Toronto is a city of festivals, but two years after pandemic restrictions were lifted, even big names in the sector are struggling to attract audiences, pay down debt and meet steeply rising costs of production. - Toronto Star
"George Collier … takes snippets of videos from live performances by well-known artists like Wynton Marsalis and Celine Dion, or bedroom musicians who’ve posted clips online, and ... juggling harmony, melody and rhythm, he turns sounds into detailed notations and shares the results with an audience of over 882,000 subscribers." - The New York Times
Held in the vaults under Waterloo Station, the festival hosted hundreds of plays and comedy shows during the winter months and became an important launching pad for new talent. But the landlord has other plans for the location, and funding for a new venue fell through. - Time Out London
"Auction sales were down on both sides of the Atlantic and there was a conspicuous lack of marquee estates on the block. Bu, 2023 saw only a 4% decrease in market value to an estimated $65 billion, according to the annual art market report published by Art Basel and UBS." - ARTnews
"Elizabeth Babcock … will head a (yet-to-be-built) museum that was shaken last summer by the withdrawal of its incoming founding director, Nancy Yao, following a Washington Post investigation of her handling of sexual harassment allegations at a New York museum." - The Washington Post (MSN)
"A trained soprano with degrees from Temple University and the University of the Arts, (Valerie) Gay, 58, was most recently deputy director of audience engagement and chief experience officer at the Barnes Foundation. … Arts leaders said they were thrilled with Mayor Cherelle L. Parker’s appointment." - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)
"(The American Library Association) announced that 4,240 works in school and public libraries had been targeted in 2023, a substantial hike from the then-record 2,571 books in 2022. … The number of separate challenges (is slightly down), ... but efforts to censor (multiple) books at a time have surged in Florida and Texas." - AP
"James Conlon, the second music director in Los Angeles Opera's almost 40-year history, will step down from his role after the 2025-26 season. … (His) departure from his leadership role coincides with that of Los Angeles Philharmonic's music director, Gustavo Dudamel." - Los Angeles Times (Yahoo!)
Richard Hedreen, 88, is gifting his entire collection, comprising more than 200 artworks and estimated to be worth about $300 million, to Seattle University. He’s also donating $25 million in seed funding to develop a museum to house the collection. - Seattle Times
Thanks to Arts Council England’s recently published analysis on opera and music theatre, ‘relevance’ is back on the agenda. But the report and its conclusions do not show true understanding of art and artists. - The Stage
Artistic director Jodie Gates left after just 14 months on the job, followed six days later by then-president and CEO Scott Altman announcing that he would leave at the end of 2023. -Cincinnati Enquirer
Like so many of the 19th century ballets, it has been subject to some controversy in recent years. Set in a fanciful Hindu temple, choreographed by a Russian to music by an Austrian (Ludwig Minkus), it is accused of colonialist attitudes and insulting stereotypes. - Dance Australia
unesco is best known for its prestigious list of World Heritage sites. But its most interesting endeavor might be a survey of humanity’s cultural practices. - The New Yorker
Both the NBA and the WNBA have, in addition to their "regular" dance crews (the Raiderettes, the Laker Girls, etc.) with members in their 20s, a number of teams with "mature" dance crews. Here's a visit with the Ole Skool Crew, which performs for the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks." - The Cut (MSN)
