At a time when American orchestras are struggling to keep operating, the Dallas Symphony has made the acquaintance of a generous benefactor. Said anonymous foundation has given the orchestra $10 million for its endowment, and others have already matched the gift to bring the total to $20 million. That brings the orchestra’s endowment to $86 million.
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Houston Musicians Seize On Dallas Success
In Houston, news of the Dallas Symphony’s newfound endowment largesse has further exacerbated the tensions between the Houston Symphony musicians and management. Within hours of the Dallas announcement, Houston musicians had issued a press release demanding, for the umpteenth time, that the management embark immediately on an endowment drive. (Houston has the smallest standing endowment of any year-round American orchestra.) The Houston Symphony Society responded that such a drive would be impossible until the contract situation with the musicians is resolved.
Smart Economics Or The Americanization Of Canada?
Canada has always made a point of keeping its culture distinct from its neighbor to the south, and even has laws to ensure that it stays that way. So it’s no surprise that this week’s federal budget, which appears to allow greater American incursion into the Canadian TV marketplace, is taking no small amount of flak from producers, critics, and the public. The government insists that the new plan will bring great economic benefit to Canada’s entire cultural community, but John Doyle disagrees: “If you, the viewer, think that the federal government’s new screw-you tactic on Canadian TV production will matter little in terms of content or culture, you’re dead wrong.”
The Ax Falls In Detroit
“Facing a revenue shortfall and a bleak economy, the Detroit Institute of Arts will eliminate 55 jobs – 13 percent of its 416-member workforce – and close both its satellite mall shops in moves designed to cut costs and restructure operations. The layoffs, which will go into effect in the next two weeks, will result in an immediate saving of $1 million.”
Bellesiles Back In Business
Less than a month after the Alfred Knopf pubishing house took Michael Bellesiles’s controversial book on guns in America off the market, the volume has found a new, albeit somewhat less prestigious, publisher. “Soft Skull Press of Brooklyn, N.Y., which calls itself ‘a small, radical, independent publisher,’ will republish a revised edition in October. The book will have a new introduction and what a Soft Skull statement called ‘several clarifications concerning research.'” Bellesiles lost his job at Emory University last year when claims surfaced that much of his research for the book was falsified.
Roiling Politics At Writers’ Union
The controversial president of the National Writers’ Union abruptly announced his departure from the post last week, but the infighting which has plagued the NWU in recent days doesn’t appear to be waning with Jonathan Tasini’s resignation. “Some in the anti-Tasini faction Your Union said they expect next fall’s election to be intense,” and nobody appears to be above taking shots at Tasini as he leaves the premises.
Metzmacher Resigns In Hamburg
“Conductor Ingo Metzmacher says he will step down when his contract as general music director in Hamburg expires in 2005 because he is disappointed with the attitude of city officials toward arts and culture… Metzmacher, who heads both the Staatsoper and Staatsorchester in Germany’s second-largest city, told a newspaper that the city was unwilling to make adequate commitments toward the arts. He said that subsidies for the arts have remained stagnant for a decade while expenses have climbed.”
Blake Paintings Fetch Five-Spot
A small collection of watercolors by William Blake has fetched £5 million at auction in the UK, the most money ever paid for a work by the British poet and artist. The paintings were commissioned to accompany Robert Blair’s poem “The Grave,” and while the fact of their existence was known to scholars, they had been missing since 1836. Two Yorkshire dealers discovered the paintings in a Glasgow bookshop last year, and acquired them without telling the bookstore of their significance. A bit of legal wrangling followed, and the upshot is that this week’s auction will leave both the dealers and the shop quite a bit richer.
Yet Another Frickin’ Napster Lawsuit
Just when you thought you’d never have to hear the word Napster again, another lawsuit has been filed over the now-defunct song-swapping service which led the record industry on a merry chase through the courts over the past couple of years. Of course, Napster isn’t around to be sued anymore, so this time, a coalition of songwriters, composers, and publishers are suing German media giant Bertelsmann for ‘prolonging’ the existence of Napster by investing $100 million in the company as it fought for survival. The suit is in US court, and the plaintiffs are asking for a whopping $17 billion in damages.
Collision Course – Two Shows Square Off On Same Night
“Two high-profile, upcoming Broadway productions – the musical ‘Urban Cowboy’ and Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Life x 3’ – are scheduled to premiere March 27, and both say they won’t change their plans. It is unusual for two Broadway shows to open on the same day, thus going head to head for newspaper space, television coverage and opening-night party publicity.”