Author: ArtsJournal2

The Grandmaster Of Hyperopera (Yep, That Is A Thing)

Anne LeBaron is finally getting her moment in the musical sun. The composer’s “penchant for working with other musicians and designers across multiple art forms may have found its fullest expression in the multi-media Crescent City. LeBaron has said that the concept of hyperopera, which she has taught in CalArts classes, denotes ‘an opera resulting from intensive collaboration across all the disciplines essential for producing opera in the 21st century.'”

Bollywood Star Goes Serious T.V. Host – And Changes India

“In two Indian states, the show has prompted governments to bolster the enforcement of existing laws, and a few weeks ago the show’s host was called to testify before a parliamentary committee after an episode on medical malpractice. The scale of the response has made Satyamev Jayate (as the show is called in Hindi) more like a people’s movement than a television show. More astonishing is the fact that this social and political phenomenon is the work of Aamir Khan, a superstar of India’s giant film industry.”

Teach Yourself Synesthesia! (Or At Least Give Your Brain A Good Workout)

“Conventional wisdom says that synesthesia is innate – you’re either born with the condition or you’re not, end of story. If you happen not to have been born that way but would really, really love to experience numbers as colors, or colors as sound … then you, my sense-straight friend, are pretty much out of luck. Except … maybe not?”

Hey Theatre-makers, Want To Help Build Civic Society? Just Listen

“As artists and organizers involved in a collaborative form that demands, arguably, one skill above all others, we are at a moment where we can put that skill to new use. That skill is listening, and we can radically alter our role in our communities if we employ it with greater intentionality and generosity. Arts organizations do not have to engage with non-arts partners solely through a lens of project-based needs.”

Opera On The Beach: Bring It!

“A great screen was set up on the very beach itself, and the opera performed, as seen by the black-tied audience in the award-winning glass-and-steel theatre at Wormsley, to thousands sitting on the sand, while donkeys took their children for rides, and the adults vainly tried to keep the beach out of their sandwiches.”

A Surfeit Of Bookbinding Supplies And Tools, In Brooklyn (Of Course)

“One wall held roll upon roll of whole calf and goatskins, most from Nigeria. Even within the same dye lot, each hide can take on a slightly different shade — variations, say, from a deep raspberry to a bright crimson. To the left of the leathers were rolls of book cloth (backed with paper for easier gluing) in various textures and fabrics, much of it imported from Japan. And to the right were stiff, creamy sheets of vellum and almost opalescent parchment imported from Britain; the parchment is treasured by botanical illustrators for its ability to hold the finest line without any bleed.”

Lila Lalandi, 91, Founder Of English Bach Festival And Pioneer In Baroque Opera Revival

And more: “She studied the piano at the Athens conservatoire. After the second world war, both Lina and her mother received certificates of appreciation from Field Marshal Sir Harold Alexander for “faithfully and loyally” serving the allied cause. By Lina’s own account, she successfully led allied servicemen across Athens to safety, occasionally hiding them in her own bed. This must have been a memorable moment for those servicemen, as Lina was a famous beauty and became for a while a Chanel model.”

Is This Magazine Too Honest, Or Perhaps Too Inspirational, For The Internet?

“The more sincere Thought Catalog has skewed, the more exasperated its critics have become. Nolan says the backlash has been a product of both subject matter and tone: ‘It is confessional, but it’s more than that. I think it goes back to the fact that it’s not self-aware: They think they are great but they are not in on the joke – that they are the joke,”‘he says. ‘All of their posts about feelings just make them into a caricature of themselves.’
‘I’m really not afraid of being uncool,’ responds O’Connell.”