Author: Matthew Westphal

It’s Official: Alexander Neef Will Become General Director Of Paris Opera In 2021

“The news of [the Canadian Opera Co. director’s] return to the Opéra national, where he worked more than a decade ago, comes after the months of speculation in opera circles about Neef’s future, peaking with last month’s reporting from Le Figaro that Neef’s place at the helm of the Paris opera was a sure thing. … Neef’s new post also means he will relinquish his role as Santa Fe Opera’s artistic director, a job that he accepted just last year.” – The Globe and Mail (Canada)

Why Changing Marijuana Laws Made This Christian Publisher Change Its Name

“Christian Book Distributors, also known as CBD, was started four decades ago by brothers Ray and Stephen Hendrickson, selling Christian books, Bibles, home-schooling materials, toys and games. But the company has announced that the rising popularity of cannabidiol, the legal cannabis-derived chemical known as CBD, has begun to cause some unfortunate customer errors.” – The Guardian

The Great Indian Novel Was Written By A Woman And Published In Pakistan In 1959

Qurratulain Hyder’s River of Fire, written in Urdu and translated by the author into English in 1998, “tells a completist and syncretistic version of 2,500 years of history in modern-day India, Pakistan, and Bangladesh — beginning with the Nanda Dynasty on the brink of defeat by the founder of the Mauryan Empire (323 to 185 BCE), and ending in post-Partition despair. But the novel, barreling through the ages, leads up to 1947 with great purpose, the deep past used to understand the suddenness and chaos of Partition.” – The Nation

How ‘The Most Complex Archaeological Rescue Mission Of All Time’ Saved The 3,200-Year-Old Temples Of Abu Simbel

Egyptian President Nasser’s Aswan Dam project involved flooding an area full of ancient monuments, including Ramses II’s famous temple complex at Abu Simbel. So, in 1960, UNESCO and the Egyptian government organized a massive international project to move the monuments beyond the reach of the floodwaters. – National Geographic History

Dance Is Underfunded Because It’s Undervalued. Here’s How To Convince The People With Funds Of Dance’s Value

David Dorfman: “Dancemakers: Talk about money with the same knowledge and passion with which we talk about our mentors, our dances and the art form’s history. Research the roots of our current capitalist value system and know it intimately. … Sit down with people who have resources and believe you have something to offer them. Tell them what you need in order to make your art and how their investment will elevate our country’s cultural fabric.” – Dance Magazine

Can Protesting The Donors And Board Members Of Museums Really Right The World’s Wrongs?

Sebastian Smee: “Let’s be clear: the idea of moral purity in the arts is a fantasy. We are not going to return to innocence by hanging out with like-minded people at the Whitney as we contemplate a biennial where some of the works are poignantly missing. … I hope the drama at the Whitney has positive outcomes. But it is not a revolution. It is a spectacle.” – The Washington Post

How ‘Orange Is The New Black’ Changed Television And What We Expect From It

“Six years ago, conversations about diversity and representation had yet to become the lingua franca, in part because Orange had yet to start them. People of color, LGBT people, immigrants, and the disabled are not a trend. These communities predate any single show, as does art representing them, as does the desire for more of said art. But Orange did more to thrust these issues into the popular consciousness than any single show before or since.” – The Ringer