National Public Radio is no one’s idea of a cutting edge broadcaster, but in recent years, the network has been making a distinct push to draw in listeners younger than the baby boomers who make up the vast majority of its audience. A new morning show launched this week along those lines, but it may be a tough sell to get stations to carry it, and younger listeners are unlikely to give it a long time to find its stride.
Tag: 10.04.07
Curtis Wants To Expand
“The Curtis Institute of Music is moving ahead with plans to demolish all or part of several buildings on Locust Street [in Philadelphia] to make way for a 10-story tower and adjoining four-story structure housing an orchestral rehearsal hall, studios, cafeteria, and dorms for 88 students.” But there are historic preservation concerns that could stand in the way of the expansion.
The Plight Of The Arab Actor
“Arabs and Arab Americans in Hollywood live in an interesting time. The appetite for Middle Eastern stories and themes boomed after 9/11 and grew again with the ongoing grind of the war in Iraq. But the roles suddenly being created for Arab-heritage actors often are limited to those of terrorists or are otherwise so poorly drawn that actors must swallow their pride to take them. And that’s if they even get offered the parts.”
All-Night Art In Toronto Lacking In… Well, Art
This was the second year for Toronto’s Nuit Blanche, an all-night art crawl encompassing the city’s many museums, galleries, and public art spaces. But despite the success of last year’s debut, many were underwhelmed by the sequel. “The crowds had tripled, the art had dwindled. Everybody was stuck in traffic human or vehicular, the whole night. The city was in total immobile gridlock. And where was the art?”
The Fine Line Between Marketing And Pandering
What are a museum’s responsibilities when showing the work of a commercially popular artist considered less than great by critics and the art cognoscenti? Sarah Milroy says that whatever those responsibilities may be, they’ve clearly been abdicated by Ontario’s McMichael Collection in a new exhibition of the work of Robert Bateman. “Bateman has chosen to do many constructive things with his fame, and that is to be admired. But let’s get serious. Our arts institutions are empowered and funded to educate members of the public, not pander to their ignorance in pursuit of a quick profit.”
Tunisia’s Secret Film Boom
“Their films are rarely show in Tunisia’s 17 movie theaters. They are hard to find even in cinemas or video stores throughout the Arab world. But the productions of a group of pioneering female moviemakers have drawn international acclaim to film in Tunisia, where most are oblivious to their home-grown version of Hollywood.”
A Century Of MacDowell Retreats
New Hampshire’s legendary MacDowell Colony, where artists, writers, and poets are invited to work in seclusion, “relieved of all domestic distractions,” turns 100 this year. “During the past 100 years, more than 5,500 artists have become MacDowell Fellows, and while gaining admission is based upon accomplishment, talent, or promise, once in residence, a spirit of equality reigns.”
What Would You Pay If You Didn’t Have To Pay At All?
In the days since Radiohead released its new album for download under a pay-what-you-want policy, the band’s fans have been participating in what amounts to a fascinating study in consumer behavior. “Each donation is a sort of commentary: on the nature of fandom and band loyalty, on the indier-than-thou current rock scene, and on the worth of buying — not sampling or stealing — new music.”
Film Release Delayed Out Of Concern For Child Stars
“The studio distributing The Kite Runner, a tale of childhood betrayal, sexual predation and ethnic tension in Afghanistan, is delaying the film’s release to get its three schoolboy stars out of Kabul — perhaps permanently — in response to fears that they could be attacked for their enactment of a culturally inflammatory rape scene. The boys and their relatives are now accusing the filmmakers of mistreatment, and warnings have been relayed to the studio from Afghan and American officials and aid workers that the movie could aggravate simmering enmities.”
How BBCSSO Snared Runnicles
Donald Runnicles was a surprise choice to succeed Ilan Volkov as chief conductor of the BBC Scottish Symphony. “What on earth is bringing a conductor who works in the world’s leading opera houses, and with orchestras of the calibre of the Berlin Philharmonic and the Bavarian Radio Symphony Orchestra, to Glasgow? The answer, from a dozen angles, is always the same: it’s the chemistry that ignited when Sir Brian McMaster teamed Runnicles with the BBC SSO at the 2001 Edinburgh International Festival.”