“Even before Gustavo Dudamel officially takes the podium this fall, the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s new maestro is making it clear that music education is a priority. Tomorrow the orchestra is announcing a fellowship program proposed by Dudamel that will offer [four] promising conductors the chance to work with one of the hottest figures in classical music.”
Author: Matthew Westphal
Birds Got Rhythm (Who Could Ask For Anything More?)
“Birds can boogie to the beat, according to two new studies that found birds, especially parrots, have rhythm and an apparent appreciation for certain songs that compel them to bob their heads, tap their feet and sway their bodies in time to music.”
The Battle Of Kitsch And Beauty
“Kitsch encourages us to dwell on our own satisfactions and anxieties; it tells us to be pleased with what we have always felt and known. It reaches us at the level where we are easiest to please … Beauty, on the other hand, demands we consider its meaning. It implies a larger world than the one we deal with every day. […] Still, if nearly everyone likes [kitsch], how bad can it be?”
Why Do Kids Hate School?
“According to [psychology professor Daniel] Willingham, one major reason is that what school requires students to do – think abstractly – is in fact not something our brains are designed to be good at or to enjoy.”
Australia’s Meta-Nutcracker
“Graeme Murphy’s Nutcracker, recast so poignantly as the life story of an ageing Russian ballerina long transplanted to Melbourne, exerts a magic very different from the traditional favourite. Childish dreams and a kingdom of sweets give way to a narrative that has consequences for every member of the audience. Without such emigres there would be no Australian ballet. And no Australian Ballet.”
Dallas Symphony Puts Off European Tour
“The Dallas Symphony Orchestra’s 2010 European tour has become another casualty of the international recession. Originally scheduled for next February and March, the tour is being postponed until at least 2012.”
Roman Polanski Passes On Returning To U.S.
In February, a Los Angeles judge ruled that evidence of prosecutorial and judicial misconduct could well justify voiding the director’s 1977 conviction for statutory rape – but that Polanski, a fugitive in France ever since, had to return to the U.S. to ask that the case be dismissed. The deadline is arriving, and Polanski has taken no steps to accept the offer.
Jazz At Lincoln Center Settles Suit Against Delinquent Donor
“Jazz at Lincoln Center, the world’s largest performing-arts center for jazz, said it’s discussing a settlement with Pennsylvania insurance executive Andre V. Duggin over $327,500 in promised donations. On April 15, Jazz at Lincoln Center sued Duggin, … claiming he reneged midway through a five-year commitment to donate $500,000.”
New CEO At Ballet San Jose
“Ballet San Jose on Thursday announced the appointment of Stephanie Ziesel as its new executive director. Ziesel currently serves as associate director of development at San Francisco Ballet, where she has worked for nearly seven years.”
How X-Men‘s Brooding Freak Became A Superstar Superhero
“Wolverine has not only retained his appeal among comic-book readers; he has gone from being a pastiche of ’70s tough guys to becoming the badass icon of the ’90s, thanks to his cartoons, video games, and, now, his Hollywood blockbusters. […] And like all wildly successful figures in American entertainment, Wolverine is a Canadian.”