“A maple-leaf logo has been added to Canadian CDs in Japan since 2004 as part of an ambitious campaign to create a distinctive Canadian brand here. And while revenues for Canadian pre-recorded music are collapsing at home, Japan is emerging as a crucial market for many Canadian performers, from top-name singers to smaller independent bands.”
Author: sbergman
The Ethics Of Book Abuse
“Every reader has a personal ethic for how to treat a book, a morality for what can and can’t be done to the physical object.” Is dog-earing a page a violation of the sanctity of the volume, or an easy way to hold your place? What about highlighting key passages, or writing notes in the margins? Or even (gasp!) throwing out an old book you don’t want anymore?
Two Western Mass. Museums Form A Partnership
The Clark Art Institute and the Massachusetts Museum of Contemporary Art (MassMOCA) have agreed to join forces to share gallery space and collections. “The lease deal for three former factory buildings will increase the Clark’s visibility, and provide the museum with a sensible place to branch out into more contemporary art exhibitions… For Mass MoCA, the arrangement will pump money into the museum’s tiny endowment and perpetually strapped annual budget.”
Arthur Miller, Hypocrite?
Does an article revealing the not-so-well-kept secret that Arthur Miller had a son with Down’s Syndrome, whom he cut entirely out of his life as an infant, taint Miller’s legacy as a playwright? “For many of those who came of age in the middle of the last century a saintly glow hovers around Miller, whose plays have often examined questions of guilt and morality through the prism of family. He was a hero of the left and a champion of the downtrodden.” That image is now in danger of shattering.
New York’s Austrian Arts Giant
Christoph Thun-Hohenstein’s name may not ring a bell if you’re not deeply involved in the New York cultural scene, but the outgoing head of the city’s Austrian Cultural Forum has left a deep impression on those who are, “conceiving programs ranging from the music of 20th-century émigrés to the work of performance artists in the Eastern bloc; maintaining contacts with cultural institutions around the country; even hanging shows himself in his building’s diminutive exhibition space in the wee hours of the morning.”
Why Isn’t Scottish Opera At Edinburgh?
“On Saturday night the Cologne Opera will perform their version of Richard Strauss’s Capriccio at Scotland’s premiere international arts festival. That a German company and not Scottish Opera will take to the stage is being seen as the legacy of cuts made by the Scottish Executive three years ago. Scotland’s national company had been approached to stage an opera but it had proved considerably cheaper to work with Cologne Opera instead.”
We’re Already Populists; You Just Haven’t Noticed
Plenty of observers have penned fiery columns containing ideas for how orchestras could work to shake off stuffy stereotypes and drop their elitist sheen, but one UK orchestra executive says that such screeds miss the fact that most orchestras are already working overtime to accomplish these goals. “Modern orchestras play a huge part in reaching out to communities, music lovers and young people – with performances held everywhere from concert halls to hospitals, schools and bedsides.”
San Antonio Talks Still Stalled
“Neither side gave ground this week when contract talks resumed between the San Antonio Symphony’s management and musicians.” The current contract expires this weekend, and musicians have already authorized their leaders to call a strike at any time after that. In the short term, it appears that talks will continue, but little progress is evident.
Charlotte Symphony In The Black (Sort Of)
The Charlotte Symphony will likely announce a balanced budget for the 2006-07 season soon, but the good news comes with a footnote. In order to cover its costs, the orchestra borrowed $700,000 from its endowment fund, with the intention of repaying the money once an ongoing $83m endowment drive is complete.
PhilOrch Endowment Drive Stuck In Neutral
18 months ago, the Philadelphia Orchestra’s ambitious $125m endowment drive was ahead of schedule, nearing the finish line, and renewing hope that the orchestra could find a sustainable long-term economic model. But less than $5m has been brought in since, and the campaign appears to have stalled a half-mile short of the finish line. Still, the health of the existing endowment has been improving steadily.