hospitals, koteba is being used to help psychiatric patients in a country desperately short of mental health professionals. - AP
Beginning last season the ballet company also began advertising its more family-friendly shows on big-name streaming services like Hulu and Disney+ and even in local movie theaters to maximize their advertising dollars. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
The Finnish eccentric, known for his long white hair and beard, rotund figure and quirky personality, composed 371 symphonies, most single-movement works with colorful titles. While he guest-conducted widely when younger, in later years he kept most of his work on the podium within Finland but attracted devoted followers via recordings. - Gramophone
"Only a few weeks after the death of Project 1619 founder and President Calvin Pearson, his successor — William Wiggins — has also died. … He had assumed the title of the organization’s president after Pearson’s death in early September." The board says the organization's future existence is secure. - The Virginian-Pilot
The unit seized from museums and collectors 11 works by Egon Schiele; most were surrendered when agents proved the pieces had been looted by Nazis. But the Art Institute has gone to court, arguing that the Manhattan DA's unit not only is wrong about provenance but lacks jurisdiction. - The New York Times
Documents filed earlier this month indicate that, in 2020-21, agents at the airport impounded a vase, jars, figurines, and other items dating from roughly 2,500 to 5,000 years ago. Collectors had evidently purchased the items via eBay. - ARTnews
"A slow-burning literary success who won multiple awards in (Asia) and Europe, Han is the first Asian woman and the first South Korean writer to win the Nobel literature prize." - AP
The Sherman High School's production became a subject of nationwide controversy after a transgender boy was removed from the cast, his fellow students protested, and the district called it all off. An independent report says that the now-former superintendent was upset about "same-sex kissing" onstage. - The Dallas Morning News (MSN)
"It’s a strange thing to have a walk-on role in the fifth act of a great man’s life. Lewis was exactly fifty years and one month older than I was. Twenty-two when I first entered the small Irving Place office." - Literary Hub
While the court’s decision to uphold MONA’s right to maintain a women-only space is significant, it’s Kaechele’s performative celebration outside the courthouse that deserves particular attention. Her statement that ‘the verdict demonstrates a simple truth: women are better than men’ exemplifies the fine line between provocative art and potentially divisive rhetoric. - ArtsHub
In pricey, increasingly corporate Seattle, the Fellowship venue represents a conspicuously unlucrative exercise. Its modest 48-seat layout and limited wine and beer bar give way to the room’s centerpiece: a Kawai grand piano. There are no tables. There is no greenroom. Tickets run a recommended donation of $20, regardless of who’s performing. - The New York Times
"I think the simple answer is because the work is about people. It’s not about dance. Dance and music are tools (to get to) something that matters much more, which is human experience. In the end we’re having a visceral experience for an-hour-and-a-half and feeling like we went through something.” - The Guardian
