Rosenberg: Money Plays Role In Leaving SF Opera

Pamela Rosenberg confirms that San Francisco Opera budget cuts played a big role in her leaving the company. A smaller budget means fewer new productions. “That part of the job has always been my most creative — being a midwife to artists and projects, and getting new productions conceived and done,” Rosenberg explained Thursday in a phone call from her office in the War Memorial Opera House. It looks like I won’t be able to do that in the future — we’re taking the budget down by 20 percent, and that will mean we will have the means to do a maximum of one new production a year for at least the next three seasons. At this point in my career, that’s just not enough for me.”

Corcoran To Ask DC For $40 Million

The Corcoran Museum is asking the District of Columbia city council for $40 million towards the museum’s $200 million Frank Gehry-designed expansion. “Some will see the TIF package as a creative financing vehicle to promote the arts and deliver a jolt to the city’s tourism industry. Others no doubt will consider it a $40 million gift to a solidly backed institution at the expense of D.C. taxpayers.”

Acocella: NYCB’s Legend Out Of Focus

Joan Acocella sizes up New York City Ballet’s Balanchine celebration: “Once the smoke cleared from the altars, it was obvious that the one tribute City Ballet owes Balanchine, that of dancing his ballets competently, is not being paid. What was true at the company’s previous Balanchine festival, in 1993 (the tenth anniversary of his death), is no less true today. The company can still perform well, at times brilliantly, in Balanchine’s story ballets and character ballets, pieces where the dancers have a drama or at least a theme to latch onto. What they cannot manage is his pure-dance ballets—that is, the ballets that were the focus of his career and his chief contribution to twentieth-century art.”

In Praise Of Internet Radio

Internet radio is “the best thing to happen to radio” in some time. “The best part about these services is that they don’t confine you to one genre. On broadcast radio, you tune in to a country station on the radio dial for country tunes, and that’s pretty much all you’ll get. But with some of the webcasting services, you can specify your musical taste and favorite artists, and the software will automatically mix up playlists for you.”

Broadway Union Talks Break Off

The Actors Equity union and Broadway producers have broken off talks on a new contract. “The two sides couldn’t even agree on who ended the talks. Equity said bargaining stalled at 11 pm “when negotiators for producers walked out.” The League of American Theatres and Producers issued a statement just after midnight that began, ‘Actors’ Equity broke off negotiations…”

Hawaii Governor Proposes Major Arts Funding Cut

Hawaii Governor Linda Lingle proposes cutting state arts funding by 61 percent. “The Legislature allocated nearly $1.2 million for the foundation for the upcoming fiscal year, which begins Thursday. Lingle’s plan is to reduce that amount by more than $730,000. The foundation, which has taken budget hits since 1994, when it received more than $6 million in state funding, supports more than 110 nonprofit arts organizations.”

New Laws For American Non-Profits?

Last week’s US Senate hearings on how non-profit organizations work is likely to lead to new legislation in the fall. “Like the 2002 Sarbanes-Oxley Act targeting public companies, the draft seeks to make non-profits’ dealings transparent and accountable. It proposes, among other things, increased and timelier financial reporting and auditing, more reliance on independent directors, limits on board size and on pay, and stiffer penalties for violations. It also would create restrictions on donor-advised funds, a fast-growing area of philanthropy not now subject to any special government rules.”

Boss: Stern Will Stay On Air

Howard Stern, who has been telling listeners for months that he probably wouldn’t be on the air much longer because of an FCC crackdown on content, has got a vote of confidence from his bosses, who say they’ll keep him on. “Stern’s syndicated show was dropped by six stations in February for indecency. But his audience figures went up between January and March in the three biggest US markets – New York, Los Angeles and Chicago. Stern had blamed his show being dropped on a conservative backlash.”

A Singular New Museum For Vienna

Prince Hans-Adam II, 59, the current head of the Liechtenstein dynasty, opens a new museum in Austria. “Does Vienna, already crowded with some 160 museums, need one more? The Liechtenstein Museum is different, not only because it can tap one of the world’s largest private collections, but also because it reflects the idiosyncrasies of generations of private collectors. Further, the museum, which opened in March, contains works by Raphael, Rubens, Rembrandt, Frans Hals, van Dyck and others.”