“Right now, if I were asked whether I’d rather hear Temirkanov or Alsop in Mozart, Beethoven, Brahms, Mahler, Sibelius, Shostakovich — in virtually any of the masterpieces in the standard repertory — I’d go for Temirkanov in a hummingbird’s heartbeat. But if I were asked who was more likely, over time, to bring in new audiences and board members, to win over Baltimoreans who may never have attended a classical concert, to help revitalize both the orchestra and the city in which it is rooted, Alsop might get the nod.”
Blog
Kimmel’s $100 Million/Year Impact
Philadelphia’s Kimmel center has had an economic impact of $321 million in three years, the center says. “About $177 million of that was attributed to direct-and-induced expenditures, $127 million to salaries and wages and almost $17 million to state and local tax revenue. The analysis showed that the Kimmel Center generated $3 for every $1 that it spent.”
Arizona Orchestra Cancels Performances
The Mesa [Arizona] Symphony has canceled four upcoming concerts, including its popular July Fourth concert. “Officials from the symphony, which comprises 65 part-time employees who perform about a dozen concerts a year, blamed the failure of a Mesa property tax initiative in May for the loss of funding. The $50,000 grant represents about a quarter of the symphony’s annual budget.”
The Website That’s Changing The Music Business
“Pitchforkmedia.com has become the main arbiter of taste among independent music fans, a distinction once claimed by zines, college radio, and mainstream music mags that risked advertising dollars by taking chances on unknown bands. The news and reviews site has found its niche in catering to list makers, mp3 traders, and kids who are determined to love and leave a band before you’ve ever even heard of them. Pitchfork has plenty of faults—impenetrable writing, factual gaffes made by first-time critics—but they haven’t kept it from turning the music industry’s standard operating procedure on its head. It’s the website every music-head checks and the website every music-head hates.”
African-Americans Shut Out Of Next Fall’s Network Comedies
None of the 11 new comedies on the four major American broadcast networks has an Africa-American lead actor next fall. “The lack of African American leads in sitcoms is unconscionable. This is historically where many African actors, directors, writers and show runners have honed their artistic skills and found meaningful employment.”
Ontario’s Stratford Festival Stages Its First Play By A Black Playwright
Next week, Djanet Sears “officially becomes the first black playwright and the first black female director in the 54-year history of the Stratford Festival of Canada. The production will also be the first on any of its stages with an all-black cast.”
Cirque du Soleil Works With Troubled Kids In 19 Countries
“The programs’ team works with circus-arts instructors to teach troubled youth how to clown around, juggle and do more advanced circus techniques. Kids learn to use their imagination and balance, and to test their own physical limits. The instructors help them improve self-esteem, develop social skills and gain a sense of humour. They also teach self-control and discipline, and channel risk-taking and adrenaline in a positive way. ‘Everyone who has experienced violence or trouble knows that adrenaline. What we do is modify that adrenaline. The difference is, people applaud you for it here’.”
Broadway – The Best And Worst Of Times
“If you’re an admirer of Broadway-ready singing actors, it is a time of feast; there’s never been more potentially showstopping talent…. The list of reliable marquee names and major emerging talents would make any casting director salivate. But what new shows are worthy of such talents?”
Survival Of The Most Idle…
“‘Idle theory’ is at one level quite simple. All living creatures have to work to stay alive. Some have to work harder than others. Those creatures that need to do little work to stay alive are more likely to survive periods of difficulty than those that must work harder and longer. Evolution is thus based… on the survival of the idlest.”
PNB On An Upward Draft
Peter Boal has brought new excitement to Pacific Northwest Ballet in his first season. “What changed? Because something has, markedly. One feels it entering McCaw Hall for a program, feels it waiting in line for tickets, feels it in oneself: a feeling of anticipation, even excitement, about what one’s about to see. There have long been fine dancers, good dances, and satisfying programs at PNB. Maybe the best way to sum up the difference this year is that the steak, always wholesome and well prepared, regained its sizzle. And from the first bite, one realized that wasn’t all. The steak was juicy, strong flavored, and almost daringly rare.”