Richard Kessler is stepping down as director of the American Music Center. “Kessler is widely credited within the industry for refocusing the AMC at a crucial time in its history and securing the financial foundation needed to support the organization’s mission. When he came on board in 1997, the AMC employed only three staff members and was faced with a record deficit. His first budget was approximately $1 million; this grew to almost $5 million in 2002. This year, following six straight years of surplus budgets, the Center has a staff of 14, a $300,000-plus cash reserve, and an endowment of over $3 million.”
Tag: 05.26.04
Who (Should) Own What
The laws that govern who owns ideas and creative products are being rewritten as big corporations struggle to shore up business models that are under attack in the digital age. So shouldn’t we be having a broad cultural debate about what the new world will look like?
Homebody/Kabul – The Play Of Our Time?
John Heilpern revisits Tony Kushner’s Homebody/Kabul and reaffirms his opinion that the play is the most important of our time. “Name me a better play of our time — for our time. Name me one that takes on the whole, wide, wonderful, fucked-up world.” Kushner has continued to tinker with the play since it debuted three years ago “but I believe he’s come as close as he can to a fully realized Homebody/Kabul, unless he wants to drive himself mad.”
Did NYC Deputy Mayor Intimidate Arts Leaders Over Donations?
Did a New York City deputy mayor call arts leaders and ask if they were donating money to the mayor’s opponent? “According to three sources, Deputy Mayor Patricia Harris rebuked the arts and cultural executives in recent months, and in one instance used a City Hall telephone to do so. Some arts officials said her calls had the effect of scaring [Mayor Bloomberg’s opponent’s] donors out of future contributions, and critics said she blurred the line between government and campaign politics.”
Terfel Wins Classical Bit Prize
“Welsh bass baritone Bryn Terfel won the prizes for best album and male artist at this year’s Classical Brit awards. Italian opera star Cecilia Bartoli was named best female artist at the event, held at London’s Royal Albert Hall. British conductor Sir Simon Rattle won orchestral album of the year for his recording of Beethoven’s Symphonies with the Vienna Philharmonic.”
Why Crossover Rules
How is it that classical “crossover” has come to dominate the classical music business? Indeed, most of the artists and recordings that dominate the classical list these days are crossover…
Saatchi “Devastated” Over Art Lost In Fire
Charles Saatchi was still assessing the damage from a warehouse fire that destroyed millions of pounds worth of his art. “A spokeswoman for Saatchi said he was ‘absolutely devastated’ after the works – worth millions of pounds – were lost. She said many were Mr Saatchi’s ‘great personal favourites’ and he considered them ‘irreplaceable in the history of British art’.”
Classically Yours – DC Radio Host Fights Back
Diana Hollander was 33 years old, the signature voice of classical music in Washington DC as the “midday host at WGMS-FM (Classical 103.5), the top-rated commercial classical station in the country with 450,000 listeners a week. Listeners loved her. She was smart but not condescending, effervescent without being fluffy, a perfect accompaniment to the music she played.” Then the epilepsy struck and she was confined to bed. Two-and-a-half years later, she’s fought her way back into the studio…
Drop That Sketch Pad!
The latest threat to the art world appears to be art enthusiasts armed with sketch pads. This week, a Canadian man was told to stop sketching an ancient Egyptian artifact on display at the Royal Ontario Museum, because the piece in question was on loan from the British Museum, which does not allow sketching. The rogue sketcher helpfully pointed out that the ROM is not, technically, in Great Britain, and therefore allowed to make its own rules, but to no avail.
Purse Strings & Sure Things
When economic times are tough, the temptation for theaters to get conservative is strong, and there’s no surer way to make a quick theatrical buck than for a company to bring back a show that has already been a proven success for them. But the remounted productions don’t always work out as planned, and sometimes, an audience’s nostalgia for a great show can actually work against the new version.