Just as the boy chorister who sings the opening solo never knows that he’ll be the one to do it until immediately before the service (and its worldwide broadcast) begins, so — with a new strain of coronavirus raging around England — the choir and its director didn’t know until a week before Christmas Eve whether they’d be able to to the worldwide broadcast live. Here’s how they prepared for either eventuality. – The New York Times
Author: Matthew Westphal
Why Just ‘Adding Context’ To Controversial Monuments May Not Change Minds
In two words, confirmation bias. If the text about slavery added to a statue of a Confederate general at a battleground or to the displays at Thomas Jefferson’s Monticello conflict with visitors’ pre-existing beliefs, those people will dismiss the new information as irrelevant (if they even notice that it’s there). This is particularly true at historical monuments because, research has shown, most people who visit them don’t go there to learn. – Smithsonian Magazine
Fanny Waterman, Co-Founder Of Leeds International Piano Competition, Dead At 100
“Somewhat embarrassingly, it was one of her own pupils, Michael Roll, who won the first competition, … but, despite the controversy, the event gradually grew from what she herself described as a ‘cottage industry’ into one of the most important of its type in the world.” She remained chairman and artistic director of “the Leeds” until just five years ago. – The Guardian
Dances With Death: In Russia, Ballet Continues, Pandemic Be Damned
As colleagues and fans in other countries look on with either envy or incredulity, ballet dancers in Moscow, St. Petersburg, and other cities keep coming to the theater, rehearsing, and performing. Outbreaks happen regularly within companies and dancers have to quarantine, but onward they go. – Gramilano (Milan)
Can Dudamel’s New Virtual Reality Film Make The Young’uns Think Orchestral Music Is Cool?
“The film” — titled Symphony in Madrid — “is split into two, 12-minute sections. The first, shown on a giant screen, follows three young musicians in Spain, the US and Colombia as they practise their instruments and move through landscapes and soundscapes that range from the Mediterranean coast to the streets of New York and a coffee farm on a tropical mountainside. For the second, visitors are invited into the other trailer, given a virtual reality headset and headphones, and urged to take leave of their senses.” – The Guardian
Illegal Streaming Would Become A Felony Under COVID Relief Bill
“It’s been less than two weeks since Sen. Thom Tillis (R-NC) released his proposal to increase the penalties for those who would dare stream unlicensed works. … It’s had very little time to circulate before evidently becoming part of the spending package. If passed, illegal streaming of works including movies and music tracks could carry a penalty of up to 10 years in jail. That’s not the only change to copyright law, either.” – The Hollywood Reporter
Scammers Are Conning Famous Authors Into Sending Them Unpublished Manuscripts
Margaret Atwood, Ian McEwan, Ethan Hawke, Jo Nesbø and James Hannaham are a few “of countless targets in a mysterious international phishing scam that has been tricking writers, editors, agents and anyone in their orbit into sharing unpublished book manuscripts. It isn’t clear who the thief or thieves are, or even how they might profit from the scheme. … In fact, the manuscripts do not appear to wind up on the black market at all, or anywhere on the dark web, and no ransoms have been demanded. When copies of the manuscripts get out, they just seem to vanish.” – The New York Times
Plans For Smithsonian Museums Of Women’s And Latinx History Saved By COVID Relief Bill
Hopes for the two long-discussed projects appeared crushed earlier this month when Sen. Mike Lee (R-UT) blocked the legislation that would have authorized them. But other lawmakers managed to get that bill attached to the omnibus spending and relief measure passed late Monday night. – The Washington Post
Pandemic Relief Legislation Will Aid Indie Movie Theaters But (Probably) Not Big Chains
“The grants will provide much-needed relief to these venues, many of which have seen their business all but vanish as the pandemic canceled concerts and stage plays, while pushing almost all new theatrical releases to 2021. These particular grants, however, appear to disqualify the three largest players in the domestic movie theater business: AMC, Cinemark and Regal Cinemas owner Cineworld.” – The Hollywood Reporter
French Police Seize Hoard Of 27,000 Ancient And Medieval Artifacts, Probably Looted
Authorities seized the trove, which includes coins and jewelry from ancient Rome, bracelets and similar items from the Bronze and Iron Ages, and metal objects from the European Middle Ages, from a Frenchman in Belgium who claims he had found the objects in his apple orchard. Customs officials in both countries say they were probably smuggled from France. – Artnet