Built in 1978, Denver’s Boettcher Concert Hall was hailed at its opening as a triumph of architecture and acoustics. “Now, not quite 30 years later, the interior of the 2,700-seat, city-owned facility will become the target of a wrecking ball if voters approve November ballot questions… So what changed? How did a place that had captured the imagination of a city and a nation become a candidate for the scrap heap?”
Author: sbergman
Why Just Hope When You Can Lobby?
The bond campaign to renovate and improve a number of cultural landmarks in Denver has been aggressively promoted by those hoping to gain passage, and financial disclosures show that the cultural groups that would benefit the most from the bill have been contributing large sums to the “vote yes” campaign.
Opera Ontario Canceling Shows, Could Fold
Hamilton-based Opera Ontario has canceled its season of performances in nearby Kitchener, Ontario, citing financial difficulties. The company, “which has been performing at the Centre in Kitchener for 12 years, announced last month that it needed to raise $1 million within 60 days or the opera company was in jeopardy.” Performances in Hamilton are also in jeopardy.
The Bradshaw Legacy
When conductor Richard Bradshaw died in August, Canada lost a powerful presence in its national opera scene. “He spent much of his career insisting that opera was an art form for everyone, that anyone who gave it a chance could respond to soaring human voices performing Mozart, Puccini, Verdi or Wagner.” Now, Bradshaw’s final performances with the Canadian Opera Company, performed outdoors in front of an audience of 20,000, are set to be broadcast nationwide.
MN Orch Musicians Get 5-Year Deal
The musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra approved a new 5-year contract late Friday night, ending speculation that they could be on the verge of a strike. Details have yet to be released, but orchestra officials have been quoted calling the deal “fair and generous.” The old contract, which included an initial wage freeze and minimal raises, expired October 1.
The New, Hip NPR? Don’t Hold Your Breath.
National Public Radio is no one’s idea of a cutting edge broadcaster, but in recent years, the network has been making a distinct push to draw in listeners younger than the baby boomers who make up the vast majority of its audience. A new morning show launched this week along those lines, but it may be a tough sell to get stations to carry it, and younger listeners are unlikely to give it a long time to find its stride.
Curtis Wants To Expand
“The Curtis Institute of Music is moving ahead with plans to demolish all or part of several buildings on Locust Street [in Philadelphia] to make way for a 10-story tower and adjoining four-story structure housing an orchestral rehearsal hall, studios, cafeteria, and dorms for 88 students.” But there are historic preservation concerns that could stand in the way of the expansion.
The Plight Of The Arab Actor
“Arabs and Arab Americans in Hollywood live in an interesting time. The appetite for Middle Eastern stories and themes boomed after 9/11 and grew again with the ongoing grind of the war in Iraq. But the roles suddenly being created for Arab-heritage actors often are limited to those of terrorists or are otherwise so poorly drawn that actors must swallow their pride to take them. And that’s if they even get offered the parts.”
All-Night Art In Toronto Lacking In… Well, Art
This was the second year for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, an all-night art crawl encompassing the city’s many museums, galleries, and public art spaces. But despite the success of last year’s debut, many were underwhelmed by the sequel. “The crowds had tripled, the art had dwindled. Everybody was stuck in traffic human or vehicular, the whole night. The city was in total immobile gridlock. And where was the art?”
The Fine Line Between Marketing And Pandering
What are a museum’s responsibilities when showing the work of a commercially popular artist considered less than great by critics and the art cognoscenti? Sarah Milroy says that whatever those responsibilities may be, they’ve clearly been abdicated by Ontario’s McMichael Collection in a new exhibition of the work of Robert Bateman. “Bateman has chosen to do many constructive things with his fame, and that is to be admired. But let’s get serious. Our arts institutions are empowered and funded to educate members of the public, not pander to their ignorance in pursuit of a quick profit.”