Since it opened in January 2015, the Philharmonie de Paris has welcomed more than 1,100,000 visitors each year. Ticket sales have been 97% of capacity in its main hall, and 03% of capacity overall. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Fiora Corradetti Contino, Pioneering Female Opera Conductor, Dead At 91
Born on Long Island to a father who had been a leading baritone at La Scala, Dr. Contino founded her first opera company at age 27 and spent five decades as a verismo specialist, conducing and teaching at universities and regional companies across the U.S – including two decades as artistic director of Opera Illinois in Peoria.
Top Posts From AJBlogs 03.15.17
Midweek Extra: Howard McGhee With A Classic Ballad
McGhee, one of the essential bop trumpeters, plays “Lover Man,” accompanied by Richard Davis, bass; Ted Dunbar, guitar; and Roy Haynes, drums; at Jack Kleinsinger’s “Highlights In Jazz” tribute to Charlie Parker … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2017-03-15
A Latin Teacher Who Changed Lives, A Secretary To Popes
Father Reginald Foster was one of the two chief Latin experts at the Vatican for four decades – and an instructor whose influence has spread through schools and universities all over the U.S. Says one prominent professor who’s a former student, “He is not just the best Latin teacher I’ve ever seen, he’s simply the best teacher I’ve ever seen.” Says another, “I saw him for an hour in Rome in 1985 and that one hour completely changed my life. His approach was completely different from every other Latin teacher out there, and it was totally transformative.”
‘The Rez Accent’ – Native American English Appears Even Among Indians Who Speak No Other Language
“In other words, the use of English could be just as important to indigenous identity as mother-tongue languages.” Tristan Ahtone looks into the origins of the accent and what it signifies – to Indians themselves and to other Americans.
Orson Welles’s Final Film Is Being Completed At Last (Thanks To A Certain Famous Online Media Company)
The Other Side of the Wind, “one of the most famous movies never released – one that has bedeviled various directors, movie companies and cinema buffs since Welles left it unfinished upon his death in 1985 – may finally be completed and shown worldwide.”
As Immigration Rules Tighten And Federal Funding For The Arts Disappears, What Happens To Classical Music In The US?
The problems of getting visiting musicians or foreign music students into the country, the problems and possible advantages of the potential disappearance of the NEA and NEH, the increase of xenophobia nationalist sentiment in American society – Mark MacNamara looks at how music organizations in the Bay Area are approaching these challenges.
Chicago Theater To Change Business Model To A Crowdfunding/Audience Choice Hybrid
The Hypocrites, one of the city’s many respected storefront companies, ran out of cash in December and cancelled the remainder of this season. “Beginning this month, Hypocrites will pitch two plays to potential ticket buyers and ask them to commit. If interest hits critical financial mass, the shows will go on. If not, they won’t.” Lisa Bertagnoli explains.
‘Don’t Worry About Looking Pretty’ – Teaching The Bolshoi How To Dance Jerome Robbins’s Weirdest Ballet
A Q&A with Jean-Pierre Frohlich, one of two ballet masters from New York City Ballet who traveled to Moscow to teach the Bolshoi dancers Robbins’s The Cage.
As It Was Hemorrhaging Money, Met Museum Paid Big Bonuses To Senior Execs
“The Metropolitan Museum of Art doled out hefty pay raises and six-figure bonuses to top executives despite a looming deficit that threatened to reach $40 million, records show.”