He came to the job young, quickly became a local celebrity, and is presiding at a time when it has proved impossible for the Pops to maintain the imperious position in American popular culture built by Fiedler from 1930 to his death in 1979, when eulogized as “the maestro of the masses.” - The New York Times
The orchestra will remain in business through the end of its fiscal year on June 30. That coincides with the previously announced departure of the orchestra’s longtime CEO, Amy Ginsburg. The 70-musician professional orchestra marked its 64th anniversary this year. - News-Press (Fort Myers, Florida)
Is there any threshold at which an A.I. would start to deserve, if not human-level rights, at least the same moral consideration we give to animals? - The New York Times
The author was a little-known English freelance journalist. The story of how he came to land his Johnny Depp story – along with a litany of other starry interviews – gives a rare insight into the engine room of celebrity journalism, and is as intriguing as the thought of Jack Sparrow tending a Somerset garden. - The Guardian
“Conservators will now have to repair the artwork, Grey, Orange on Maroon, No. 8, after it was ‘scratched’ by a child visiting the Rotterdam gallery where it was on display. The abstract painting from 1960, which measures 7'6" high by 8'6" wide, was a centerpiece of the Museum Boijmans Van Beuningen.” - CNN
Says founder Jude Cook, “Excitement and energy around new and adventurous fiction is around female authors – and this is only right as a timely corrective. ... (Yet now) stories by new male authors are often overlooked, with a perception that the male voice is problematic.” - The Guardian
“(The company’s) leadership team understands the perils of mounting a production that waves a red cape at a pumped-up, reactive presidency. Surprisingly, the opera is partially financed by the National Endowment for the Arts, with some $40,000 of the production’s $1 million cost coming through a (previously-paid) federal grant.” - The New York Times
“A coalition ... kicked off a weeklong campaign to rally around the national African American museum and push back against what it calls efforts by the Trump administration to erase Black history. ... The museum, which opened in 2016 on the National Mall, has had millions of visitors over the years.” - USA Today
At these 80th-birthday concerts for Michael Tilson Thomas, who has suffered a recurrence of an aggressive brain cancer, the musicians distributed leaflets to the audience demanding “a fair contract” and accusing SFS management of budget cuts which “jeopardize the world-renowned status Michael helped build.” - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)
“Editor-in-chief and major shareholder James Harding set out his stall in the first issue under its new Tortoise ownership on Sunday, (saying) the paper was leaning into traditions of liberalism and editorial independence which date back to its foundation in 1791.” - Press Gazette (UK)
“The public wasn't given a chance to testify on the 11th-hour change, quietly added to the 220-page budget bill just one day before lawmakers plan to vote on it and wrap up the 2025 legislative session.” - The Indianapolis Star (Yahoo!)
"I don't judge people in any way about how much they know about music. In fact, when I'm writing, I think, "Well, let's pretend that no one in the room has ever heard classical music. Will this speak to them?" - NPR
Independent bookstores and users on BookTok are expressing their frustration with Amazon while encouraging readers to stay off of the online shopping site and instead make the trek to their local bookstore for the day. - Fast Company
The Kennedy Center is more than a venue, it’s a “living monument” — a place where the story of American culture plays out onstage. Whatever happens at the Kennedy Center becomes part of the history it exists to preserve. That’s the part that worries me. - Washington Post
