“Among the smartest recording labels, one-composer programs — the norm since the arrival of the LP record in the early 1950s — are giving way to conceptual collections of music that juxtapose the ancient and modern, progressive and retrogressive, as well as the familiar and the obscure. … Is this fusion cuisine, classical music style? I prefer the term ‘conceptual virtuosity,’ since these programs often have an intellectual depth that goes beyond any Spotify algorithm.” David Patrick Stearns examines some recent examples. – WQXR (New York City)
Author: Matthew Westphal
Company Gives Ballet Dancers Whose Studios Are Closed A Place To Keep Their Technique Up
Says Festival Ballet Providence director Kathleen Breen Combes, “I kept getting these emails of dancers saying they just need a place to train this year. I thought, What if we could provide a space for dancers to get stronger, experiment and try new things in a nonjudgmental and no-pressure environment?” And so the company’s Leap Year program was born. – Pointe Magazine
Managers At WAMU Kept Trying To Fire Repeat Sexual Harasser. American University Overruled Them.
Two senior executives at the Washington, DC public radio station lost their jobs — general manager J.J. Yore had to resign, and former chief content officer Andi McDaniel had to give up the position she was about to start in, general manager at WBEZ in Chicago — after it came out that WAMU traffic reporter Martin Di Caro was kept on for over two years after violating the first of what would be two “final warnings” over wildly inappropriate behavior towards female colleagues and associates. Newly leaked documents show that Yore and other execs at the station tried to fire Di Caro and were overruled by the Human Resources department and General Counsel at the station’s license-holder, American University. – DCist
Steve Carter, Playwright Of Black Arts Movement, Dead At 90
“An award-winning playwright who explored the African-American and Caribbean-American experiences with incisiveness, humor and a willingness to wrestle with difficult themes, … Mr. Carter was one of many playwrights to emerge from the renowned Negro Ensemble Company in New York City in the 1960s, ’70s and ’80s.” – The New York Times
Why Cities And Towns Are Suing Netflix, Hulu, And Disney+
“Throughout the nation, one American town after another is struggling to figure out how to pay overtime for the city workers who disinfect public transit plus come up with funds so that schools can buy laptops for children learning remotely. Many officials have concluded that streamers should be contributing more for local government services and are shirking legal obligations by not doing so.” – The Hollywood Reporter
A New Wave Of BIPOC Leaders Takes Charge At U.S. Theater Companies
Peter Marks: “The hires and promotions mark what may be a turning point for a field coming to grips with a challenge from Black, Latinx, Asian American and other racial and ethnic groups: to examine its White bias and bring more diversity into its leadership ranks.” – The Washington Post
Turns Out Contemporary Art Museum Houston’s Ex-Director Didn’t Resign For The Reason He Claimed
Two years ago, when Bill Arning stepped down “effective immediately,” he told ARTnews, “I was feeling I wasn’t making progress, and I wasn’t getting done what I needed to get done. … They need a new leader, and I need a new life.” Last week, as Arning announced that he would open a commercial gallery in Houston, allegations appeared on Instagram charging him with serious sexual misconduct. Now CAMH has released a statement: “In October of 2018, [the museum] immediately removed Bill Arning as director when allegations of improper — but not illegal — communications and actions with artists were investigated by our legal counsel and found to be credible.” – Glasstire
Trump Administration Says It Will Ban TikTok And WeChat (Unless It Doesn’t)
“The U.S. Commerce Department said it will issue an order Friday that will bar people in the United States from downloading Chinese-owned messaging app WeChat and video-sharing app TikTok starting on September 20. Commerce officials said the ban … could be still rescinded … before it takes effect late Sunday as TikTok owner ByteDance races to clinch an agreement over the fate of its U.S. operations.” – Reuters
Can Arts Groups Successfully Charge Viewers For Online Content? And How Much?
“The wave of free content [put online during the COVID lockdown] was a generous gesture with some lasting side effects – not least of which is the emergence of a price anchor, an expectation that digital culture is somehow free to produce and therefore free to watch. This will take some time to shake off.” Here’s an analysis – with some surprises, both happy and worrisome – of data from a recent survey of more than 130,000 regular arts attenders in the UK. – Arts Professional
Gerhard Richter Says This Is His Final Major Artwork
Three tall twin-panel stained-glass windows unveiled at Tholey Abbey, Germany’s oldest surviving monastery building, constitute what the 88-year-old artist says will “certainly” be his last numbered opus. (He plans to limit himself to drawings and sketched from now on.) – Artnet