Author: Matthew Westphal

So Stephen Colbert Put Opera On Late-Night Network TV – How Much Difference Will It Make?

The Met sent Pretty Yende over to sing “Una voce poco fa” from Barber of Seville, and both the studio audience and the Twitterverse were thrilled. “The question is, did the diva appearance foster any new opera fans, or was this just hopeful thinking?” Michael Vincent considers.

What A Russian Dancer Expected To Find When She Came To Work In The States, And What She Actually Found

For example:
“Expectation: The American dance community is super competitive and hardcore.
Reality: Coming from a world of Russian discipline, I was surprised to find out how joyful American dancers, choreographers and teachers are about what they do.”

The Five Types Of Trumpism In Pop Culture

“Trumpism – a blanket term I’ll use in this piece to reference the election of the former Apprentice host, the struggle to come to grips with [the] election, and the ever-expanding list of concerns raised by his impending presidency – is such an overwhelming phenomenon that it’s … hard to ignore in a way that’s so massive, it needs to be broken down into categories to be properly understood.” So Jen Chaney does.

Should Performers Just Swallow Their Qualms And Perform At The Trump Inauguration For The Sake Of Healing A Divided Nation?

The president of a historically black college whose marching band will be there says, “We feel the inauguration of a new president is not a political event but a civil ceremony celebrating the transfer of power.” Alyssa Rosenberg takes apart the premises behind that position.

Preserving Native Alaskan Culture Via Video Game

“[An Inuit tribe in Barrow] worked with a New York-based company called E-Line to create a game based on an old Iñupiat tale called ‘Kunuuksaayuka,’ in which an Iñupiat child travels across the wilderness to find the source of the bitter blizzards that have been hitting his village. … The resulting game is called Never Alone,” and its protagonist is now a girl. (video)

Surprise Verdict: Court Clears Art Dealers Wildenstein Family Of Tax Evasion

Prosecutors had accused Guy Wildenstein, two family members, and advisors of attempting to avoid paying €550 million in inheritance taxes by transferring assets out of France. In delivering his verdict, the judge went out of his way to say that he does not think the Wildensteins are innocent: the problem is with French law.