Hi-Tech or Low-Tech, It's All In How You Use It It appears that you no longer need to have your own army to be considered a powerful individual on the global playing field. In fact, if the tapes that have been airing on Arab satellite channels are any indication, all you need is a portable video camera, or, failing that, a cassette recorder. We've all heard the old credo that "information is power," but these days, it seems that the efficient dissemination of information, and a keen grasp of how to make use of the global media, is as important as the information itself. The New York Times 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 7:15 am
How Not To Refurbish A Stadium Sports venues are some of the most prominent architectural features of most American cities, and in the last ten years, there has been something of a renaissance in the manner in which ballparks and stadiums are designed. But in Chicago, where a newly refurbished Soldier Field is already being dubbed the "Eyesore on Lake Shore," most of the lessons in how to properly combine modern functionality with classic form seem to have gone unlearned, says Blair Kamin. Chicago Tribune 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 10:04 am
What's In A Logo? New York's Museum of Modern Art, better known the world over as MoMA, is changing its logo. Well, sort of. It actually looks about the same as it did before, with big block letters spelling out MoMA on a white background. In fact, even the typeface is the same. So what's the difference? Well, you see, the old logo was awful and soulless. The new one is fresh and charming, but with a nod to tradition. Really, it is. Just ask them. The New York Times 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:21 am
Toronto's Art Deco Renaissance "When art deco arrived in Toronto in the late '20s, it was more than an aesthetic or just a style; it was a declaration of faith — faith in the future and the power of technology. From the vantage point of today, such optimism seems naïve, even touching. The notion that art and industry can be combined, brought together in the service of mass-produced beauty, has been reduced to the lowest common denominator of mass marketing. Now, thanks to the Royal Ontario Museum and its London partner, the Victoria and Albert Museum, art deco is about to make a comeback, a rather splendid one at that... But the one form that the show can't fully cover, architecture, can still be enjoyed in buildings around the city." Toronto Star 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:44 am
Whither The Blues? "Can a media blitz save the blues? Do the blues need to be saved? And if the blues were to be saved, what would be their 21st-century role?" These questions have arisen because of a congressional proclamation, a PBS documentary, and the general perception that traditional blues music is fast become a museum piece. "The blues was once as audacious as hip-hop, as intimate as emo and as insubordinate as punk. So there's never a bad time to recognize the blues." The New York Times 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:16 am
Trying To Hold On To An Orchestra's Paper Trail The now-defunct Florida Philharmonic will soon begin liquidating its assets, signaling the final demise of the organization. But many are hoping that, as has been the case in so many other cities where orchestras have failed, a new ensemble will rise from the ashes of the old one. The musicians are still around, for the most part, and a new board could be cobbled together fairly quickly. But there is one piece of the old orchestra that almost has to be preserved if a replacement group is to get off the ground successfully: the library. An orchestra's library is its paper trail, the only physical directions its musicians have. But the Phil says that no one in the area has yet come forward with an offer sufficient to acquire the library. South Florida Sun-Sentinel 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:00 am
Pittsburgh Musicians To Vote On Roller Coaster Contract The musicians of the Pittsburgh Symphony Orchestra, which has fallen on difficult economic times in the last few years, are set to vote this week on a new 3-year contract. The agreement calls for a hefty wage cut in the first year in order to allow the PSO to get its financial house in order, but by the third year of the contract, the musicians' base salary would rise to 95% of the average of four of the highest-paid orchestras in the U.S., a percentage which could guarantee each musician a raise of nearly $20,000 in 2005. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:28 am
- PSO Taps Tamburri As contract negotiations with its musicians were drawing to a close, the Pittsburgh Symphony also closed a deal which will bring New Jersey Symphony CEO Lawrence Tamburri to the Steel City as the new president of the PSO. Tamburri has a reputation as an administrator who places a high priority on building consensus among musicians, staff, and board members, but his skills will be severely tested in Pittsburgh, writes Andrew Druckenbrod. Pittsburgh Post-Gazette 09/19/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:26 am
The Bottom Line Hits Bottom The fabled Bottom Line music club in New York's Greenwich Village has fallen on hard times, and is facing eviction from its legendary NYU location. The club is reportedly $185,000 behind on its rent, and the university which owns the building wants to turn it into classrooms. A court hearing this week could decide the matter. Philadelphia Inquirer (AP) 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:25 am
The Steinway Mystique "Steinway is the great name of the piano world, as anyone will tell you - not least, Steinway. This year is its 150th anniversary, which is worth celebrating if only because few companies survive making the same product, in the same way, for so long... And although Steinway isn't the largest piano company in the world (it makes 5000 instruments a year, as opposed to Yamaha's 100,000), it has certainly cornered the top end of the market - despite a top-selling price of $250,000 for the sleek, black, two-metre concert grand (the Model D) that only serious pianists, concert halls and bankers get their hands on." The Age (Melbourne) 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 7:07 am
