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Unprecedented: The Bayreuth Festival Is Expanding Its Repertory (By One Opera)

"The Bayreuth Festival intends to present Rienzi in 2026 for its 150th anniversary, going outside the canon of Richard Wagner's final 10 operas for the first time. Wagner's family still runs the festival in Germany, and until now has limited it to only what are considered his mature works." - AP

How Vice Media Set Itself Up For Bankruptcy

"The digital media company Vice filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in May, and new documents disclosed in the proceedings offer a rare glimpse into the financial maneuvering that led the privately held company to insolvency." - Adweek

At Comic-Con, “The Biggest Nerd In Congress” Announces A New “Congressional Popular Arts Caucus” In The House

Rep. Robert Garcia (D-CA, and yes, he called himself "the biggest nerd in Congress") says that the caucus has attracted 20 House members, from both parties, with an interest in movies, TV and gaming — and the issues affecting those fields. - The Hollywood Reporter

Massachusetts Legislature Considers Taxing Streaming Companies To Fund Public Access TV

"The 'Act to Modernize Funding For Community Media Programming' proposes a 5% fee on digital streaming providers, based on a company's gross annual revenue in the state. A portion of the fee would be distributed to municipalities to support their community media centers — colloquially known as public access television." - Nieman Lab

Berklee College Of Music’s President Is Out After Unexplained Leave of Absence

Erica Muhl, who became the school's leader two years ago, went on leave abruptly last month and put her house on the market; this week, the board announced that she won't be back. Students and faculty, who say they rarely saw her on campus, want answers. - MSN (The Boston Globe)

Kyiv City Council Temporarily Bans All Russian-Language Culture

"(The order prohibits) performing or showcasing Russian-language art and culture — such as books, music, plays and concerts — (as well as) cultural and educational programs. The restriction not only applies to works by Russian authors and creators, but to all cultural products publicly presented in or translated into Russian." - Deutsche Welle

Just What Was Behind The Popularity Of Barbenheimer?

Apart from being the latest works by beloved writer-directors, there is one quality that Barbie and Oppenheimer share, which is that they’re both movies of ideas: not just full of them, but about them. - Slate

What’s Behind Our Addiction To DuoLingo?

It’s far from clear we’re getting anything from Duolingo’s purported speed. I’m not even sure it’s fun anymore. And there are quicker ways to not learn a language. - Slate

The War Has Galvanized Ukraine’s Culture

The fight against the urge to let hatred win can be seen playing out on the front lines—but also in homes, in institutions, and in art. Ukrainians at home and abroad are embracing their language, literature, and heroic figures. - The Walrus

Sonny Rollins, Omnivore

To be able to make creativity and invention sound “natural,” one needs an avid, almost greedy urge to absorb anything—and everything—that is out there. - The Nation

How Five Days Of Russian TV Can Warp Your Brain

The first thing you notice when you switch on Russian TV is its totemic fascination with the swastika, which regularly appears on one of my screens. Sometimes it is taken from footage of the Nazi era, sometimes from purported videos of the Ukrainian far right. - The Atlantic

Story Ballets Are Still Popular (But Problematic). So How To Fix Narrative Dance?

“There are no mothers-in-law in ballet”, George Balanchine, who dominated American ballet throughout the twentieth century, liked to say: dance, he believed, is not the right medium to portray psychologically complex relationships or intricate stories. - Times Literary Supplement

Why Mozart Still Captivates After Two-And-A-Half Centuries

"His letters show how he savvily wrote with an eye toward the market, hoping to delight listeners at every level of society. And pleasure was political in an age when some of the boldest advocates for free speech and personal choice were libertines." - MSN (The Atlantic)

How Our Digital Devices Killed Literary Fiction

Are you reading this on your phone, swiping up the paragraphs, swipe, swipe, swipe, wondering how far you're going to have to swipe to actually finish this thing? - Esquire

Can Cirque Du Soleil Make Itself Exciting To Gen Z? And Can It Move Merch?

"After filing for bankruptcy protection in 2020, Cirque decided it had to be more than just a circus. It wanted to be a brand, something that could sell perfumes, sunglasses, tote bags and video games. So over the past year the circus brought in consultants ..." - The New York Times

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