The mayor of St. Paul, Minnesota has released a report that says that the city should commit to a $25 million annual investment in the arts. Why? The report says “the city’s arts, culture and entertainment sector — a broad category that includes everything from concerts at Xcel Energy Center and exhibitions at the Minnesota Children’s Museum to scrappy, itinerant theaters staging edgy work in makeshift Lowertown performing spaces — draws more than 5.6 million people to St. Paul each year. Those visitors, about 90 percent of whom come from outside the city, add more than $600 million to St. Paul’s economy.”
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How Cambodian Dance Almost Died
Cambodia has a royal dance tradition that goes back centuries. But “in 1970, a coup sent Cambodian royalty into exile, and while the dance was still practiced in the palace, it became a part of the University of Fine Arts. When the Khmer Rouge took Phnom Penh in April 1975, the university was closed and all of Phnom Penh’s residents were forced to leave. From 1975 to 1979, former palace dancers went into hiding for fear that they would be executed for their association with royal traditions. The only dance and music allowed during that time were Maoist-style songs that celebrated the revolution.”
Protesters Disrupt Bolshoi Performance
Protesters stormed the stage of the Bolshoi Ballet protesting president Vladimir Putin’s inauguration. “Seventeen protestors were arrested after invading the stage in the capital’s most famous artistic landmark hours after Putin’s investiture, for a second four-year term, in the nearby Kremlin. Five were jailed for up to a week, and more were due in court later on Saturday. The group struck during the interval of an evening opera performance, handcuffing themselves to chairs while throwing leaflets and chanting “down with Putin with monarch”.
Making The Moves On Steinway
“Accusations of hard-knuckled dealing continue to circulate among titans of the keyboard as Bösendorfer and other manufacturers mount renewed challenges to Steinway’s overwhelming dominance of the high-end piano market. Bösendorfer — a 175-year-old Austrian firm whose instruments were played by Liszt, Brahms, Dvorak and Bernstein — has now opened its first New York showroom and begun pushing to get its pianos more widely heard, and seen, on American concert stages. Bechstein — a venerable German maker whose 150th anniversary just coincided with Steinway’s — introduced a newly designed concert grand in January. A relative newcomer, Fazioli, is attracting a following among performers, some of whom are running afoul of Steinway in the process.”
When Cell Phone Text Beats Newspapers Et Al
“International editors and publishers warned Friday that nontraditional communications — such as cell phone text messages — are rapidly outflanking radio, television, and print media because of their immediacy and proximity to the public.”
Spanish Police Raid Private Winery Museum Full Of Stolen Antiquities
Spanish police have raided a winery in southern Spain and seized more than 5,000 stolen archaeological artefacts which were on display in a clandestine museum in the cellars of the building. “The raid followed a three-month investigation dubbed “Operación Toro.”
The objects, which filled several rooms, were carefully arranged in glass cabinets and bookcases, and organised into chronological order with labels and other documentation.”
Chicago Fired Public Art Director
“Michael Lash, Chicago’s director of public art and the person who oversaw ventures ranging from the Cows on Parade exhibition to acquisition of millions of dollars of original works for city buildings, has been fired. The dismissal came after Lash allegedly threw a cell phone, striking a co-worker in the city’s Cultural Affairs Department, where he worked. Lash also has been criticized for allegedly being a poor fit for a job that requires strong administrative skills.”
The Video Classical Concert Companion
The New York Philharmonic is testing a a new handheld device that concert-goers could hold at performances and get real-time narration of the music. “The device will provide a play-by-play analysis of the music as the concertgoer listens. No pictures (so far), only words: the text changes every 15 to 20 seconds. Think sports patter, only highbrow, musical and blessedly mute.”
The Minnesota Way – Building A great Orchestra
Critics are taking notice of the Minnesota Orchestra as it completes an impressive first season with new music director Osmo Vanska. So what’s the secret to the orchestra’s regeneration? “I found the morale (of the players) especially good here. The harder I made them work, the broader the smiles. They are an orchestra that knows they can do better than they have been asked and they want to show what they can do.”
iTunes Expected To Raise Download Price
Say goodbye to those 99-cent downloaded songs. “The five major record labels have been in negotiations recently with Apple over pricing and other issues associated with the year-old download service, which was launched to great fanfare last April. All five of the deals – with Universal, Sony, BMG, EMI and Warner Music – have already been signed, sources say, and the new pricing is already being rolled out for albums.” Prices are expected to go up to $1.25 per track.