“The [$8.8 million operating] deficit, which followed four years of small surpluses, exceeds the previous record shortfall of $6 million in 2012, when the orchestra was mired in a contract dispute between management and musicians that resulted in a 15-month lockout. Yet orchestra President and CEO Michelle Miller Burns described the organization’s financial position as ‘strong.'” And, it turns out, she does have a point. – The Star Tribune (Minneapolis)
Blog
And The 2019 Turner Prize Goes To — All Four Finalists Together
From the Booker Prize to the Bad Sex in Fiction Award, this seems to be the year of shared accolades in the UK. The judges of the Turner, Britain’s leading visual art prize, split the honors between Lawrence Abu Hamdan, Helen Cammock, Oscar Murillo and Tai Shani at their explicit request, made “in the name of commonality, multiplicity and solidarity – in art as in society.” – The Guardian
Cecilia Bartoli To Run Her First Opera House
The now-veteran mezzo (age 53) has been artistic director of the Salzburg Whitsun Festival since 2012, but in 2023 she will take over her first full-fledged company, the Opéra de Monte-Carlo. – The New York Times
Grantmaking in the #MeToo Era
Bess Rothenberg, senior director of strategy and learning at the Ford Foundation: “The scale and momentum of the #MeToo movement compelled the Ford Foundation to take a long, hard look in the mirror. What should be our role in responding to abuses of power within the organizations we support? In preventing them? Had we been doing enough?” – Stanford Social Innovation Review
The Baltimore Museum Of Art Pledged To Buy Art Only By Women In 2020. So?
“The first thought that occurred to me when I saw the headline was the fact that collecting a piece of art doesn’t automatically guarantee that the artist will find a viewing audience.” – CityLab
Russia And Syria Make Deal To Restore Ancient Palmyra, Damaged By ISIS
Among the long-term goals of the agreement are the Hermitage and the National Museum of Oman working together to restore 20 Syrian antiquities, primarily from Palmyra; an international campaign to restore Palmyra, seriously damaged by Isis; and the formation of an international expert group under the auspices of Unesco and DGAM, together with the Hermitage and Aga Khan Foundation. – The Art Newspaper
Is Opera’s Glorious Past Trapping It Or Anchoring It?
The very traditions that appeal to longtime fans may be what holds opera back from gaining new fans. How to tell? – The Telegraph (UK)
The Baltimore Sun Has Been Critical Of The Baltimore Symphony’s Business. But Maybe The Sun Should Look To Itself First?
“Instead of filling The Sun’s pages almost exclusively with reports about crime and corruption in our city, thereby cementing its negative image locally and abroad, does The Sun not have a duty to also highlight and honor its amazing cultural life and support it every way possible, rather than just chide institutions for failing? – Baltimore Sun
What We Learned About Handel From His Bank Records
“When I began to explore Handel’s personal accounts at the Bank of England twenty years ago, I was often asked why. For me the answer was always ‘follow the money’. Handel’s financial records provide a unique window on his career, musical environments, income, and even his health.” – Bank Underground
Against Sameness: Paradise Can’t Be Boring
One view of paradise is that it is a place with no conflict, no sharp edges. But that’s not what most of us want. The peak experiences, the excellence of accomplishment isn’t about frictionless existence, it’s about trying and failing and fixing and learning. – Aeon