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To Solve Audience Confusion, Philadelphia Orchestra/Kimmel Center Renames Itself Ensemble Arts Philly

Following the 2021 merger of the orchestra with the organization that operates its concert hall and three other venues (and presents shows in a fourth), ticketholders sometimes didn't know which theater to go to. So the umbrella organization has taken a new name that doesn't include a venue. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Newfields/Indianapolis Museum Of Art Is Losing Board Members Following CEO’s Unexplained Departure

Six of the board's 30 members have stepped down since Colette Pierce Burnette suddenly left Newfields in November after only 15 months as CEO. Most of the ex-board members have said nothing publicly about their resignations, though two have given hints of unhappiness about the manner of Burnette's exit. - ARTnews

Sales Of Ink-On-Paper Books Were Down 2.6% In 2023

"Helped by a 1.7% increase in the fourth quarter, unit sales of print books fell only 2.6% in 2023 from 2022. ... The dip was less than many industry members had feared this summer, when sales were steadily declining and were down 4.1% after the first nine months of the year." - Publishers Weekly

Paul Taylor Dance Company Announces Major Expansion

"(The company will) more than triple its footprint, moving its headquarters to a Midtown Manhattan office tower next year from its current home on the Lower East Side. The company will use the space to build more dance studios and expand its education programs." - The New York Times

The Musical Mind Of George Lewis

George Lewis is one of the most formidable figures in modern music: a composer of international renown, a legendary improvising trombonist, a computer-music pioneer, a professor at Columbia, a stalwart of the Black avant-garde collective known as the Association for the Advancement of Creative Musicians. - The New Yorker

Just How Classical Are India’s Classical Dance Traditions?

Although Indian classical dance is commonly assumed to be ancient and reverential—and there is a documented history of devotional dancing extending back more than two millennia—all eight of these designated classical styles are modern, post-colonial inventions. - The New Yorker

Can ‘The Nicest Guy In Show Biz” Make Lower Manhattan’s New Arts Center Work?

“Amazing work happens at the grassroots level, but how can an organization and people with positional sway and a multimillion-dollar budget do that without losing their values?” - The New Yorker

Sam Altman: The Unexpected Leaps AI Will Make In 2024

Chatbots will expand well beyond digital text by handling photos, videos, diagrams, charts and other media. They will exhibit behavior that looks more like human reasoning, tackling increasingly complex tasks in fields like math and science. - The New York Times

The First “Influencer” And The Quest For Reality

Beau Brummell’s a really interesting figure. He’s often called the first influencer, the inventor of sponcon (sponsored content). He was a Regency-era (early nineteenth century) London social figure who was not an aristocrat. - The Public Discourse

Star And Understudy Sick, Actor Drives 150 Miles To Save “Evita” Performance

An actor travelled more than 150 miles to ensure a performance of the musical Evita could go ahead after the lead and understudy became ill and could not perform. - The Guardian

Stats: Trends Across Ten Years In The Classical Music World

One notable finding over the past ten years has been the steady rise in programming of music by living composers. Worldwide, since 2013, contemporary music has risen from around 6% to 14% in our listings. - BachTrack

In Taiwan’s Election Campaign, The Arts Sector Tries To Get Some Attention

"'Art has never been a priority' for the government, says (one gallerist), and response to pressure from the arts is 'slow, but we can’t not do it.' The arts still only represent 1.2% of the total government budget, … with too much of it used on one-off festivals." - The Art Newspaper

America’s Oldest Choral Festival Adopts A New Artistic Model

A different festival director from a variety of artistic disciplines will be engaged each year. It is a new concept for the oldest choral festival in the Western Hemisphere. - Cincinnati Business Journal

On Watching George Santos’s Post-Congress Cameo Videos

"There was once a transgressive appeal to the Santos persona. … It was the inappropriateness of his high status that made him amusing. Now that he’s been brought low, viral fame supplies no tension for a Santos character. There is nothing transgressive about a grifter on Cameo." - The New York Times

Composer Phil Niblock, 80

Niblock made music from drones, microtones, and instruments such as cellos, bagpipes, hurdy-gurdies, and more. He remains best-known for the spare sounds he produced, but he also amassed a formidable oeuvre of photography, films, and videos. - ARTnews

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