Andrew Norman’s “Sustain” earned Grammy nominations in two key categories: contemporary classical composition, where composer Norman will square off against Julia Wolfe, Caroline Shaw and Wynton Marsalis, among others; and orchestral performance, where the nomination went to the Los Angeles Philharmonic and conductor Gustavo Dudamel, who performed “Sustain” as part of the orchestra’s landmark centennial season. – Los Angeles Times
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One Of The Secret Weapons In The Struggle Against Apartheid: Zulu Radio Dramas
The cliché is that the South African Broadcasting Corporation’s apartheid-era Radio Bantu churned out nothing but propaganda to bolster the government’s racial separation policies. That was true of the news broadcasts, yes, but the serials and stand-alone dramas in isiZulu were very different. – The Conversation
A Deaf, Mixed-Race Dancer Finds Her Dream Role In ‘For Colored Girls …’
Ntozake Shange didn’t write the role of the Lady in Purple in her “choreopoem” for a deaf performer, but she happily approved casting Alexandria Wailes in the current New York revival. Gia Kourlas talks with Wailes about integrating American Sign Language with choreographed movement and how dancing has helped her communicate all her life. – The New York Times
Princess Who Saved Cambodian Classical Dance, Norodom Buppha Devi, Dead At 76
The daughter of the late King Sihanouk. she began dancing at age 5; by age 16, she was a leader of the royal dance company and a mainstay of Cambodian cultural diplomacy. She fled the country when the Khmer Rouge took control in 1975; in the 1990s, she returned and, with the 10% of dancers who survived the killing fields, set about to revive the art form. – Reuters
After 19-Year-Ban, Opera Returns To Turkmenistan
The country’s first post-Soviet president, the autocratic and eccentric Sapurmurat Niyazov, banned opera in 2001 as “incompatible with Turkmen mentality.” His successor (and former dentist), Gurbanguly Berdymukhamedov, maintained the ban until this week, when Pagliacci was presented as part of a joint Italian-Turkmen cultural festival. – Yahoo! (AFP)
The Met Museum’s New Director Is Moving It In A More Multi-Discipline, Multiethnic Direction
Says Max Hollein, “Art cannot solely be perceived in regard to its beauty and craftsmanship. You also have to evaluate it in light of its political messages. … If you have one of the greatest collections you almost have an obligation to recontextualize it in regard to the narratives it provides. I want to make sure it’s not only one voice but multiple voices.” – The New York Times
$80 Million: Chicago Storefront Theater’s Contribution To Local Economy
“What of the storefronts, those famous Chicago institutions where a full house can mean 80 people and where artists frequently toil for little or even no compensation? Can they claim a significant economic impact?” Oh yes, writes Chris Jones. – Chicago Tribune
Conviction Of Picasso’s Former Electrician And Wife For Hoarding Stolen Art Confirmed
“Pierre and Danielle Le Guennec were first given two-year suspended terms in 2015 after being convicted of possession of stolen goods over the huge trove of works by Picasso, including nine rare Cubist collages and a work from his famous Blue Period. That verdict was upheld in 2016 by a higher court but then quashed by the Cour de Cassation, which ordered a retrial. The former electrician, 80, and his wife, 76, were not in court Tuesday when they were found guilty for a third time.” – Yahoo! (AFP)
Alone Among Australia’s Big Arts Festivals, Adelaide Refuses To Engage With Country’s Past And Present
“Perth and Sydney have recognised [their responsibilities] by commissioning diverse local artists working in diverse forms. These festivals are engaging with their place in contemporary culture by supporting local artistic communities, and reflecting stories of their cities back to their audiences. Meanwhile, Adelaide has continued down a well worn path … [of] proven successes from Europe, with a preference for male auteurs.” – The Conversation
Early Black Feminist Theatre and Lynching Dramas Revisited
“In the 1910s and 1920s, a number of African American women poets and authors turned to drama to address racial violence. Writers such as: Angelina Weld Grimké, Alice Dunbar-Nelson, Mary Burrill, Georgia Douglas Johnson, and Myrtle Smith Livingston were among these writers who did so. With the majority of these Black women living in the heart of Washington, D.C. they were constantly confronted with symbols of democracy that they found their lived realities falling outside of. These women contributed to the genre now known as lynching dramas.” – HowlRound