The University of Michigan is investigating the school’s public radio and TV stations after the recent departure of two key staffers. “U of Michigan administration and campus police say they have launched investigations of Michigan Public Media, the umbrella organization for Michigan Radio, Michigan Television, the Flint-based public TV channel broadcasting as WFUM-TV, and the Michigan Channel, a cable affiliate.”
Blog
The Whitney – A Work In Progress
Just as the Whitney Biennial is constantly being reinvented, so is the Whitney itself. “We’re always going to be criticized for being trendy, for getting things before they’re fully tested. You can’t afford not to do that, if you’re the Whitney. We have to take risks, and make mistakes, and be light on our feet. Sometimes the things that happen by chance are the best things. The art world is changing, artists are changing, so to have a plan that’s too fixed would defeat what we’re trying to do.”
ENO Takes A Chance On New Leadership
Edward Gardner is the “high-risk” choice to be music director of the troubled English National Opera. “The selection process, though swift, was admirably consultativen and transparent. The American Andrew Litton, much liked by the orchestra, was vetoed by the singing staff who felt he gave them insufficient support. Yakov Kreizberg, the Russian-born American, was top of the search list but he could not find room in a busy international schedule for the seven months a year that ENO required. Mark Wigglesworth, a British conductor who had commendably refused to work with Doran, was forced to make a choice between troubled ENO and the comfortable Monnaie in Brussels, where his appointment is expected shortly.”
The Kimmel’s World-Class, Stunning, Beautiful And Unique Settlement
Philadelphia’s Kimmel Center and architect Rafael Vinoly have reached an out-of-court settlement on Kimmel complaints about the building. It must have been some settlement. The joint statement says: “the Kimmel Center recognizes that the Viñoly-designed and delivered Kimmel Center is a stunning, state-of-the-art concert hall that attracts world-class artists. It is one of the most beautiful and unique buildings of its kind in the world, a world-class performing arts center, a wonderful civic space, and an economic engine for the entire area. As one of the best facilities of its kind anywhere, it has achieved its goal of becoming a cultural center for all tastes.”
Almost As Many Searches As People
Computer users conducting a record number of internet searches in January. “Nielsen//NetRatings reports an all-time high search total of 5.7 billion searches in January, up from 4 million in January 2005. Meanwhile, comScore Networks says Americans made 5.48 billion searches in January, up from 4.95 billion a year earlier.”
Another Proposal For Louisville Orchestra Musicians
Louisville Orchestra management has made a new proposal to its musicians. The orchestra would be “a two-tiered structure with 55 full-time and 19 part-time players. Last month management had offered a plan with 53 full-time and 21 part-time players. Management also offered to pay a $5,000 bonus to each of 16 players who are now full-time but who would become part-timers.”
A Violin 60 Years In The Making
Sixty years ago a man in prison started making a violin out of a piece of maple he found. He never finished it, and for decades it sat in his closet. On the man’s 87th birthday, his grandson presented him with the now-completed instrument…
Cross-Cultural Translation
After ‘It’s Hard Out Here for a Pimp’ won best song at the Oscars, it rocketed in popularity. “Why this song? Why now? When ‘white’ culture borrows from ‘black’ culture, it doesn’t necessarily borrow what it thinks it’s borrowing. The real meaning of the song, its reference to pimps, its role within a movie documenting the often pathetic efforts at stardom of a pimp who also makes music, isn’t particularly relevant. When a piece of cultural stuff makes the transition into the mainstream, it often does so on terms entirely different from what it originally meant.”
Washington Ballet Contract To Clarify Dancers’ Security?
“The flexibility allowed to Artistic Director Septime Webre had been a key issue. Disagreements over such issues as how and when he could dismiss dancers, how he could expand his roster with the use of students from the Washington Ballet’s school, and how many dancers he would be required to employ — which the ballet viewed as stepping into areas of artistic control — were the chief reasons the contract process took so long.”
Website Ranks Artists And Their Market Value
A new website has developed a mathematical formula to determine where in the food chain any artist lives. “Today, nearly 60,000 internationally recognised artists are listed. The number of points awarded reflects the importance of the artist in the eyes of the curators who select the artists for exhibitions. From these charts it is possible to get an idea of an artist’s standing on the international exhibition circuit. The key points from the prediction point of view are the sudden rises in the flow charts which suggest the revaluation of an artist’s career or the blossoming of a new one.”