Ontario’s Stratford Festival managed to balance its books for the year. “But attendance continues to fall, dropping nearly 40,000 compared with the previous season — to 568,715 from 608,080. Average paid attendance at the Festival’s four theatres was 68 per cent of capacity.”
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Movie Soundtracks Sans Movie
A new generation of movie “soundtrack” albums is likely as not to include music that was not in the movie but might have been “inspired” by it. “Things first got complicated when filmmakers began using pop songs as product placements in their films, and the resulting soundtrack albums with those songs were released separately from the film’s original soundtrack.”
Plan For New Plays In Denver
The Denver Center Theatre Company’s new director Kent Thompson has a plan to position the company as a champion of new plays. “One of my first priorities will be a major expansion of the new-play program here. With the help of the board and the community, I know we will find a way to support some of the great new voices of the American theater.”
San Diego Museum To Return Stolen Art
The San Diego Museum of Art is returning a painting believed to have been stolen from a Mexican church four years ago. “The trafficking of stolen artworks concerns all of us – museums, scholars, and the public at large. This is an example of how the museum and trustees really want to do the right thing.”
Carvings Damaged By Taliban Go Back On Display
“A collection of pre-Islamic wooden idols chopped up by the Taliban in 2001 in their drive for a pure Muslim state is back on display in Afghanistan after being restored in a project financed by the Austrian government. The near life-sized idols, some bearing at least a passing resemblance to the mysterious stone statues of Easter Island, went on display this week at the Kabul Museum, which was badly ravaged in Afghanistan’s civil war and Taliban rule until 2001.”
Claim: Australia Council Reorg Will Mean Higher Profile For Arts
Directors of the Australia Council say their reorganization of the agency will up the profile of an arts agenda. “We are trying to make sure the arts are a vibrant part of society’s agenda, and the Australia Council needs to be seen as a driver of change and a strategic, impactful organisation that makes important and interesting things happen.”
UK’s Arts Boom – But Where’s The Beef?
The UK National Lottery has funded some 53 arts centers at a cost of about half a billion pounds. “We’re witnessing an expansion of national arts facilities on a par with the nineteenth century, when local philanthropists and businessmen funded art galleries, theatres and concert halls across Britain. But the striking feature of today’s cultural institutions is that they don’t seem to be based on an artistic agenda.”
Vandals Deface Norwegian Sculpture
“The centerpiece of Norway’s famed Vigeland sculpture park, the Monolith, may have suffered permanent damage after the lowest section was spray-painted black. A crew from a maintenance company removed the black paint on Tuesday and the Vigeland Museum is still not sure how much the incident will cost them.”
Crossover – But To What?
Crossover classical dominates best-seller classical charts these days. But is it good for classical music? Or is it greasing the skids of decline? “Crossover is an imprecise term, covering classical pieces performed in a pop way, pop songs performed in a classical way, orchestral film soundtracks such as Howard Shore’s scores for the Lord of the Rings trilogy, and easy-on-the-ear compilations with names like Classical Chillout Gold. Every one of the 20 biggest classical sellers of 2003 was crossover to some extent.”
Climbing On The BandWagon
Band music isn’t anything a lot of serious classical composers have spent much time thinking about. And yet, a new generation of composers is finding opportunity in the world of bands. “Many music professionals believe that bands and wind ensembles offer composers distinct advantages over orchestras, like vast amounts of rehearsal time, the potential for multiple performances (thanks to a well-connected network of university band directors), opportunities to reach new audiences, and sometimes significant financial incentives.”