Blog

The Philadelphia Orchestra’s Little Deficit Problem

The Philadelphia Orchestra had a deficit of $1 million on a $35 million budget last season. Not too bad, considering. “But look a little deeper, and the real problem becomes obvious. Since 1999, the orchestra has racked up a total of roughly $14 million in deficits, and only about $8 million of that has been paid off – through bequests from, among others, Gretel Ormandy, the widow of Eugene Ormandy, the orchestra’s fourth music director. The orchestra has covered the rest, about $5 million, by borrowing from its endowment.”

Darwinism As Applied To The Arts

Two Minnesota theatres are going out of business. That’s sad, writes Dominic Papatola, but not really. “I’m a believer in what one arts consultant calls the ‘limited life organization.’ Not every arts group that pops up should grow into a major institution. To be brutally honest, Minnesota’s historically generous philanthropic support for the arts has kept some groups on life support longer than would be considered merciful elsewhere. We live in a new age of artistic Darwinism: Some groups will expire as the energies of their founders fade. Some will not earn audience support. Some will not have the hustle it takes to find funding and endure.”

Riverdance Plays The People’s Palace

China’s Great Hall of the People, home to its government, was converted to a giant theatre to host the dance sensation Riverdance. “The vast stage, which is better known as the platform for speeches by Communist party leaders, has been filled with about 100 dancers, musicians and production staff tapping, drumming and fiddling out jigs and ballads from the other side of the planet. In the audience, a full house of almost 7,000 people sit at the desks usually reserved for legislators.”

Forsythe Tops Dance Fest Offerings

Montreal’s annual Festival International de Nouvelle Danse is a massive showcase for dance. “Just consider the numbers: 22 companies, 25 choreographers and 250 dance artists, not to mention 200 Canadian and foreign critics, journalists and producers eavesdropping on the more than 60 shows in 17 different locations throughout the city.” And what stood out? William Forsythe’s Ballett Frankfurt, which just points out the absurdity of this company’s imminent demise.

Hollywood Heavyweights Protest DVD Ban

Hollywood filmmakers protest the decision by the Academy of Motion Pictures not to send out DVD copies of movies to Oscar voters. “More than 130 filmmakers led by director Robert Altman signed an open letter, published as full-page ads in industry trade papers Daily Variety and The Hollywood Reporter, calling the ban an “unwarranted obstacle” that will keep independent, cutting-edge films from gaining needed exposure.”

Magazine Publishers Try Tivo Tactic To Undermine TV

A magazine trade group gives away Tivos to consumers as a way of making a point about advterising. “The point was to underscore the magazine publishers’ argument that an ad’s appearing on television does not mean the consumer actually sees it. By contrast, according to an ad for the contest, ’90 percent of all consumers pay full and complete attention to magazines when reading’.”

Hollywood To Studios: Tone Down Oscar Lobbying (Really?)

The past few years (just the past few?)have ubleashed an ever-growing barrage of studio lobbying for Oscars. So the Academy wants to tone it down a bit, and has developed a new set of promotion guidelines. “Academy members are urged to limit parties to true friends, and to prevent studios from paying for the food or drink at those occasions. Studios are asked to refrain from spending excessively on Oscar campaigns and to keep print and television advertisements for films free of endorsements from academy members. Even gossip and innuendo are now considered official no-nos for academy members.”

Merce – Going Where The New Sounds Are

Merce Cunningham on his Radiohead collaboration: “Well, I don’t know that much about rock bands, but it was a new kind of sound. I thought, ‘Well, that’s interesting.’ As music is greatly concerned with sound and, as John Cage would say, silence, I thought, Well, we’d never done anything like this before, so why not try it?’ But what started out as a relatively simple idea – find an open-minded, nonconforming composer with whom to collaborate on a new piece – quickly became a more complicated venture than Cunningham had ever encountered.”