“Initially dreamed up as a storytelling showcase for Chicago audio artists and new writers, it now regularly wins awards – including one Pulitzer – for its in-depth international reporting, and boasts several spinoffs, among them the hit podcast Serial,” and the broadcast and podcast together get 5.3 million listeners a week. But now younger radio types gripe about “the hegemony of This American Life.” Says longtime producer Nancy Updike, “I recognise that we have become The Man.” – The Guardian
Author: Matthew Westphal
Classical Music’s Diversity Problem Is More About Class Than Race
“The point is that there are myriad class-related hurdles — material, psychological, and associative — that have prevented families of limited means from pursuing, or even wanting to pursue, this music. And of course, a disproportionate number of these families are Black.” – The New Republic
The Solution To Classical Music’s Diversity Problem Is At Youth Orchestra Los Angeles
Mark Swed: “In the end, systemic diversity can be pushed by circumstance, like we’ve had in this year of upset. But it can’t be shoved. Within the next year or two, we will be able to celebrate more people of color at orchestras and other institutions. Hiring, however, could be limited by the sheer economic havoc ahead. For real systemic change, we need a real system in place, something solid and lasting. YOLA is that system.” – Los Angeles Times
Rebellion At Spain’s Compañía Nacional De Danza After Director’s Girlfriend Promoted To Highest Rank
There’s little question that Kayoko Everhart is a competent dancer: she’s been with CND for 16 years and a principal for eight. Last month, after a public competition, she was awarded the highest rank, estrella (equivalent to the Paris Opera Ballet’s étoile) — with a 20% pay raise. Then her colleagues found out that she had recently started dating the artistic director, former New York City Ballet star Joaquín de Luz. (in Spanish) – El Mundo (Spain)
Dallas Opera Will Go Ahead With Shows This Spring, But They’ll Be Different
A full year after the pandemic started and performances stopped, the company’s 2021 mainstage season will begin in March with the world premiere of The Diving Bell and the Butterfly by Joby Talbot and Gene Scheer, followed by Don Carlo, The Marriage of Figaro and Tosca. Scores will be abridged to 90 minutes and the stagings reworked to maintain distance between the singers. Live attendance will be limited to 660 people, just over a quarter of the theater’s normal capacity. – The Dallas Morning News
France’s Concert Halls, Theatres, Cinemas Will Stay Closed Until At Least Jan. 7
“[The country] has been in a second lockdown phase since the end of October, and while daily COVID-19 cases have considerably decreased over the past several weeks, they have recently hit a plateau that is about double the hoped for 5K ceiling.” – Deadline
With No Theatre In Paris, A Critic Reviews The Last Show In Town — At Church
Laura Cappelle: “On paper, a Roman Catholic Mass and a stage performance aren’t all that different: Both events involve a cast of professionals addressing a seated, and now socially distanced, audience. The connections don’t stop there. … The ritualistic nature of the event, the dramatic buildup from scene to scene — even the slightly labored monologues — are all part and parcel of regular theater attendance.” – The New York Times
UK Gov’t Gives Biggest Arts Institutions £165 Million in Emergency Loans
“In total, 11 ‘nationally and internationally significant organisations’ — among them the National Theatre, Royal Opera House, Royal Shakespeare Co., Southbank Centre, and Historic Royal Palaces — “which provide work for more than 9,000 people will get the loans. Each will have an initial repayment holiday of up to four years, a low interest rate and a repayment term of up to 20 years. The loans are one of the final pieces of the jigsaw in the government’s £1.57bn cultural recovery fund to help a sector which has been one of the hardest hit by the pandemic.” – The Guardian
What Does It Mean For A Dance Artist To Have An Artistic Home?
It could be an established company with a full-fledged theater and studios, a long-term residency at an institution, a live-work space such as a loft, or even just a regular job with a salary and benefits. Choreographer Kimberly Bartosik explores what the concept means for her and for such colleagues as Bebe Miller, Kyle Abraham, and Jonah Bokaer. – Dance Magazine
Deaccession Dejection: Whither the Embattled Baltimore Museum of Art? (plus: Brooklyn’s castoffs)
The BMA’s deaccession debacle has put the reputations of the museum itself and the Association of Art Museum Directors at risk. What still isn’t clear is whether the sales of those three works have been merely “paused” (in the words of the museum’s press release) or canceled. – Lee Rosenbaum