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Unique Red Granite Bust Of Ramses II Discovered In Egypt

“An Egyptian archaeological mission from the Ministry of Antiquities has unearthed a red granite royal bust of King Ramses II emblazoned with the Ka, a symbol of power, life force and spirit. The discovery was made during excavations on privately owned land in Mit Rahina village in Giza, after the landowner was caught carrying out illegal excavation work at the site.” – Archaeology News Network

The Time For Competitive Arts Prizes May Be Over

“All these prizes are, effectively, marketing exercises. That does not make them bad things … Today, though, artists and judges alike are more attuned to the difficulty in choosing ‘the best’ when all artists palpably do not have equal access to the starting lines; when ‘the best’ is a subjective and contingent category; when the authority of all kinds of institutions, and not just cultural prizes, is on the wane; and when artists competing like racehorses feels out of tune with the times in a way that it did not during the more individualistic Thatcher and Blair eras.” – The Guardian

Homecoming: Simone Young Is Next Chief Conductor Of Sydney Symphony

“She will take up the position at the start of 2022 when the orchestra returns to its home at the Sydney Opera House following the two-year closure of the Concert Hall for a major upgrade, including an acoustic refurbishment. In 2021, she will be the orchestra’s Chief Conductor Designate as she puts the 2022 program in place.” – Limelight (Australia)

Dalton Baldwin, One Of The World’s Great Art-Song Pianists, Dead At 87

“For most of his career, he was known as an accompanist, outdated nomenclature that cannot begin to describe his musical sensitivity to the needs of a singer. … His association with singers Elly Ameling, Jessye Norman, José van Dam, Teresa Berganza, Mady Mesplé, and above all, baritone Gérard Souzay, with whom he concertized for over three decades, literally defines the history of European art song performance in the second half of the twentieth century.” – WFMT (Chicago)

Class, control, and classical music

“Something that has increasingly bothered me over 20 years as a practitioner and educator, is that “music education” as we conceive it (right down to state/county/national syllabi/standards) is not really for everyone, even if it’s supposed to be. … [Anna] Bull’s Class, Control, and Classical Music is a book for our time, especially for those of us who went through classical music training (even just school-age instrumental lessons or choir/chorus rehearsals), loved or loathed it, and would like to point a critical lens to that part of our lives.” – James Humberstone

How this nomadic music group is bridging cultural divides

“The band Tinariwen hails from the deserts of Mali in North Africa. Its sound blends ancient Saharan instruments with electric guitars, and has earned the band devoted fans around the world. During a recent U.S. tour,however, band members experienced a darker side of America. Before a North Carolina show, they received a barrage of Islamophobic comments on social media. But as producer Ali Rogin reports, the city of Winston-Salem banded together to give them a warm welcome.” – PBS NewsHour

How Banksy And I Got Away With Amazing Pranks

Steve Lazarides has now self-published a book of his photographs from the time he travelled the world tasked with making sure Banksy didn’t get arrested or duffed up and didn’t run out of spray paint. “I had the time of my life,” he says as he sits on the roof of his London office, talking about the man he calls Matey Boy. “We were lawless and did just what we wanted. Matey Boy had a political agenda that you can see very clearly in everything he does, but I just had a fucking blast.” – The Guardian

New Giant Movie Theatre Chain: UK’s Cineworld Buys Canada’s Cineplex, Will Merge It With Regal

Cineworld previously paid $3.6 billion for Regal Entertainment Group, its entry into the U.S. market last year. The company plans to combine the operations of Cineplex and Regal to create the largest exhibitor in North America. Following completion, the enlarged group would have 11,204 screens globally and a combined 8,906 screens across the U.S. and Canada. – Variety