“Every generation finds new and better ways to ruin things, and one of the best today is the classical ring tone, which follows in the noble tradition of turning snippets of serious music into theme songs for radio shows, backgrounds to TV commercials, medleys on greatest hits records and divertissements in elevators.”
Author: sbergman
Ottawa Chamber Fest Director Quits
“The founder and artistic director of Ottawa’s Chamber Music Festival resigned suddenly Tuesday. Julian Armour, who started the festival in 1994 and helped build it into the world’s largest during his 13 years as artistic director, blamed differences in vision between himself and the board of directors of the Ottawa Chamber Music Society.”
BC Arts To Get Fiscal Boost
Arts groups in British Columbia will get a fresh cash infusion from a public-private partnership over the next three years. “Arts Partners in Creative Development will give British Columbia arts organizations $6.5 million in new funding… to help develop original works in the performing arts, the visual arts and literary arts.”
Boston Landmark Could Face The Wrecking Ball
“A plan to demolish a 1960 office tower by the influential architect Paul Rudolph threatens to pit a prominent developer backed by [Boston] Mayor Thomas M. Menino against preservationists who see the building as a seminal example of midcentury Modernism.”
Will Minneapolis Lose Its Best Art House Cinema?
For years, the perennially cash-strapped Oak Street Cinema has presented the most innovative and unexpected lineup of films available in Minneapolis, fighting to stay afloat with little to no money for advertising, modern projection equipment, or even, sometimes, heat. Despite all the challenges, Oak Street “has been racking up surprising attendance figures in recent months… Yet the future of the 91-year-old theater has never been chillier.”
Baltimore’s Cut-Price Plan Off To A Flying Start
The Baltimore Symphony’s decision to slash all its subscription ticket prices to $25 for Marin Alsop’s first season as music director is already paying off in a big way. “When the box office opened last Saturday morning, about 150 people were already in line at Meyerhoff Symphony Hall, ready to snap up the tickets. [Alsop] was on hand to give out doughnuts to the eager subscribers.”
Montreal Arts District To Get Cash Infusion
The city of Montreal will spend CAN$55 million to revitalize its central arts district. “The city is also courting private developers to build new office and residential buildings, but the main focus of the redesign is to modernize the area’s public spaces for live entertainment.”
Is New York Opera Headed Into A Brave New World?
The moment Gerard Mortier was named as the new director of New York City Opera, the speculation began: would Mortier be able to build his new company into a formidable challenger to Peter Gelb’s Met? Charles Michener says that every American opera lovel should be hoping that he can. “The most salutary thing that could happen to opera in New York would be for the David and the Goliath of Lincoln Center to go head to head. May the best–not necessarily the biggest–man win.”
Cleveland Back On A Major Label
The Cleveland Orchestra took a chance last month, making a new live concert recording of Beethoven’s 9th Symphony without actually having a deal in place with any record label to market and distribute the disc. But it didn’t take long to find a partner – Deutsche Grammophon, which has a long history with the orchestra, will release the recording this fall.
Harth-Bedoya Staying In Fort Worth
“Miguel Harth-Bedoya, music director of the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra, has agreed to a three-year contract extension that will keep him in the post through June 2011… Under his leadership, the Fort Worth Symphony Orchestra has expanded its schedule and raised its profile and artistic standards, offering more music year-round and attracting top players in key positions.”