"Aiming to welcome more than 800,000 visits annually, Qiddiya Performing Arts Centre will be home to more than 260 indoor and outdoor performances annually, across three theatres, totaling 3,000 seats. Each theatre promises an immersive experience by blending physical and digital elements." - The National (Abu Dhabi)
U.S. charitable giving declined by 2.1% to US$557 billion in 2023, but the flow of funds began to stabilize following several years of volatility. - The Conversation
The traditional Mexican music was first introduced at a public school in 1969. Now there are dozens of classes in the region's middle schools, high schools, and even universities. After years of fighting for legitimacy, mariachi has joined band, choir, and orchestra as a pillar of music education. - San Antonio Report
"Uri Berliner, NPR’s former senior business editor who criticized the organization for progressive biases in a Free Press op-ed, has joined the outlet (as a senior editor). … 'I’m joining The Free Press because it provides America with groundbreaking, fearless, and independent-minded journalism,' Berliner said in a statement." - TheWrap
State authorities released a statement saying, "The Tennessee Attorney General’s Office looked into the Graceland matter, and it quickly became apparent that this was a matter best suited for federal law enforcement." - The Commercial Appeal (Memphis)
"(Eike) Schmidt, who was backed by Italy's right-wing national coalition led by Prime Minister Giorgia Meloni, secured 39.4% of the vote, behind Social Democrat Sara Funaro with 60.6%. … Florence, a city with a population of 360,000, is seen as a left-wing bastion, and Funaro's victory had been widely predicted." - DPA (Yahoo!)
"The contract, known as the Basic Agreement, affects about 50,000 crew members who belong to 13 different West Coast-based (IATSE) union locals, including art directors, set painters, editors, camera technicians, costume designers, hair stylists and make-up artists." - AP
The current contract, for one year, expires August 31; PSO management and the musicians' union are now negotiating what will be the first multi-year contract since COVID. This is at a time when the players in peer orchestras have been getting double-digit-percentage raises to make up for pandemic cuts. - Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
"A man from Kazakhstan reportedly carved 'Ali' on light plaster in the House of the Ceii when he was caught on Saturday. The wall is part of an ancient villa believed to have been owned by the magistrate Lucius Ceius Secundus. The vandal will have to pay for the necessary restoration." - ARTnews
Smith has big plans for Tanglewood, whose Boston Symphony season begins on July 5, just as he has a long to-do list for the ensemble at home. History would suggest that he isn’t just dreaming. - The New York Times
“Our study confirms that the island couldn’t have supported more than a few thousand people. As such, contrary to the ecocide narrative, the population present at European arrival wasn’t the remnants of Rapa Nui society, but was likely the society at its peak, living at the levels that were sustainable on the island.” - The Guardian
Tasmania’s Museum of Old and New Art has relegated part of its Picasso collection to a female toilet cubicle, after a court ruling that it must admit men to a female-only exhibition. - The Guardian
High-end niche periodicals are popping up, but the trend might be most evident in a burst of small-batch, independent outdoors magazines like Adventure Journal, Mountain Gazette, Summit Journal and Ori. They are crowding into quiet spaces of narrow lanes — climbing, surfing, skiing, running and the like. - The New York Times
Profitability depends on how many paying subscribers are needed. There was a time when industry executives hoped that number might be as low as 100 million. But now the consensus among many of the executives interviewed is that the number is at least 200 million, and possibly more. - The New York Times
"As the music director and conductor of the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York’s Metropolitan Opera, Nézet-Séguin has his back to the world’s swankiest audiences. And as the 49-year-old’s sense of style evolves … judge-y fashion tongues are a wagging. Tattooed and platinum blond, Nézet-Séguin is unbothered." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
