Blog

Could Classical Music Get A Little Less White? (We’re Pessimistic)

Divesity is an issue in classical music, where musicians in orchestras (and the soloists who play with them) are overwhelmingly white (not to mention audiences, too, but that’s another story…) “It’s a question of exposure and it is a deficit that is passed on from generation to generation. Seeing droves of black people in opera houses and concert halls is the exception, and that means the seeds have been planted for the next 20 years. I am afraid I have no optimism for the future.”

Edinburgh Artists: Where’s The Art?

Visual artists are attacking the Edinburgh Festival for not including visual arts in its annual lineup. “You are morally responsible for including visual art – or you mustn’t call it the greatest festival in the world. Without the visual arts being properly supported you develop a misunderstanding of the purpose of art – you can’t tell the whole story through music.”

Unscripted? Get Real.

One of the attractions of the “reality TV” genre for programming executives and networks is the comparatively low cost of production. One of the biggest cost savings is that no writers need to be paid, since all the action is unscripted. Or is it? The union that represents Hollywood writers says that reality shows unquestionably “have scripts, called ‘paper cuts’ in the trade. Jokes are penned for hosts, banter for judges. Plot points and narrative arcs are developed. In some cases, lines are fed directly to contestants.” Not surprisingly, the union would like to see someone getting paid for this.

Columbus Negotiations Go Public

The Columbus Symphony Orchestra has joined the growing roster of orchestras for whom contract negotiations have become a public affair this summer. “Sunday’s [Columbus Dispatch] carried a half-page ad from the musicians asking the public to step in and make their voices heard… Last week, sky banners touted a new grassroots website. Now [the] new ad is asking people to write the symphony board and express their frustrations.” Talks between musicians and management at the CSO broke off earlier this summer.

Closed Captioned Shakespeare

A new concept is being tested in a few North American theaters: closed captioning. The idea is simple – patrons whose hearing loss makes it difficult to hear the voices coming from the stage can read the full text of the play in real time on a small screen placed near the stage. The captions are smaller than the surtitles used at many opera houses, and can be read easily from roughly the first ten rows of the theater. The hope is that the new technology will bring older audiences back to the theater.

Why Dance Is Worth Covering

What keeps dance critics so passionate about an art that society increasingly views as expendable? Perhaps it’s their own importance in the struggle to keep the form alive. “Dance is more dependent on the musings of its critics than, say, poetry and music are on the writings of their critics. Unless you live in a culturally significant city, your chances of seeing a wide range of live dance (much less different casts of a single work) are slim… Even the most obscure post-minimalist or Renaissance composer is more likely to be culturally available—at least, satisfyingly enough on CD—than any well-established or even world famous choreographer.”

Calgary Phil Back in Black

“The Calgary Philharmonic Orchestra, which was forced into bankruptcy protection two years ago, said yesterday it has eked out its best operating surplus in a decade… The orchestra suspended operations in October, 2002, when it filed for court protection from its creditors and embarked on a $1.5-million fundraising venture to stay afloat. The orchestra streamlined operations, hired a new management team, cut musicians’ pay by 20 per cent and sought out new sponsors, donations and ticket buyers.”

Cleveland Turns Summers Over to Welser-Möst

The Cleveland Orchestra has announced that music director Franz Welser-Möst will take over the job of planning the orchestra’s summer music festival once current summer director Jahja Ling’s contract expires in 2006. The orchestra will save about $60,000 with the move, but that appears not to have been a factor in the decision. Welser-Möst, like many of his predecessors, wanted to have more of an active role in planning the summer, and while he will not increase his summer presence on the podium, the programming will likely change noticably under his directorship.