Words are, in the end, only words. But writers, and prize committees, must know more than anyone that words have power. Words have consequences, and we act accordingly. – Irish Times
Author: Douglas McLennan
Return To College? It’s A Con
Most dispassionate observers now recognize that return-to-campus plans are, as Juliana Gray wrote in McSweeney’s, cooked up by your university’s “Vice President for Magical Thinking.” – Inside Higher Ed
Comedy Drive-Ins: Honking Replaces Laughter
Comedians are desperate to get back on stage, said Kai Humphries, and to hear the roar of laughter rather than car horns. He found that he had slipped into a familiar rhythm on stage, timing his gags around the honks signifying his audience’s laughter. “It was strange to adjust because the sound of a car horn usually has a negative connotation,” he laughed. “When I was driving back from the gig, another driver honked their horn at someone and I got a feeling of warmth from it.” – The Guardian
How COVID Is Impacting The Commercial Music Business
Nielsen Music/MRC Data says activity on streaming platforms such as Spotify and Apple Music began 2020 up 20.4% over 2019 — then ratcheted back to an increase of only 13.8% between March 13 and July 2 as listeners spent far less time in the car or at the gym. – Los Angeles Times
David Fisk Named New Executive Director Of The Charlotte Symphony
Fisk joined the Richmond Symphony in 2002 from the Ulster Orchestra in Northern Ireland and has led the orchestra through many ups and downs, including the closure of the Carpenter Theatre that left the Symphony essentially homeless and performing in area churches from 2004 to 2009. – Richmond Times-Dispatch
The Crazy-House World That Is YouTube
The more dark, wiggy videos you consume, the darker and wiggier your playlist becomes, until you inhabit a so-called “filter bubble,” while Google makes ad money off of your addictive radicalization. – Columbia Journalism Review
Lucas Museum Hires Its Leadership Team
That five of the six new hires are people of color, and that all are women, is in line with Sandra Jackson-Dumont’s vision as the museum’s self-described “chief diversity officer.” – Los Angeles Times
Jeff Haydon Named New Director Of Ravinia
He currently serves as the CEO of New York’s Caramoor Center for Music and Arts, a position he has held since 2012. He also served as executive director of the Ojai Music Festival, and according to Friday’s statement, has previously worked with the Chicago Symphony Orchestra, the Fort Wayne Philharmonic, and the Aspen Music Festival. – Chicago Sun-Times
How Awe Motivates Scientific Discovery
All clear cases of awe have the following two components: an experience of vastness, and a need for cognitive accommodation of this vastness. You might feel awe for things that are physically large, but also for ideas that are conceptually vast. – Aeon
Conductor Victor Feldbrill, 96, Champion Of Canadian Composers
Did he become a great conductor? No, he became a valuable conductor, championing the work of Canadian composers more than any of his contemporaries did. He knew the composers on a personal level, worked with them on their premieres and during his decade as music director of the Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra starting in 1958, he set a precedent that has sadly not been followed of making Canadian music a regular feature of his programming. – Toronto Star