“Partially in response to national criticism for assembling a 2018-19 season without a single work by a female composer, the orchestra Wednesday issued a revised season schedule … In November, the orchestra will give the U.S. premiere of Perspectives by Canadian composer Stacey Brown, and then in June perform the overture-like Masquerade by London-born Anna Clyne.”
Blog
The Nation Magazine Apologizes For Publishing Widely-Criticized Poem
“The 14-line poem, by a young poet named Anders Carlson-Wee, was posted on the magazine’s website on July 5. Called ‘How-To,’ and seemingly written in the voice of a homeless person begging for handouts, it offered advice on how to play on the moral self-regard of passers-by by playing up, or even inventing, hardship. But after a firestorm of criticism on social media over a white poet’s attempt at black vernacular, … the magazine said it had made a ‘serious mistake’ in publishing it.”
Munich Cancels Major Joan Jonas Show Because There’s No Money To Mount It
“Munich’s Haus der Kunst has cancelled an exhibition of the experimental video and performance artist Joan Jonas” – currently running at the Tate Modern in London – “that was to open in November, citing ‘a difficult financial situation stemming from management errors of the past.'”
Vladimir Voinovich, Satirical Author And Pre- And Post-Soviet Dissident, Dead At 85
“[In the 1970s, he] had been blacklisted after criticizing state censorship and defending dissidents such as novelist Aleksandr Solzhenitsyn and physicist Andrei Sakharov. … Through his subsequent exile in West Germany and the United States, his return to the Soviet Union under Mikhail Gorbachev’s liberalization policy of glasnost, and the rise of President Vladi¬mir Putin, Mr. Voinovich remained one of Russia’s most mordant critics of authoritarianism and bureaucratic corruption.”
Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra Fires Conductor Daniele Gatti
In a statement announcing the dismissal, the orchestra’s management said, “Since the publication of the article in The Washington Post, a number of female colleagues of the Royal Concertgebouw Orchestra reported experiences with Gatti, which are inappropriate considering his position as chief conductor … [The accusations have] irreparably damaged the relationship of trust between the orchestra and the chief conductor.”
Moscow’s Tretyakov Gallery Tries To Ban Visitors From Discussing The Art
“[The] State Tretyakov Gallery has aimed its crosshairs at ‘illegal’ tours and said only certified guides with special badges are allowed to talk about the exhibits. As a result, security guards have been reprimanding ordinary groups of people discussing the art amongst themselves.”
Baku, Azerbaijan’s Capital, Aims To Become The Cultural Center Of The Caucasus
For much of the Soviet era, Baku actually was known for a busy arts scene, but it faded in the upheaval following the dissolution of the USSR. Now, flush with oil money and equipped with a flashy new cultural center designed by Zaha Hadid, Baku is rebuilding its arts scene. Stephan Rabimov gives us a survey.
Legal Suits Settled In Soulpepper Theatre Co-Founder Harassment
Four actresses sued Albert Schultz and Soulpepper in January, alleging he groped them, exposed himself, pressed against them or otherwise behaved inappropriately. Schultz resigned hours after Kristin Booth, Hannah Miller, Diana Bentley and Patricia Fagan held a news conference to lambaste him and Soulpepper. A lawyer representing the four woman also confirmed Wednesday that the “matters have settled.” They added that they have no further comment. The woman have said previously that the company’s failure to deal with their repeated complaints about Schultz had prompted them to go public.
What LA’s MoCA Needs From Its New Director
Christopher Knight: “What MOCA needed right now in the director’s office was a seasoned museum administrator, something it hasn’t had since Jimmy Carter was president. The fundamental lapse has been caused by the board of trustees’ faulty selection criteria, which are at the heart of the institution’s long-standing travails. Instead, the director’s job lately has been held by a series of ambitious curators, whose administrative record has been secondary at best. Naming Biesenbach to the top post repeats that error yet one more time.”
Stage Director Leaves Opera Field After Harassment Claims
Bernard Uzan was one of three men alleged to have sexual harassed women in the story, which posted online Thursday and ran in print Sunday. Since it appeared, there have been a number of consequences. William Preucil, the concertmaster of the Cleveland Orchestra, accused of assaulting a young violinist in his hotel room during a teaching stint at the New World Symphony in Miami, has been placed on paid leave by the orchestra and has resigned his position at the Cleveland Institute of Music, as well as being removed from the programs of several scheduled concerts.