He held some of the most prestigious positions his profession had to offer – at the Cathedral of Notre-Dame, Saint-Séverin in Paris, and the Chapelle Royale at Versailles – and he was a pioneer, as performer and scholar alike, in reviving the organ repertoire of the 17th and 18th centuries, notably on historical organs. His large discography includes one of the most admired sets of J.S. Bach’s complete works for organ. (in French; Google Translate version here)
Author: Matthew Westphal
BalletX Is Getting A New Home, And 40 New Works Will Be Created There
The company is breaking ground for its first permanent studio, a former furniture store and auto repair shop in South Philadelphia that will be called the Center for World Premiere Choreography. BalletX director Christine Cox is serious about that name: in addition to space for morning dance class and rehearsal, the Center (which is expected to open over this winter) will provide space for choreographers to work, and Cox promises 40 new ballets over the next ten years.
The Cannes Lions, The World’s Leading Advertising Awards, Get An Overhaul
“Under pressure from advertising holding companies who have come to see it as too expensive, Cannes Lions owner Ascential unveiled a sweeping revamp of its flagship festival today, introducing dozens of changes aimed at simplifying and modernizing the event as well as, critically, keeping costs down for attendees.”
Top Posts From AJBlogs 11.14.17
External Connections
Fundraising, sales, education, and engagement. All are concerned with making connections between an arts organization and individuals (and groups) outside the organization. The first two have long been focused most on people who … read more
AJBlog: Engaging Matters Published 2017-11-14
Strange Interlude: Al Jazeera Interviews Me About the Berkshire Museum (with video)
I was as surprised as you probably are that Al Jazeera, with its focus on international news (particularly as it relates to the Arab world), was interested in talking to me for a segment about … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2017-11-14
Dreams so real
Regular readers of this blog know that Giorgio Morandi is one of the modern artists whose work I love most … and I’ve long dreamed of … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2017-11-14
Nation Branding: The Art And Business Of Marketing A Country
“In the 21st century, nation branding has grown to be busy business, and its practitioners take great pains to emphasise that what they do is different from the more straightforward marketing and advertising work that came before them. … They regard their line of work as a kind of psychology: counselling for countries, therapy for towns. Look inward, discover yourself, find your place in the world.”
Remember ‘Second Life’? Hundreds Of Thousands Of People Still Spend Hours Living Second Lives On It
Leslie Jamison: “In the years since [the user-generated virtual world’s] peak in the mid 2000s, Second Life has become something more like a magnet for mockery. When I told friends that I was working on a story about it, their faces almost always followed the same trajectory of reactions: a blank expression, a brief flash of recognition, and then a mildly bemused look. Is that still around?” Yet in these crazy days, writes Leslie Jamison, who talks to the platform’s creator and some still-devoted users, “the appeal of that alternate world keeps deepening, along with our doubts about what it means to find ourselves drawn to it.”
The Inside Story Of The Three Billboards In ‘Three Billboards Outside Ebbing, Missouri’
“If the signage in a movie has top billing over Frances McDormand … you can bet a whole lot of thought went into its conception and execution. … And everything about the [eponymous signboards] – from the design and classic construction, to the custom structures that display them – is authentic. For the complete billboard blow-by-blow, we spoke with Three Billboards‘ production designer Inbal Weinberg, the brains behind Mildred’s advertising war.”
France Struggles With How To Make Its Very Gendered Language Gender-Neutral
As anyone who’s studied French knows, there’s no neuter: every noun and adjective is either masculine or feminine, most words for occupations have different forms for men and women, and if there are both, “the masculine prevails over the feminine” (as the rule has it). Now a group of teachers and a publishing house grammar guide are arguing for an end to this rule and its corollaries. Naturally, the Académie Française is not having it.
‘Curatorial Activism’: A Manifesto
Maura Reilly: “[It] is a term I use to designate the practice of organizing art exhibitions with the principle aim of ensuring that certain constituencies of artists are no longer ghettoized or excluded from the master narratives of art. It is a practice that commits itself to counter-hegemonic initiatives that give voice to those who have been historically silenced or omitted altogether.”
Rolling Stone Was Inspired By A Leftist Catholic Journal
“Ramparts was by no means a hippie magazine, but its rebellious spirit, flair for publicity and professional design would all leave their mark on Wenner and Gleason’s fledgling magazine.”