The New Zealand Symphony, Royal New Zealand Ballet, and Auckland Philharmonia all say that key members of their companies, foreign nationals who were abroad when the COVID lockdown began, are now blocked by the government from entering the country and taking up their jobs, even if they willingly enter quarantine when they arrive. – Radio New Zealand
Author: Matthew Westphal
How 70,000 Chinese Characters Were Made To Fit On A Western Computer Keyboard
The world power that is 21st-century China likely wouldn’t exist as we know it if an ingenious and tenacious computer programmer named Wang Yongmin hadn’t solved that very basic, very complicated problem. Here’s a deep dive into how he did it. (audio plus transcript) – Radiolab
New Series: Audiences During the Pandemic
My goal as guest editor of Lynne Conner’s blog for the next six months is to share and respond to what I’m seeing happening during this crisis through the lens of the audience. Every day there are new ideas, plans, calls to action, reasons to despair and reasons to celebrate. In this space I will be sharing and responding to what I’m seeing – and I ask you to share and respond as well. – Hannah Grannemann
Yoko’s Joke: Signs of the Times for the Metropolitan Museum’s Impending Reopening
Either Max Hollein and Daniel Weiss, the director and president of the Metropolitan Museum, were knowing participants in Yoko Ono’s mischievous potshot at their august institution, or they fell for her prank. – Lee Rosenbaum
Major Indian Publisher Withdraws Book About 2020 Riots In Delhi
“The book, titled Delhi Riots 2020: The Untold Story [and now dropped by Bloomsbury India], claims that the riots were the result of a conspiracy by Muslim jihadists and so-called ‘urban naxals’, a derogatory term used to describe left-wing activists, who had a role to play in the riots. The claim contravenes reports by organisations such as Amnesty International and the Delhi Minorities Commission that Muslims bore the brunt of the violence.” – The Guardian
Miami City Ballet Cancels Previously Announced 2020-21 Season
“The organization plans to celebrate its 35th anniversary … with a reimagined season of new commissioned digital works, outdoor performances and online premieres of some of the company’s most memorable performances.” – Miami Today
Is New York City Mayor’s Push To Diversify Arts Institutions Working? There’s No Way To Know For Sure
“Under the plan, Mayor Bill de Blasio promised to hold august institutions like the Metropolitan Museum of Art and Carnegie Hall accountable for hiring more members of historically marginalized and underrepresented groups and for making their boards of directors and other leadership ranks more inclusive. … But the Department of Cultural Affairs did not set numerical goals for what constituted progress, nor did it require that institutions provide baseline demographic statistics about their staffs.” – The New York Times
Afghanistan’s Most Famous Actress, And First Female Filmmaker, Shot In Kabul
Saba Sahar, who is a senior police officer and an activist as well as a performer and producer/director, was shot in her car or her way to work. She was comatose for 20 hours but is now out of danger, said her husband. The Taliban has denied responsibility. – CBS News
Istvan Rabovsky, First Big Ballet Star To Defect From Soviet Bloc, Dead At 90
“Trained in Hungary and the Soviet Union, Mr. Rabovsky and [his wife Nora] Kovach created a sensation with their technical virtuosity and an energetic style virtually unknown to Western audiences until the Bolshoi Ballet appeared in London and New York in 1956 and 1959.” – The New York Times
How To Bring L.A. Back From Disease, Dissension, And Unrest? Build Concert Halls, Says Mark Swed
“On the surface, that no doubt sounds idiotic — economically, socially and in just about every other way,” writes the L.A. Times classical music critic. “It’s not. It is the simplest, surest, most affordable means of turning this town around. Better still, we’re already nearly there. So please, bear with me.” – Los Angeles Times