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5 Questions to Sahba Aminikia (Founder, Flying Carpet Festival)

Uncategorized Posted: December 31, 2019 10:12 pm

“Sahba Aminikia is an Iranian-American composer, pianist, and educator born in post-revolutionary wartime in Iran. Aminikia first explored immersive, visceral music in a successful performance career before pivoting to artistic direction of Flying Carpet Festival, an international music festival serving refugee children in Turkey.” – I Care If You Listen

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Uncategorized Published: 12.11.19, sjm

Read the story in I Care If You Listen Published: 12.11.19, sjm

The Benefits Of Modesty

IDEAS Posted: December 23, 2019 11:01 am

“If modesty sucks so bad, then why did I spend so much of my time thinking about it? Because, despite all the unsavoury accumulated baggage that modesty has acquired over the years, I think there is something there that is not only one of the important goods in life but is actually quite life-affirming. Seeing this means taking a short detour through some recent thinking on what modesty is, and what might be good about it.” – Aeon

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IDEAS Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Aeon Published: 12.11.19

Understanding Early Rembrandt – Not Much To Know

VISUAL Posted: December 17, 2019 11:32 am

Only “a few dozen documents have survived: entries in administrative registers (bonboeken) relating to his family, the house and the mill… in which he was raised and notarial instruments. We have not a single letter, diary or notebook.” – New Statesman

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VISUAL Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in New Statesman Published: 12.11.19

Just What Are “Sensory-Friendly” Performances?

ISSUES Posted: December 16, 2019 1:01 pm

Producers turn down house lights about halfway, rather than putting the audience in complete darkness; vocalization from the audience is accepted; seating is limited up to 80% to allow audience members to get up and move around; people are allowed to exit and enter as they desire; and pricing is usually set at a general admission fee. – LEOWeekly

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ISSUES Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in LEOWeekly Published: 12.11.19

The Culture Story In Los Angeles This Year? The LA Philharmonic

MUSIC Posted: December 16, 2019 12:29 pm

Mark Swed: “The biggest story of all has been the stellar rise of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, becoming surely the most successful arts organization of the century so far through an insurmountable belief in the value of music to the betterment of humanity. The vision has been if you build a better concert hall, make new music widely available, and view the world through the lens of music and give it to kids who wouldn’t otherwise have it, good things happen.” – Los Angeles Times

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Los Angeles Times Published: 12.11.19

Why Authors Like Austen Became Canonical: Cheap Books

WORDS Posted: December 16, 2019 10:28 am

“Cheap books make authors canonical.” Thousands of mid-century readers consumed “yellowback” versions of Austen’s novels, so-called because of the yellow paper stuck to the back of them on which advertisements were printed. The sheer proliferation of cheaply produced editions of Austen’s fiction has been invisible because very few of these books have survived. – The Guardian

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WORDS Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Guardian Published: 12.11.19

Traditional Music Theory Teaches Inequality As A Matter Of Course

MUSIC Posted: December 15, 2019 1:00 pm

The majority of music students in the US don’t listen to classical or “Western art” music at all, except in classes. For those who teach music theory, questions emerge: “How can we justify our near-exclusive reliance on traditional pedagogy, especially in situations where it isn’t necessary to do so? What biases do we create in our students when we declare Western art music to be mandatory knowledge for anyone pursuing formal studies in music? What biases does this reveal in us?” – New Music Box

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in New Music Box Published: 12.11.19

Fiction Versus Fake News

IDEAS Posted: December 13, 2019 9:29 am

“Fake news stories have proved irresistible for readers. Studies have shown that people spread false news on Twitter six times faster than news that is true. Unlike novels, which create complex narratives that take time to consume and understand, fake news delivers ready-made conclusions to consumers with little or no context. These are sensational bits of information that do not provide nuance and do not invite interrogation.” – Columbia Journalism Review

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IDEAS Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Columbia Journalism Review Published: 12.11.19

The Truth About Facts (And Checking Them)

IDEAS Posted: December 13, 2019 8:29 am

The great truth of fact-checking: while facts are sacred to writers, readers, and, above all, editors, they are sometimes more work than they’re worth. The importance of fact-checking—particularly when it comes to inconsequential detail—is based on the long-held theory that if you’re fastidious about the little things, the reader will trust you with the big things. But the history of fact-checking suggests that too often, the accumulation of verifiable minutiae can become an end unto itself. – Columbia Journalism Review

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IDEAS Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Columbia Journalism Review Published: 12.11.19

English Music? Why Do We Think Of It As Nostalgic?

MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2019 2:01 pm

Since the 2016 Brexit referendum, the UK has suffered a collective breakdown over national identity and our relationship to Europe, and it should perhaps be no surprise to see the 48/52 divide reflected in our musical tastes. – The Guardian

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Guardian Published: 12.11.19

The Importance Of Stalin Jokes

ISSUES Posted: December 12, 2019 12:04 pm

“By the 1980s, Soviet political jokes had become so widely enjoyed that even the US president Ronald Reagan loved to collect and retell them. But, 50 years earlier, under Stalin’s paranoid and brutal reign, why would ordinary Soviet people share jokes ridiculing their leaders and the Soviet system if they ran the risk of the NKVD (state security) breaking down the door to their apartment and tearing them away from their families, perhaps never to return? … And yet, countless diaries, memoirs and even the state’s own archives reveal that people [did].” – Aeon

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ISSUES Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Aeon Published: 12.11.19

The Feedback Loop Of Notoriety: How ‘Punk Organist’ Cameron Carpenter Ran Aground

MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2019 11:01 am

Just a few years ago, he was getting intrigued, often admiring press for his rocker persona, uninhibited commentary, and astonishing technical skills. (Video of his manically flying feet at the pedalboard made him something of a YouTube star.) And he’d spent hundreds of thousands of dollars (and gone into debt) developing his Virtual Touring Organ, the electronic instrument to end all electronic instruments. Then, in 2014, Sony Masterworks released a documentary about him that became, frankly, a disaster. – Van

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Van Published: 12.11.19

San Francisco Opera’s Hiring Of Eun Sun Kim As Music Director “Historic”

MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2019 10:29 am

Kim’s appointment doesn’t just bring a musician of obvious artistry and interpersonal gifts to the company. The hiring of an Asian woman is also a historic advance for diversity, a badly needed development in a field where white men still hold the vast majority of leadership positions. – San Francisco Chronicle

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in San Francisco Chronicle Published: 12.11.19

At What Point Does Memoir Become Biography And Biography Become History?

WORDS Posted: December 12, 2019 10:03 am

“[Biography] was once thought, as Michael Holroyd called it, ‘the shallow end of history’, unable to provide sufficient context and with a tendency to exaggerate the role of individuals in the passage of time. … Many a biographer still falls in love with his or her subject, making the hope of objectivity even dimmer than for conventional history. And arguably the whole conceit is flawed.” – History Today

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WORDS Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in History Today Published: 12.11.19

How The St. Paul Chamber Orchestra Balanced Its Budget

MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2019 9:28 am

The chamber orchestra is known for its low ticket prices; half go for $15 or less. That’s partly thanks to two programs: With a Netflix-style membership, people can pay just $9 a month to attend unlimited concerts. And, since 2016, children and college students get in for free. About 19.8% of the nonprofit’s income in 2019 was “earned,” a category that includes ticket sales, down from 22.4% last year. About 62.8% of its income came from contributions from people, companies and foundations, up slightly. The other piece of the pie — $1.9 million this year — comes from the SPCO’s endowment. – The Star-Tribune (Mpls)

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MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Star-Tribune (Mpls) Published: 12.11.19

How Reese Witherspoon Remade Herself Into A Genuine Multimedia Mogul

MEDIA, PEOPLE Posted: December 12, 2019 9:02 am

“Tired of dreadful scripts and degrading magazine spreads, the Oscar-winning actress, producer, entrepreneur and activist built an empire on her own taste and work ethic. Now she plots projects all over Hollywood and responds to critics of her paychecks: ‘Does it bother people when Kobe Bryant or LeBron James make their contract?'” – The Hollywood Reporter

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MEDIA, PEOPLE Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Hollywood Reporter Published: 12.11.19

Arkansas Repertory Theatre Went Dark Last Year. Now It’s Come Back From The Dead.

