Month: June 2008

From Worse To Just Bad In Durham

“Arts supporters [in North Carolina’s Triangle region) won major victories Monday night when the Durham City Council restored funding that had been cut in its preliminary 2008-09 budget… Nonetheless, several venerable arts and culture organizations that the city has long funded [will] still suffer cuts. Most organizations will see a 30 percent drop in funding.”

Inserting A Middleman, To Musicians’ Benefit

“At the Sydney Conservatorium of Music yesterday, the Music Council of Australia launched a scheme to help musicians” who cannot afford to purchase top-quality instruments, but need them to advance in their careers. “The National Instrument Bank will offer wealthy individuals and corporations the chance to buy instruments as investments, then loan them to musicians.”

TSO Gets $3.5m To Endow Top Chair

The Toronto Symphony has received a CAN$3.5m gift to endow its concertmaster chair, shortly to be filled by a new violinist. It is hoped that the endowment, which will allow the concertmaster to be paid a higher salary than is currently offered, will help attract more top candidates for the job.

Olympians Of The Staff

“When the Beijing Olympics open in August, to a heady mixture of sporting celebration and political controversy, music will play a huge part in reinforcing the image and message of the games.” In fact, a look all the way back to the original ancient Olympiad shows that “music has always played an important role in the event.”

Meadowmount Director Accused Of Sexual Misconduct

“A former student at the prestigious Meadowmount School of Music [has] sued the institution, saying the director lured him into a homosexual relationship and prostitution. The accuser, now a young adult living in The Bronx, has accused school director Owen Carman of paying his tuition in exchange for sexual favors, asking him to be a gay “escort” and pose nude, and prompting him to have three-way sex with another male escort.”