“A new artistic post is believed to have been created for [John] Berry, 54, as part of plans by the institution in Moscow to build on its brand as a global arts powerhouse. He is expected to develop collaborations with some of the world’s leading opera houses, directors and performers.”
Month: July 2016
Composer Michael Hersch’s Lonely Path
“After early successes in the 1990s with expressionistic orchestral works performed under the likes of Mariss Jansons, … at 45, Hersch shows every sign of heading farther down a lonely road marked ‘art for art’s sake.’ He writes important” – and often long, and always challenging for audience ears – “works without a commission, and would premiere them at his own expense [if necessary].”
Stirling Prize 2016 Shortlist Revealed
Three of the six finalists are educational buildings, one is a housing estate, one is the gallery for Damien Hirst’s personal art collection, and one is called “the Outhouse” – it’s actually a private residence, the first up for a Stirling Prize in 16 years.
Art Deco Cigarette Cases And Lighters From The Days When Smoking Was Glamorous
“Men and women could buy cases decorated with geometric designs in enamel, eggshell, and lacquer, as well as portable lighters, a relatively recent innovation.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 07.18.16
This Week In Audience: Audience Confusion Editon
This Week: Pokemon Go suggests a different relationship between real and virtual, an art prize in which critics don’t matter, museums challenge visitors to spot fakes, a French city that has reinvented itself around art, and a claim that modern audiences are confused and uncertain. … read more
AJBlog: AJ Arts Audience Published 2016-07-17
Met Layoffs: “Nobody is Ruled Out”
My Friday post about staff shrinkage, from buyouts, at the Metropolitan Museum of Art set off quite a stir: Emergency meetings were held inside the museum to discuss what was going on and the press office ramped up … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2016-07-17
Language Matters
Once a year, NAS gathers 24 creative changemakers from all over the nation for a week-long residential program called Creative Community House. We spend this week living and learning alongside each other, sharing ideas and experiences and chewing on new information presented by NAS and our partners. And we also debate with each other. A lot. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-07-17
Communities, Complexities and Commonalities
What does community mean to you? What are the most important aspects of a community? … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-07-18
An invitation
Like people, communities are complex. Communities are not only defined by location, but also by human relationships and needs. … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2016-07-18
Doing Violence
Alex Ross’s thoughtful essay on vicious uses of music left a few interesting stones oddly turned. At the conclusion, he asks us to “renounce the fiction of music’s innocence,” citing the damage that music can do. “Either music affects the world around it or it doesn’t,” he says. … read more
AJBlog: Infinite Curves Published 2016-07-18
The Met Mess: Parsing the Organizational Upheavals at the Metropolitan Museum
What do the disarray of the Metropolitan Museum’s finances and the shakeup of its senior staff say about Tom Campbell’s performance as director of this country’s preeminent art museum? … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-07-18
Monday Recommendation: Peggy Stern
Peggy Stern, Z Octet (Estrella Productions). It has been 16 years since Peggy Stern last applied her piano, composing and arranging talents to a mid-sized ensemble. Z Octet was worth waiting for. … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-07-18
Is Brexit Doomed? European Music & (Little) English Country House Festivals Dispel the Gloom
We’re suffering post-Brexit gloom, and disappointment at the cabinet appointments made by the new Prime Minister. Still, there’s a lot to be happy about. Last week we drove, in under an hour (and in opposite directions), to two world-beating country house operatic performances. … read more
AJBlog: Plain English Published 2016-07-18
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What The Social Media Campaign #StarringJohnCho Did For The Actor At Its Heart
“My first reaction was, are they clowning me? I quickly realized it was sincere, and it was kind of amazing. Maybe [it caught on], because the posters made it seem possible. Instead of talking about it or demanding it, it was like, listen, it could be like this. For a minute, people were talking about it in a very serious way.”
How Do Symphony Orchestras Survive And Thrive In Small Communities?
“With more than 105,000 musicians performing in 1,200 orchestras across the country last year, regional and small-town orchestras that operate on small but innovative budgets, have become the rule, rather than the exception.”
Pay To Play Casting Workshops In Los Angeles Now Under City Investigation
“Exchanging money for the prospect of employment is illegal in the state. Yet there have been no prosecutions by the City Attorney’s office since the 2009 legislation, known as the Krekorian Talent Scam Prevention Act, was enacted the following year.”
Keeping Choreography Alive After The Choreographer Goes Away
At the Trisha Brown Dance Company, keeping her work going will “require well-versed experts to convey Ms. Brown’s precision physicality and use of gravity to enhance basic movements, such as bending, stretching and rotating. Nothing about it is simple, say her supporters, and it needs careful preservation to survive.”
Why Are There So Few Pokémon Go Locations In Black Neighborhoods?
Pokemon is also heavily tilted toward cities, not small towns and rural areas. But why? Turns out history is the reason.