It was a bit of a difficult season for classical music in Chicago. “There are no easy answers to the difficulties classical music organizations are facing, and endless facets to the questions themselves. Classical music in America is far from dead, but the shape of its future may look quite different from its past.”
Blog
The Small Museum Squeeze
So many museums seem to be building new buildings or expanding. But smaller museums are having a tougher time. ”While there is a sense that things are getting better, small museums are certainly seeing no evidence of that. Fund-raising is not increasing. The numbers of school districts able to afford tours is diminishing. The economy does not seem to be turning around for us.”
Court Rules British Musuem Can’t Return Nazi Loot
The British Museum wants to return drawings looted by the Nazis. But a British court has ruled that an act of the British parliament prohibits such returns. So might parliament change the law? Not likely…
Buena Vista Case Moves to Cuba
After video links break down between Cuba and London in the case of disputed copyrights of songs made famous by the Buena Vista Club, the English judge moves hearings to Cuba. “The hearing is likely to take place in September at the British embassy in Havana, with lawyers abandoning gowns and wigs, but not necessarily resorting to Bermuda (or Cuba) shorts – and possibly gaining first-hand experience of local music in bars.”
Detroit’s Jarvi Legacy
“Neeme Jarvi, who steps down from his post as music director next month after 15 seasons, has led the DSO through a golden age. The 68-year-old has raised the artistry and international standing of the orchestra to the highest points in its history. Jarvi’s tenure has not been without its missteps and missed opportunities, but after 15 years, he has earned a place in the pantheon of the most important musicians in Detroit history.”
Critical Democracy
Is critics’ inluence declining? Who cares? “Just as we don’t need bigger, more powerful and intrusive government, neither do we need fewer, more powerful critics. Today’s profusion of self-appointed critics, publishing via blogs and Podcasts and e-mail lists, is a great thing indeed, bringing the truest form of democracy to the once rarified world of arts criticism. Instead of having to work their way through the academic and corporate-media gauntlet, the best critics simply need to say their piece. If it’s solid, it will eventually rise to the top n just as the best art has done, for millennia. And if this means that there eventually won’t be any jobs left for paid, professional critics, so be it.”
Seattle Theatres Snared By How They Pay Actors
Seattle-area theatres are being told by the state that they can’t treat actors as contractors, and must pay them as employees. “At least three theater companies in the region say they are facing fines from the state Employment Security Department. And dozens of others — along with the broader arts community — are worrying about what the change could mean.”
Star Wars Has Big BO
The latest Star Wars movie becomes the highest-grossing movie of 2005 after only six days. “Sith set yet another record Tuesday by surpassing last summer’s Spider-Man 2 to secure the biggest six-day gross. The film already has records for the biggest two-day, three-day, four-day and five-day grosses, biggest opening day and single day gross in history ($50 million), as well as the biggest four-day opening ($158.4 million).”
Crumbling Buildings Endanger Smithsonian Treasures
A new report says artifacts in the Smithsonian Museum are endangered because of facilities that are in bad disrepair. For example: “A leak at the National Air and Space Museum caused rust on the wing of the first plane to hit Mach 2. Plaster walls are weeping in the Renwick Gallery. Some buildings and exhibits on the Mall and at the National Zoo have closed because of disrepair, and more leaks threaten the Smithsonian’s historic collections and irreplaceable objects, the report says. Cost to fix and maintain the deteriorating facilities over the next nine years? At least $2.3 billion, the Smithsonian estimates — almost 13 times its current facilities budget.”
Chicago Says “Snap Away!”
Chicago city officials have decided to relax permit rules for those taking pictures in Millennium Park. Security guards had been chasing away photographers who tried to take pictures of the hugely popular giant Anish Kapoor “Bean” sculpture. “Permits were initially priced at $350 a day for professional still photographers, $1,200 a day for professional videographers and $50 an hour for wedding photographers.”