The 35-year-old conductor’s existing contract was set to expire with the end of this past season, but last fall the orchestra’s board added two years to Urbański’s tenure, which now runs through the 2019-2020 season. ISO management made no public announcement of the extension at the time and only revealed it in response to this reporter’s inquiry.
Blog
Paris Opera Ballet Sues One Of Its Own Dancers Over Leaked Survey Revealing Unhappy Company
“You’d think the Paris Opéra Ballet would be in damage-control mode after a leaked dancers’ survey, in April, brought up worrying reports of harassment and mismanagement. But instead of addressing these issues internally, the French company is suing one of its own dancers in order to strip him of his union representative status and subsequently be free to fire him.”
Actor Gary Beach, Tony Winner For ‘The Producers’, Dead At 70
“Mr. Beach won the 2001 Tony for best featured actor in a musical for “The Producers,” … in which he originated the role of the cross-dressing director Roger De Bris. He began his acceptance speech at the Tonys memorably. ‘Heil Mel!’ he shouted.” He received additional nominations for playing Albin in La Cage aux Folles (2004) and Lumière the candelabra in Beauty and the Beast (1994).
Defying UK Trend, V&A Museum Attendance Up 26%
“A new and less intimidating entrance has helped the [Victoria and Albert Museum] achieve record visitor numbers, bucking a trend of sharp falls across the UK’s museums and galleries. The museum said more than 4.4 million people visited the V&A and its London satellites, Blythe House and the Museum of Childhood.”
You Think Spike Jonze Is A Filmmaker? Ha – He’s A Dancer (And A Dance Filmmaker)
The general public known him as the auteur behind Being John Malkovich, Adaptation, and Her. But some of his best work has been in dance-heavy music videos for the likes of Björk, Fatboy Slim, and Weezer. Jonze has even created for himself a dancing alter ego with an, er, inimitable styke.
Pittsburgh Playhouse Gets New Home With Three Theatres This Fall
The new complex, which opens in October, will have 535-, 250-, and 100-seat performance spaces as well as a production area and a tech space that are each over 10,000 square feet. “The facility will house the REP, a professional theatre company; a theatre for young audience; and the students of Point Park University’s theatre and dance departments.”
Highlights From Today’s AJBlogs 07.18.18
On Community Kate Balug, another Creative Community Fellows alum, writes powerfully about narrow definitions of “community” and how her work seeks to do the opposite by breaching walls to promote inclusiveness. After several years of working as … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2018-07-18
How To Be a Great Museum Trustee What kind of museum donor hosts a visit in her home with the museum’s director, as she is nearing death, and asks him to read aloud the list of artworks in her final bequest? What … read more
AJBlog: Real Clear Arts Published 2018-07-17
Rethinking Communities Justina Crawford is a Creative Community Fellows alum who works for the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston. Her picture of community is impacted by current events and reflects creating more inclusive environments. After living … read more
AJBlog: Field Notes Published 2018-07-17
Second Thoughts: Two High-Profile Hires Depart Sotheby’s Advisory Service In rapid succession, two ballyhooed recruits to Sotheby’s Fine Art Division (the firm’s art advisory service) have left their posts: —Eric Shiner, whose departure was reported today by Anny Shaw in The Art Newspaper, will … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2018-07-17
US House Rejects Cutting NEA Budget After Last-Minute Attempt To Do So
The vote on Wednesday was 297-114. It was a boost to arts advocates, who argued that such funding was just a tiny fraction of the federal budget yet offered any array of benefits to local communities. Rep. Glenn Grothman (R-Wis.) proposed the funding cut via an amendment to a larger government funding bill, arguing that the purpose was to make a “small dent” in federal spending
Conductor Kurt Masur Honored With Google’s Doodle Today
It’s Masur’s efforts orchestrating peace that Google highlights in a doodle Wednesday celebrating the conductor’s 91st birthday. In 1989, when Leipzig was at the center of the pro-democracy movement that resulted in the fall of the Berlin Wall, Masur was part of a group that helped avert a confrontation between protesters and police that could have led to bloodshed.
#MeToo Charges Are Roiling Baltimore’s Performing Arts
“Organizations of all sizes have been caught off guard by the #MeToo movement. But small organizations can be at an extra disadvantage because they often lack the resources of larger groups. When a sexual harassment accusation gets made at a smaller company, it can become a community-wide problem. When something happens in your neighborhood, it feels different than it does when it happens in New York City.”