THEATRE Posted: December 12, 2019 7:31 am

“The theatre, which has a current operating budget of $4.5 million, stopped producing last year to focus on tackling its [$2.6 million in] debts … As they planned to reopen, … the board focused on three elements that make the Rep ‘sacred,’ and that were a must for future sustainability: being affordable to attract audiences, producing relevant shows, and maintaining professional status [as an Equity house].” – American Theatre

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THEATRE Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in American Theatre Published: 12.11.19

What Classical And Jazz Concerts Offer That We Need So Badly These Days

AUDIENCE, MUSIC Posted: December 12, 2019 6:35 am

Howard Reich: “Step into Orchestra Hall or the Jazz Showcase in Chicago, Carnegie Hall or the Village Vanguard in Manhattan, Palais Garnier or Duc des Lombard in Paris, and you are entering sacred spaces where listeners seek something other than noise and sensation. … This means everyone in the audience must do something that increasingly is becoming a rarity: keep quiet and listen. Our individual voices, our opinions, our fervently held beliefs, our prejudices are not to be voiced here, at least not until concert’s end.” – Chicago Tribune

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AUDIENCE, MUSIC Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Chicago Tribune Published: 12.11.19

World’s Oldest Paintings Of Figures — 44,000 Years Old — Discovered In Indonesia

VISUAL Posted: December 12, 2019 6:02 am

“The 4.5-metre-long panel … seems to depict wild pigs found on Sulawesi and a species of small-bodied buffalo, called an anoa. These appear alongside smaller figures that look human but also have animal traits such as tails and snouts.” – Nature

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VISUAL Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Nature Published: 12.11.19

David Bellamy, Naturalist, Television Host, And Environmentalist, Dead At 86

PEOPLE Posted: December 12, 2019 5:07 am

“Throughout the 1970s and 1980s the BBC’s ‘Bouncing Botanist’ was a television regular, leaping over ‘wocky pwotuberwances’, enthusing over ‘twee pherns’ or plunging his hands lovingly into evil-looking sludge to declare it a ‘bweeding gwound for amazing organisms’. … [He] did for botany and ecology what David Attenborough did for biology.” In later life, though, a series of very controversial statements brought him into serious conflict with mainstream environmentalists. – The Telegraph (UK)

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PEOPLE Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Telegraph (UK) Published: 12.11.19

DEI Statements

AJBlogs Posted: December 11, 2019 11:57 am

A succinct statement and commitment to diversity, equity and inclusion is essential to arts organizations for internal and external reasons. This post is a response to the increasing number of such statements I am seeing. – Doug Borwick

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AJBlogs Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Doug Borwick Published: 12.11.19

The Late Donald Marron & Me: An Affable Collector with a Keen Eye for Contemporary Keepers

AJBlogs Posted: December 11, 2019 11:56 am

Early in my career, I had two contrasting contacts with Donald Marron, the much admired art connoisseur, philanthropist and financial-markets professional, who died on Friday at age 85. Both of those experiences left me impressed with Marron’s energy, empathy and acuity, even though I was on the hot seat during our second encounter. – Lee Rosenbaum

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AJBlogs Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in Lee Rosenbaum Published: 12.11.19

Klimt Painting Stolen 23 Years Ago Found Hidden In Gallery Wall

VISUAL Posted: December 11, 2019 11:03 am

“The location of Portrait of a Lady, one of the world’s most sought-after missing artworks, has been a mystery since it was stolen in 1997. On Tuesday, a gardener clearing up ivy on an exterior wall of the Ricci Oddi modern art gallery, in the northern city of Piacenza, discovered a metal panel which, when opened, revealed a cavity with a painting in a bag.” – The Guardian

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VISUAL Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Guardian Published: 12.11.19

Thanos Creator Protests Trump Tweet Depicting Trump As Thanos (Clearly He Hadn’t Seen The Movie)

MEDIA Posted: December 11, 2019 10:29 am

The scene comes from Avengers: Endgame, when Thanos says “I am inevitable” and snaps his fingers in an attempt to destroy all existing life in the Universe, only to discover his gauntlet no longer has the power. The responses on Twitter included one from historian and author Kevin M Kruse, who noted: “You’ve made Trump a supervillain and depicted him in the scene where his plan to kill everyone in the universe falls apart due to his arrogance and incompetence.” – BBC

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MEDIA Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in BBC Published: 12.11.19

Staged Trial Of Asylum Seeker Shines Light On EU’s Growing Refugee Problem

ISSUES, THEATRE Posted: December 11, 2019 9:04 am

“Dutch asylum court is not exactly a well-trodden topic within performance art, but last week in Amsterdam, a one-off staging of a refugee trial asked the public to determine the fate of an actual case. The piece” — Ehsan Fardjadniya’s Refugee on Trial: Afghan Journalist Ali J vs. Netherlands — “asked questions about the role of performance in analysing complex social and legal issues, and with it how visual artists are using performance to platform issues often left hidden.” – The Art Newspaper

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ISSUES, THEATRE Published: 12.11.19

Read the story in The Art Newspaper Published: 12.11.19

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