She sang 748 performances in 56 roles at the Met between 1950 and 1991. Many of those performances were last-minute: for many years she was the company's preferred substitute when a leading soprano cancelled. Ultimately, that position held her back, and she sued the company for age discrimination. - The New York Times
The finance firm KKR bought the controlling interest in Axel Springer — which owns German news outlets Bild and Die Welt along with US online titles Politico and Business Insider — in 2019. Now Springer is hiving itself off with the media properties while KKR keeps the firm's classified ad businesses. - Axios
"More than 150 musicians and patrons joined the Symphony Chorus, which formed a picket … in front of Davies Symphony Hall an hour and a half before the Verdi Requiem concert was scheduled to begin. Among the signs held by strikers, one read, 'No contract = No Chorus.'" - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
The incumbent, Ian Wardropper, announced last year that he would be retiring in 2025 as the museum returns to its now-renovated Manhattan mansion home. Succeeding him will be Axel Rüger, currently director of the Royal Academy of Arts in London and previously head of Amsterdam's van Gogh Museum. - Artnet
"The deal with Local 802 of the American Federation of Musicians calls for raises of about 15% in 2024-25, and 7.5% each in 2025-26 and 2026-27. Base pay will rise to $205,000 by the deal’s final season." - AP
Before Haacke, museums were considered … 'genteel and politically marginal.' Robber barons might have donated to them to enhance their social clout, but such cultural largess was seldom questioned. Today, though, …, Haacke’s work is more than just relevant — it’s prophetic." - T — The New York Times Style Magazine
From the bizarre sense of humour apparent in their Christmas cards – depicting murderous frogs, mice riding lobsters, and even waltzing beetles – to the off-beat slang they used, the Victorians defy their stuffy reputation. There’s an absurdism in their language and witticisms that feels surprisingly modern. - The Conversation
We all suffer from delusions, and we all, like Oedipus, use tricks of self-deception to keep ourselves from acknowledging truths about our lives. Yet understanding, or even describing, this everyday experience can seem like a fool’s errand. - Harper's
Yet that's exactly what Scott Bakula will be doing when he assumes the title role in Herbert Mitgang’s 1979 solo play Mister Lincoln at the historic playhouse where the 16th President of the United States was assassinated. - The Washington Post (MSN)
The objects in question were linked to several ongoing investigations, among them, a trafficking network that systemically looted the ancient city of Bubon in Turkey and trafficked the works to New York. - ARTnews
For museums questioning how to make a sustained and long-term impact, the key factor is access. How do we define the public we’re aiming to serve, and is the current definition sufficiently equitable and global? - The Art Newspaper
Stanford Makishi, vice president and artistic director of dance at New York City Center: "We literally have companies written on Post-it notes on a giant whiteboard, and we’re constantly moving around Post-it notes. It is the most low-tech way of programming that you could possibly imagine.” - Pointe Magazine
At Ars Nova, Emily Shooltz fostered the work of dozens of early-career playwrights the organization commissioned and developed for production, and over 100 others through the organization’s Play Group and roster of artist residency programs. - Playbill
Could these increasingly messy call-outs and protests, personal attacks on social media and public decouplings result in an already woefully underfunded arts sector destroying itself? - The Stage
The symphony believes one way to attract audiences is to showcase what few cities have, a one-of-a-kind performing arts scene, which also includes the ballet, the opera, the SF Jazz Center, and the Conservatory. - ABC7
