Flavor Of The Year – Concert Halls

Civic buildings get built in waves, writes James Russell. “Cities often want to build the architectural bauble du jour in their unending search for the grail of world classness. There was a wave of convention centers, followed by sports stadiums, (add a zoo or aquarium here or there) then museums. Now, especially after the tumultuous reception that Disney Hall in Los Angeles received, everyone wants a concert hall.”

Who Will Lead Them?

Who will take over the top jobs in New York’s top music administrative jobs? There aren’s a lot of good candidates. “The dearth of leadership material is not a consequence of poor remuneration. It is, rather, the fault of a system which diffuses authority in too many directions. The boss of most opera houses and concerthalls (Carnegie excepted) has an artistic director who makes the fun decisions and a board of big givers who double-guess everything else. The boss’s hands are manacled. Initiative is stifled and financial setbacks swiftly punished. The manager of a tyre plant in Denver has more power to transform the product than the president of any US arts centre or opera house.”

Muppets To Disney

The Jim Henson estate has agreed to sell TV and movie rights for the Muppets to Disney. “In the months before his death in 1990, my father, Jim Henson, pursued extensive discussions with the Walt Disney Co., based on his strong belief that Disney would be the perfect home for the Muppets.”

Gottlieb: City Ballet Misfires

Robert Gottlieb is getting downright cranky about New York City Ballet’s Balanchine celebration: “If only we could blame the erosion of the Balanchine repertory on these injuries, but for the most part, the girls who are still on their toes are having their troubles, too: They either aren’t ballerina material to begin with, or they’re not being helped to understand the ballets they’re appearing in.”

Florida Arts Groups Fighting To Restore State Funding Cuts

Last year the Florida State Legislature cut its arts funding by 75 percent. This year Arts and cultural groups are “fighting back to restore money that had been legally set aside for cultural and historic preservation. They have found surprisingly strong support, convincing many legislators that the arts are not just about culture but are also an economic issue important to tourism and jobs.”

In RoadTrip: High And Dry In Dusseldorf

Sam Bergman on tour with the Minnesota Orchestra: “The first element in Düsseldorf is always the concert hall. The Tonhalle is quite striking, visually, with an all-wood design, a conical ceiling that gives the whole room something of an observatory look, and every seat located quite close to the stage. However, this is probably the dryest hall we will play on the tour, and everyone in the orchestra remembers it from previous trips. Sound seems to die six feet in front of the stage in Düsseldorf, and the loudest, most resonant chord can dissipate so quickly that you feel as if you’re performing in an airlock.”

Encouraging Minority Strings

The Sphinx Competition was created to help encourage African-American and Latino string players. “This year, some 20 major orchestras — the Detroit Symphony, Cleveland Orchestra and Philadelphia Orchestra among them — will showcase Sphinx winners in solo appearances. Meanwhile, the number of competition entries jumped to 80 this year from “the 40-50 range” in 2003.”

Gioia: Of Arts And Logistics

Dana Gioia says his job as chairman of the National Endowment for the Arts is to take charge of logistics. “He points out that it was Nancy Hanks, the endowment’s chair during the Nixon administration, who spread the money that helped build dance companies, opera companies, and museums. As Gioia sees it, there is no fight: Most people want the arts in their communities and schools. The only real issues are logistical.”

Canadian Art-For-Taxes Scheme Disallowed

A Canadian court has disallowed a scheme whereby investors could buy art at a low price, then claim an inflated value by donating it to museums and universities. “It’s been estimated that the scheme, called Art for Education, resulted in tax-credit claims of more than $65-million. In December last year, Canada Customs and Revenue announced it was eliminating the tax shelter, saying that henceforth, purchase price would be considered for donations being made for tax purposes.”