“Exploitative and degrading” is how one Iraqi newspaper described the current draft Memorandum of Understanding between the Iraqi government and the Museum of the Bible along with the family-owned chain store that funds it. “The Daily Beast has consulted with experts in Iraqi archaeology, international law, and art crime about this document. Here are some of the problems they identified with it.” – The Daily Beast
Author: Matthew Westphal
BBC’s New Boss Will Look At Changing How BBC Is Funded
“The BBC has looked at whether the licence fee [paid by each household with a television] could ultimately be replaced with a new special income tax, based on the Swedish model for funding public service broadcasting according to two executives at the corporation, with a new funding model set to be one of the key issues facing incoming director general, Tim Davie.” – The Guardian
Aerosol Research Helps Get Vienna Philharmonic Back Onstage
“The Vienna Philharmonic was one of the first professional orchestras to return to rehearsals and performances since the start of the COVID-19 pandemic, but it wouldn’t have been possible if they hadn’t carried out their own small research study into the way droplets disperse on stage while musicians play.” Reporter Eva Amsen looks at what exactly the orchestra and its scientists did. – Forbes
Indigenous Performers In Australia Struggle For Recognition As 21st-Century Artists
Audience demand for First Nations performing arts is growing. yet, aside from one superstar company (the dance troupe Bangarra), “many independent Indigenous dance and theatre artists are struggling for funding and autonomy, and fighting against stereotypical audience expectations and tokenistic programming decisions.” – The Guardian
Diversity Diversion: Plumbing Museums’ “Pipeline” Problem in Hiring Minorities
While the persistent lag in hiring minorities is arguably a manifestation of museums’ systemic racism, it is also a “pipeline problem” — the relative scarcity of well-trained minority candidates. But if a museum official were to state this publicly, it would likely be dismissed as a cop-out. – Lee Rosenbaum
Are Orchestras “Better than Ever”? — What Not to Tell a Young Musician
“Orchestras are better than ever” – if you mean that, literally, you mean that in terms of the role the institution plays in Minneapolis or Philadelphia or Boston, it has a bigger and more important role than it’s ever had in the past. Anybody who says that – they don’t know what an orchestra is. So this is a dangerous thing to tell young musicians. – Joseph Horowitz
Lang Lang, the Goldberg Variations and roads that were (long) not taken
Bach isn’t exactly the kind of composer for which Lang Lang became famous. In fact, he’s known the Goldbergs for a long time now, and the piece fits him better than you might expect. – David Patrick Stearns
CAMI Abruptly Shuts Down
One of the most powerful agencies in the classical music industry, Columbia Artists Management Inc. sent a statement to its clients on Saturday saying that, due to the “prolonged pandemic environment,” it is closing its doors on Monday (Aug. 31) and entering liquidation. – Yahoo! (AP)
David Hallberg Looks Back On His Final Days At The Bolshoi
In 2011, Hallberg joined the Bolshoi Ballet as a principal, the first American (and one of the few foreigners) ever to do so. In 2019, he danced what would turn out to be his final performances there, and perhaps anywhere. A New York Times photographer followed him over his last months at the Moscow theater, and here he talks with Roslyn Sulcas about some of the photos. – The New York Times
Why Won’t Publishers Fact-Check Their Nonfiction Books?
“Without widespread consumer awareness that most books are not fact checked, or about which imprints publish which books, there’s no real reason for publishers to care about fact checking. If it comes to light that a book contains major errors, it’s the author, not the publisher, whose reputation takes the hit. … Meanwhile, the stakes of not fact checking books only continue to get higher, as it’s become easier and easier to destroy a book’s credibility with a few clicks.” – Esquire