Known for his adherence to thorny modernism and his strong opinions, Wuorinen won the Pulitzer Prize in 1970 for Time’s Encomium (the first piece of electronic music to earn the honor) but is best known for his opera adaptations of Salman Rushdie’s Haroun and the Sea of Stories and Annie Proulx’s Brokeback Mountain. – Yahoo! (AP)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Chanel Miller, Edwidge Danticat, Patrick Radden Keefe Win National Book Critics Circle Awards
Miller, the survivor of the rape by Stanford athlete Brock Turner, received the autobiography award for her memoir Know My Name; Danticat’s Everything Inside: Stories won the fiction prize; Keefe’s Say Nothing: A True Story of Murder and Memory in Northern Ireland took nonfiction honors; Morgan Parker’s Magical Negro won the poetry award. – Los Angeles Times
‘You Know, It’s Going To Cost You Something’: Building A New Opera About The Police Shooting Of A Young Black Man
The quote is what composer Jeanine Tesori told bass Ken Kellogg about taking his role (the young man’s father, a police officer himself) in Blue, which Tesori wrote with librettist Tazewell Thompson for Glimmerglass Opera and Washington National Opera. Matthew Guerrieri meets Tesori, Thompson, and Kellogg at a rehearsal. – The Washington Post
Bill Smith And McCoy Tyner Are Gone
James Moody told me that his Georgia-born grandmother said one morning while looking through the newspaper, “Folks is dyin’ what ain’t never died befo’.” The trend continues, as it always has.” – Doug Ramsey
Marcelo Gomes Gets First Full-Time Position Since Resigning From ABT
The Brazilian-born star will become, along with Sofiane Sylve of San Francisco Ballet, principal dancer and ballet master of the Semperoper Ballett in Dresden. In late 2017, Gomes was pressured to resign from ABT over what the board chairman called a “highly concerning” accusation of (unspecified) sexual misconduct in 2009 that was unconnected with the company or anyone in it; Gomes has since worked freelance as dancer and choreographer, most notably with former ABT colleague Julie Kent at The Washington Ballet. – Pointe Magazine
Does Anyone Even Want The Job Of Running The BBC?
The deadline for submitting applications has just passed, reportedly with few candidates showing interest in a position seen as a “poisoned chalice.” Right now, a new BBC director general will have to deal with more than the usual number of headaches — and there’s a good chance of getting replaced within 18 months. – The Guardian
Nelson Leirner, One Of Brazil’s Most Influential Artists, Dead At 88
“Pop culture imagery and canonical works from art history were frequent subjects of Leirner’s painting and collages; think Velázquez’s court ladies swarmed by flies or a football stadium packed with Incredible Hulk cartoons and Power Rangers. Little in the zeitgeist was safe from Leirner’s ironic translation, which was rendered with a keen attention to composition and color.” – ARTnews
What’s In The UK’s First Post-Brexit Culture Budget
The next overall budget for the Department for Digital, Media Culture and Sport (DCMS) will increase by £100 million to £1.7 billion; it will include £250 million to support local libraries and museums (which could help reverse the hundreds of library closures due to austerity in recent years), £27 million for maintenance at national museums, £90 million for cultural development outside London, and £25,000 given to every secondary school each year for “arts activities.” – The Art Newspaper
Vienna’s Albertina Museum Opens New Branch For Modern Art
The Albertina Modern — housed in the newly-renovated 1868 Künstlerhaus on the Ringstrasse, the site of the Nazis’ notorious 1939 “Degenerate Art” exhibit — will focus on postwar Austrian art and its connections with modernism in other countries. (Of course, no one is actually allowed to go see it just now.) – The New York Times
Just A Couple Of Years Ago, Louis C.K.’s Career Seemed Over. Now He’s Selling Out Theatres.
Until late 2017, he was one of the most admired comedians working, seen as something of an auteur of stand-up. Then reports emerged of, er, unprofessional behavior with younger female colleagues; he admitted they were true; and he lost his agent, his movie, and his TV deal. When he began a comeback last year, many observers feared he’d gone over to the alt-right. But he’s now dropped the worst of that material, reports Elahe Izadi, who went to see his show and talk with some of the enthusiastic audience. – The Washington Post