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George Wein, Who Invented The Outdoor Popular Music Festival As We Know It, Dead At 95

His Newport Jazz Festival, founded in 1954 and packed with major stars from the beginning, was the template for everything from Woodstock to Lollapalooza to Coachella. Wein himself started dozens of other events, including the Newport Folk Festival and New Orleans Jazz and Heritage Festival. - The Washington Post

Michel Laclotte, Champion Of The Musee D’Orsay And The New Louvre, 91

Though debate was hot about the M d'O, as it's now marketed in Paris, that "was a tepid academic tiff compared with the one that erupted when plans for a multiphase renovation and expansion of the Louvre, called the Grand Louvre, were unveiled in the early 1980s." - The New York Times

Nino Castelnuovo, Star Of The Umbrellas Of Cherbourg, 84

"If he achieved international notice with Umbrellas, he did not truly attain fame in Italy until 1967, for his role as Renzo in a television series based on Alessandro Manzoni’s 1827 literary epic, The Betrothed." - The New York Times

Lashana Lynch And The Case Of The Long-Delayed Bond Movie

The actor still won't talk about her potential future in the franchise. Lynch: Bond "could be a man or woman. They could be white, black, Asian, mixed race. They could be young or old. ... Even if a two-year-old was playing Bond, everyone would flock to the cinema to see." - The Guardian (UK)

Nickolas Davatzes, A Force Behind The A&E And History Channels, 79

Davatzes' analysis and plans changed cable. He said, "By network standards, ... our viewership will always be limited. But that is the function of cable — to present enough alternatives so that individuals can be their own programmer." - The New York Times

Sheila Bromberg, Harpist For British Symphonies And Oh Yes, The Beatles, 92

Bromberg was a busy harpist and mom when her "agent called on March 17, 1967, to offer her a three-hour stint that night as a session musician at the EMI recording studio on Abbey Road in London. The pay was 9 pounds — about $17." - Washington Post

Soprano Teresa Zylis-Gara, Stalwart Of The Met In The 1970s, 91

Zylis-Gara "displayed a plush voice, impressive versatility and beguiling stage presence during a three-decade international career." - The New York Times

Pioneering Theatre Critic Andy Propst, 56

Propst is best known as the founder of AmericanTheaterWeb.com, an early online home for America's not-for-profit theaters, and the first serious attempt to provide a comprehensive listing of theaters and theatrical events on the Internet. - TheatreMania

The Sad, Confused Final Days Of Robert Indiana

Whether Indiana was the subject of fraud and abuse—and how much he knew about it all, if that was the case—is something we’ll likely never fully understand. - ARTnews

Elizabeth McCann, 90 – Broadway Producer Extraordinaire

In a dizzying four-decade career she won nine Tony Awards and gave New York audiences more than 60 Broadway productions, including such hits as “Equus,” “Amadeus” and “Les Liaisons Dangereuses.” - The New York Times

Cellist Sebastian Hess Dead At 50 Of Brain Aneurysm

A student of William Pleeth and Mstislav Rostropovich, he made his solo debut at 18 with Bernstein and the New York Philharmonic and developed an extensive international career and a wide-ranging discography. - The Strad

Phil Schaap, 70, Who Knew About Jazz History Than Anybody

From his teens, he astonished the great musicians he met with his recall of details, and for five decades he shared that knowledge as a historian, educator, concert promoter, Grammy-winning record producer, and legendary radio host at New York's WKCR. - The Washington Post

Alberto Vilar, High-Profile Arts Donor Turned Famous Fraudster, Dead At 80

He proudly (extremely proudly) donated millions to the Met, Covent Garden, Kennedy Center, and others, his name prominently displayed — until the tech stocks he invested in crashed, he reneged on widely publicized pledges, he was caught defrauding clients, and spent years in prison. - The New York Times

Swiss Bank Suspends Ai Wei Wei Account

"The bank informed me that it was terminating my account in Switzerland. They did this, they wrote, in accordance with a new policy of closing all accounts with people who have had criminal records. - BBC

Richard Wagner’s Great-Granddaughter, Eva Wagner-Pasquier, In Coma Following Near-Drowning

The 76-year-old former administrator, who worked at (among others) Covent Garden, the Paris Opera and the Met and was co-director at Bayreuth 2008-2015, was pulled "lifeless" from the Isar River near her home in Munich on Sunday. (in French) - Forumopera

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