Actor Kevin Spacey, who has been in charge of London’s Old Vic theatre since 2003, says in an interview that he’s done with film acting, and is only interested in “the remarkable experience of being able to be a part of bringing people together” in the theatre world.
Author: sbergman
Baltimore Sym Gets Satellite Radio Deal
The Baltimore Symphony has signed a deal with XM satellite radio to carry eight of the orchestra’s concerts in 2007-08. The first broadcast will be a live simulcast of Marin Alsop’s first concert as the BSO’s new music director.
An Expensive Guessing Game
Collectors generally place a value on the art they covet based on the reputation of the artist who created it. But what to do when you have no idea who painted that picture being offered for sale? The Washington Project for the Arts at the Corcoran Gallery has been having fun with the idea for a few years now, offering works by anonymous artists to anyone with $500 and a willingness to take a risk.
Those Librettos Didn’t Write Themselves, Ya Know
“A court has ordered heirs of composer Richard Strauss to share royalties with the heirs of librettist and poet Hugo von Hoffmansthal for nine collaborations, including the popular operas Der Rosenkavalier and Elektra… Payments to the heirs of von Hoffmansthal, who died in 1929, stopped in 1999 after the expiration of a 70-year protection period.”
Time For An Arts School In Chicago?
Chicago is looking into the possibility of creating a public arts high school. You probably assumed that they already had one. The truth is that Chicago “is the only city of its size that doesn’t have a pre-professional arts public high school.”
The Dizzying View From The Wings
If a performance is going well, those in the audience rarely think about all that must go right backstage in order to put on a major theatrical work. But stand in the shoes of the cast and crew for a night, and you’ll gain a whole new respect for the organized chaos that is theatre. “For every apparent breach in decorum, there is an underlying plan, and in many cases a backup plan as well.”
More Red Ink Coming To Portland
The Oregon Symphony will finish its 2006-07 season with yet another multi-million dollar deficit, according to sources within the organization. The OSO has hired a consultant to cut costs in hopes that the budget can be balanced by the 2008-09 season, but so far, there don’t seem to be any easy answers.
Buffalo Phil Discrimination Suit Settled
The Buffalo Philharmonic has reached a settlement with a former oboist who had been claiming that anti-gay discrimination was involved in his dismissal from the orchestra. A hearing of the dispute, scheduled for next week before the New York State Division of Human Rights, has been canceled.
Celebrating The Second Tier
Major orchestras are a fine thing for a community to have in its midst, but David Patrick Stearns says that, sometimes, it’s the smaller, scrappier bands that turn out crackling performances, largely because they still feel as though they have something to prove. But do audiences in such cities really appreciate what they have?
Schaferpalooza Coming To Ottawa
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is planning a slate of events to celebrate the 75th birthday of Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. Besides the premiere of a new orchestral work from Schafer, the celebrations “will include choral music workshops, a two-day teachers’ symposium and talks by the composer about music education, in addition to four free concerts of Schafer’s music.”