Author: Matthew Westphal

Opera Must Stop Ignoring Its Race Problem, Offstage As Well As On

“In 20 years, I’ve never been hired by a Black person; I’ve never been directed by a Black person; I’ve never had a Black C.E.O. of a company; I’ve never had a Black president of the board; I’ve never had a Black conductor,” says bass Morris Robinson. “I don’t even have Black stage managers. None, not ever, for 20 years.” – The New York Times

Smithsonian’s National Museum Of African Art Accused Of ‘Culture Of Racism’

A two-page letter sent by former employees and board members to Smithsonian secretary Lonnie G. Bunch III “alleges that more than 10 former or current Black employees have ‘reported or experienced incidents of racial bias, hostile verbal attacks, retaliation, terminations, microaggressions and degrading comments,’ all of which have been ignored by management when raised formally. … The letter’s signatories are calling for the resignation of the NMAfA’s deputy director and chief curator Christine Mullen Kreamer.” – HuffPost

Key Figure In Islamic Extremist Occupation Of Timbuktu Now On Trial In The Hague

The man who functioned as the chief of police for the Ansar Dine extremists who took over the historic Malian city in 2012, destroying medieval shrines and manuscripts and terrorizing the city’s inhabitants, has been formally indicted at the International Criminal Court. Al Hassan Ag Abdoul Aziz Ag Mohamed Ag Mahmoude declined to enter pleas on 16 charges. – BBC

Making Dance Students’ Year-End Recitals Happen, Virus Or No Virus

“Among students of dance, the recital is much more than just a performance. It’s the culmination of a year’s work and a social event: … When the pandemic hit, some studios made swift decisions to cancel their performances, while others held virtual ones they knew could not compare to the adrenaline-filled, sequin-covered excitement of the real thing. But others dug in their heels and resolved to find some way to put on their biggest show of the year.” Here’s how a few of them pulled it off. – The New York Times

‘Take Me Out To The Ball Game’ Was Actually (In Its Way) A Feminist Anthem

The words that everyone knows are just the chorus. There are verses about a baseball-mad woman named Katie Casey who went to the stadium, sat in the front row, loudly cheered the players and argued with the umpires — all things women did not do in 1908, when the song was written. And the inspiration for Katie was almost certainly the lyricist’s then-girlfriend, a famous actress and suffragette. – Smithsonian Magazine

In The Last Big Pandemic, New York’s Theaters Stayed Open (But It Wasn’t Business As Usual)

“Royal S. Copeland, the powerful health commissioner of New York City when the [1918] Spanish flu crept in, looked askance at pandemic responses elsewhere … [and] was philosophically disinclined to intrude much on ordinary life. He also didn’t want to freak people out.” So the shows went on, but Copeland instituted some major changes in how they did so — and kept the toll in the city relatively low. – The New York Times

Bringing Tap Dance To The Cause Of Social Justice: Ayodele Casel

From blending tap steps and rhythms with Puerto Rican and other Latin music to reviving the memory of great female tappers of the past to founding a rehearsal and performance space in the South Bronx to using the arts to teach leadership skills to young women from New York City charter schools, Casel is using “the power of this art form to speak to social justice, race, identity, politics.” – Dance Magazine