Paul Meecham is stepping down, effective next week. “During his three years with the [organization], Meecham worked to expand the Utah Symphony’s reach across the state, … spearheading ‘the Great American Road Trip’ — a 1,200-mile [concert tour] to Utah’s state parks and national monuments.” – Deseret News (Salt Lake City)
Author: Matthew Westphal
After 20 Years And An Asbestos Crisis, A Josef Albers Mural Greets Manhattan Commuters Again
“Hundreds of interlocking panels — black, white and Coca-Cola red all over — made up Josef Albers’s Manhattan, a mural in which geometry and meticulous precision met modernist vivacity. It was undeniably busy, which was appropriate, given its home high above the commuters bustling to and from Grand Central Terminal through 200 Park Avenue, best known as the MetLife Building.” – The New York Times
Europe’s First Orchestra For Young People With Disabilities Is Making Its Debut
The Open Youth Orchestra of Ireland “is preparing for its inaugural performance, which will showcase adaptive instruments, virtual reality music and revolutionary ‘conductology’. (includes video) – Irish Independent
Doyenne Of Black Dance Writers (And Maybe All Dance Writers) Takes On New Role: Curation
Eva Yaa Asantewaa “wasn’t looking for a curatorial position when she got a call from Gina Gibney, the artistic director and founder of Gibney, a performing arts and social justice organization that includes Ms. Gibney’s dance company and features classes and studio rentals. … ‘She had a whole plan mapped out,’ Ms. Yaa Asantewaa said. ‘It took me about two minutes to just say yes.'” – The New York Times
Noah Preminger Group: ‘Zigsaw: Music Of Steve Lampert’
Ever on the frontier of experimentation, the adventurous tenor saxophonist Noah Preminger is aided by the complexity of Steve Lampert’s composition Zigsaw. – Doug Ramsey
How ‘Mao’s Last Dancer’ Transformed A Struggling Provincial Company Into A Powerhouse
Li Cunxin, who defected from China in 1981, danced with the Houston and Australian Ballets, retired from the stage in 1999, and became a Melbourne stockbroker. Then, in 2012, came a call from Brisbane. “Seven years [after he became artistic director], Li’s contribution has been dramatic. Queensland Ballet, once a struggling choreographer-led company, has become one of Australia’s most exciting repertoire ensembles … The budget has more than quadrupled, to over $20 million USD, and Li has launched not one but three major construction projects, with world-class headquarters, a theater and a new academy all in progress.” – Pointe Magazine
The Night Broadway’s ‘Slave Play’ Was Performed For An All-Black Audience
The producers of Jeremy O. Harris’s daring drama set aside all 804 seats on Sept. 18 for Black theatregoers, and they marketed the event almost entirely through direct outreach. Harris was thrilled by that night’s atmosphere: “People got out of their seats to go to the bathroom when they needed, people spoke, people laughed loudly, talked back, people (mon dieu!) texted with their ringers off and screens turned low. And the whole room felt free.” – American Theatre
For First Time, Complete Text Of ‘Darkness At Noon’ Is Available In English
“Arthur Koestler’s classic story of Stalinist purges has hitherto been known through an incomplete translation by his girlfriend – until a student found the original in an archive.” – The Guardian
Al Alvarez, Poet And Author, Dead At 90
“[He] championed the work of Sylvia Plath and Ted Hughes, wrote a provocative study of suicide and explored his own risky pastimes in [bestselling] books about rock climbing and professional poker.” – The Washington Post
The Art Of Ticket Pricing
A survey of more than 600 arts professionals (half of whom are directly involved in pricing decisions) reveals some interesting points about how those decisions are made — not least that a large majority of respondents would rather increase attendance than maximize ticket revenue. – Arts Professional