Author: Matthew Westphal

Miriam Makeba, The Accidental Activist

“Miriam Makeba, the South African singer known as ‘Mother Africa,’ was celebrated as much for her unwitting activism against apartheid as for her lilting and dramatic voice… [But she maintained that] ‘I am not a political singer. I don’t know what the word means. People think I consciously decided to tell the world what was happening in South Africa. No! I was singing about my life.'”

Colossus Of Rhodes To Be Reborn As World’s Largest Light Installation

“But unlike the ancient Colossus, which stood 34 metres high before an earthquake toppled it in 226BC, the groundbreaking work of art is slated to be much taller and bigger. […] [I]n the spirit of the 21st century the new Colossus has been conceived as a highly innovative light sculpture, a work of art that will allow visitors to physically inspect it by day as well as enjoy – through light shows – a variety of stories it will ‘tell’ by night.”

Fundraising For Orlando’s New PAC Falls Short

Yet another venue hit by fallout from the financial crisis: the Dr. P. Phillips Performing Arts Center, budgeted at $408 million and scheduled to open in 2012 in downtown Orlando. “While supporters have been able to raise $86 million in pledges, they are still short by $45 million. The center needs to raise $25 million by 2010 and another $20 million after that. […] [D]onors typically pledge money over a three to five year span. So the center has had to borrow money to get the new facility off the ground.”

Conductor’s Boston Walkout Reverberates On The Canadian Prairie

The entire concept of the Edmonton Symphony’s program this weekend is now shot. “Kuerti: Father and Son” was to feature 32-year-old conductor Julian in collaboration with his renowned pianist father, Anton. But with Russian conducting legend Gennady Rozhdestvensky having walked out on the Boston Symphony because he didn’t get top billing, Julian, who’s the BSO’s assistant conductor, has to step in.

Vancouver’s Ballet BC Lays Off Everybody

All 38 of the company’s staff members, from artistic director John Alleyne to the administrative assistants, have lost their jobs as the company reels from declining subscriptions and ticket sales. But the company’s chairman says that if 7,000 tickets to next month’s Nutcracker can be sold (2,000 have been purchased so far), the 2009 spring season can be saved. He also says that “In no way does it mean Ballet British Columbia is going out of business. We anticipate emerging from this current situation as a stronger company.”

Mondavi’s Food-Wine-Arts Center Closes Abruptly

COPIA, the center for food, wine and the arts founded by Robert Mondavi in downtown Napa, California, closed its doors without warning on Friday and is “suspending operations” while it tries to raise cash. The center, which in September reduced its schedule from seven days open to three and laid off 24 of 80 staff members, “has lost at least $4 million a year since it opened in 2001.”