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Washington National Opera To Leave The Kennedy Center

The resolution calls for the opera to move its performances out of the Kennedy Center’s 2,364-seat Opera House as soon as possible and to reduce the number of performances as a cost-saving measure. Opera officials said that new sites in Washington have been lined up but that no leases have been signed. - The New York Times

Béla Fleck Talks About Why He Canceled His Kennedy Center Concerts

“As this thing became more and more charged, it wasn’t any longer something where I’m under the radar playing this gig. I am actually taking a position by playing at the Kennedy Center now. By not canceling, I’m taking a position, and I don’t want to take that position.” - The Washington Post (MSN)

Bruce Crawford, Ad Exec Who Led Metropolitan Opera And Lincoln Center, Has Died At 96

In his primary career, he ran agencies BBDO Worldwide and Omnicon. As the Met’s general manager, he erased the company’s big deficits and stabilized operations; he also served twice as board chairman. As chair of Lincoln Center, he established peace among feuding resident organizations and set big projects in motion. - The New York Times

What’s The Ultimate Goal Behind The Trump Administration’s Attacks On The Smithsonian? To Finally Win The Culture Wars

Charlotte Higgins: “’The goal,’ as one senior employee of the Smithsonian told me, ‘is to reframe the entire culture of the United States from the foundation up.’” - The Guardian

Béla Tarr, Prizewinning Maker Of Darkly Comic Films, Is Dead At 70

“Tarr became internationally in the ‘90s and ‘00s as his films” — among them Sátántangó and Werckmeister Harmonies — “were shown more widely, partly because of their inordinate length and partly because of what appeared to be his definitive expression of middle-European black-and-white miserablism.” Yet he insisted his movies were comedies. - The Guardian

Is This The Future Of Entertainment?

Domed screens, with comfortable seats and bar food, are actually the present for some (sports) fans. But the test run was “when the domed screen transformed into a high-resolution recreation of Michelangelo’s fresco paintings in the Sistine Chapel.” - The New York Times

A Year Of Not Listening To AI-Generated Music

“Resistance was easy. Uncomplicated, too. Like so many who have grown skeptical of AI, I value my life. I don’t want AI-generated music taking a moment of it away from me.” - Washington Post (MSN)

What Music Superfans Will Do For Memorablia

Don’t worry, Beethoven fans did it first. - The New York Times

Ireland’s Ancient Musical Laments Meet The 21st Century

In disguised artist Róis’s 2025 Irish-language album, she merged “experimental, electronic production with traditional singing ... drew inspiration from ancient mourning practices." - BBC

What It’s Like For An Opera Singer To Retire From The Met

“Singers are tested by every performance, year after year. We are trained to make it look easy. It is never easy. We live through sacrifice, isolation and self-doubt. ... Constant travel (if you’re lucky), fatigue and stress take an emotional and physical toll.” - The New York Times

Like “The Vandals In Rome”: Senators Investigate How MAGA Allies Are “Looting” Kennedy Center

Led by Sen. Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI), Democrats on the Senate’s Environment and Public Works Committee say they’ve obtained documents suggesting that the Center is being operated as a “slush fund and private club for Trump’s friends and political allies”, resulting in millions of lost income and a departure from its statutory mission. - The Guardian

If We Want More People To Read, We Should Tell Them That Reading Is A Vice

“This would be a more effective way to attract young people, and it also happens to be true. When literature was considered transgressive, moralists couldn’t get people to stop buying and reading dangerous books. Now that books are considered virtuous and edifying, moralists can’t persuade anyone to pick one up.” - The Atlantic (MSN)

Historic Amsterdam Church Destroyed In New Year’s Eve Fire

The Vondelkerk, a 154-year-old Gothic Revival church which had been deconsecrated and run as a concert and events venue in recent years, ignited shortly after midnight. The flames were fanned by strong winds, and the tower and roof of the building collapsed. - The Telegraph (UK)

Six Ways To Dance Like A Shaker In “The Testament Of Ann Lee”

Choreographer Celia Rowlson-Hall lays out the half-dozen movements which were most important to the film’s dance sequences — and recounts how those movements changed on the fly during shooting. - Vulture (MSN)

Kennedy Center Board Rigged Bylaws So That Only Trump’s Appointees Could Vote

“The current bylaws, obtained by The Washington Post, were revised in May to specify that board members designated by Congress — known as ex officio members — could not vote or count toward a quorum. Legal experts say the move may conflict with the institution’s charter.” - The Washington Post (MSN)

Carmen de Lavallade, Pathbreaking Dancer And Choreographer, Has Died At 94

She beguiled audiences for seven decades, toggling between ballet and modern dance, film and television, concert stage and nightclub. Her noble bearing, high cheekbones, sinuous torso and impressive wingspan revealed a wide portfolio of characters experiencing torment or ecstasy. - The Washington Post (MSN)

Former Vancouver Symphony Violinist Threatened With Lawsuit After Speaking Out About Alleged Sexual Assault

Esther Hwang alleges that she was assaulted by a senior orchestra member in 2017 — and that, after complaining to management, she was forced to sign an NDA and then edged out of the ensemble. VSO attorneys have threatened to sue her for violating that NDA. - Vancouver Sun

We’ve Hit The Multicity Tour Time Of Podcasting

Listening to a podcast is usually a solo experience. “Going to a theater to see these podcast performers live can feel like the exact opposite: Strangers with the same niche interest crowding into one place in not just rapt, but maybe even a bit rabid, attention." - Los Angeles Times (MSN)

Responding To The NYT’s Weird Article Praising Certain Regional Theatres

Nataki Garrett Myers, former artistic director of Oregon Shakes: “Neutrality is an illusion. What the article actually offers is a case study in how comfort becomes policy — aesthetic, institutional, and ideological. That comfort has a look. It has a voice. And it has a conspicuous absence.” - Be A Ladder Leader

The ‘Craftivists’ Using Fiber Arts To Fight Back Against The Current US Regime

“For some fiber artists, craft is inherently political. ‘Creating in a time of destruction and chaos, that is resistance in and of itself,’ said Downey. … But she thinks one of the other successes of craftivism is that “‘it centers joy’” - The Guardian (UK)
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