When Soloists Cancel Last week, soprano Dawn Upshaw, who is famous for never cancelling engagements, cancelled an engagement with the Australian Chamber Orchestra, due to a vocal cord injury. It may be unusual for Upshaw to bail on an orchestra, but other soloists do it all the time, for any number of reasons. Some soloists are even as famous for their cancellations as they are for their performances. As for the jilted ensembles which are left to scramble for a replacement, many arts administrators pride themselves on their ability to come through in just such a situation. The Age (Melbourne) 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 6:58 am
If Only They'd Known... This month, a politician from Canada's Liberal Party sent out a mailing to artsy types, urging them to vote Liberal, because the party truly cares about the arts. This was news to Martin Knelman. "Prior to that moment, few people in or out of the cultural world had any notion at all just what Dalton McGuinty's view of arts and culture might be... If the arts are so important, why have the Liberals had so little to say that hardly anyone of my acquaintance knows anything at all about their policies?" Of course, none of the major parties have had much to say about the arts lately, but at least no one else is parading around like some sort of cultural savior. Toronto Star 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:34 am
Looking For Crumbs In California This summer, the California Arts Council's budget was slashed from $16 million to $1 million, a near-zeroing out of the state's commitment to cultural spending. But at least one San Francisco legislator isn't accepting the cuts: Mark Leno is attempting to restore about half of the council's original budget through what he calls a "'minimal' entertainment-related fee -- not a tax, he's quick to point out -- to directly fund the council." San Francisco Chronicle 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:39 am
Rattle In Berlin: No Sparks Just Yet When Simon Rattle, the most heralded young conductor of the last several decades, signed on to head the Berlin Philharmonic, widely considered to be the best orchestra in the world, it seemed like a failure-proof partnership. Rattle could shake up the stodgy Berlin establishment, while at the same time gaining the support of the musicians with his undeniable talent with the baton. But more than a year into the Rattle era, Stephen Everson isn't seeing much to back up all the hype. At this year's Proms, "it was very striking how little attention the players seemed to pay to their director, and how little his gestures seemed to demand of them." The Guardian (UK) 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:44 am
Too Old School For Its Own Good? The Greek coastal city of Epidaurus is one of the most theatrically significant places in all the Western world. The city's history as a center of classical theater has made it a haven for directors and actors all across Greece. "At the same time, the long shadow of tradition has transformed Epidaurus... into a bulwark against innovation. For the most part, the acting style that dominates is one of contrived high artifice. An army of conservative critics carefully polices every production, savaging any whiff of novelty and pouncing on even the vaguest suggestion of modernism." The Guardian (UK) 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:51 am
Best of Luck, Koo-Koo-Ka-Choo A new magazine called Walrus launches this month in Canada, with the aim of becoming the Canadian version of The New Yorker or The Atlantic Monthly. Other publishers have tried this sort of thing before, of course, with generally disappointing results. But many in the industry are betting that the time is right for a homegrown mag catering to the highbrow crowd to seize the Canadian consciousness. Toronto Star 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 9:37 am
Media Consolidation, UK Edition The fight over how many separate media voices a single company should be allowed to own is not only an American issue. In Britain, two of the nation's four broadcast networks are now owned by American media tycoons, a situation made possible by a change in the law governing foreign-owned television franchises. The general director of the BBC is still furious over the decision to allow American businessmen to control British programming, and he warns that new media legislation passed this summer will only further U.S. dominance of English culture. BBC 09/21/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 8:50 am
Theater Chain Bans Sex And Violence (in the lobby) Regal Cinemas, the largest chain of multiplexes in the U.S., has announced that it will henceforth ban certain video games from its lobby arcades. Games which show human dismemberment, for instance, are gone. So are games which include nudity, sex, or "violence towards law enforcement officers or figures of authority." So if you want to see any of those inappropriate things at a Regal multiplex... well, you'll just have to buy a ticket and walk into one of the theatres. Denver Post (AP) 09/19/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 7:09 am
Dance Umbrella at 25 Since London's Dance Umbrella festival launched in 1978, much has changed in the public perception of modern dance. These days, modern dance is arguably more popular than classical ballet, and the influence of contemporary choreographers is everywhere in the dance world, and even finds its way into pop culture. Dance Umbrella may not be able to claim credit for changing the way the world watches dance, but it has become an undeniably important cornerstone of London's cultural scene. The Telegraph (UK) 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 10:13 am
Ownership And The Dance "Contentious debates over artistic ownership generally seem to revolve around online music piracy or Mickey Mouse. But dance is facing unexpected and vexing questions about artists' rights as well. Do choreographers own their dances? Or are they simply employees who give up ownership to organizations that commission or support their work? As dance moves out of studio and into the world of corporate support, such issues have become more urgent." The New York Times 09/20/03
Posted: 09/21/2003 7:26 am
