“Opera singer Dame Kiri Te Kanawa has told a court seeing underwear being thrown made her cancel three concerts. She is being sued for up to AUS$2m [$1.55m] by a concert promoter after pulling out of shows with Australian star John Farnham in 2005. She told the New South Wales State Supreme Court footage of Farnham catching underwear and holding it like ‘a trophy’ had alarmed her.”
Author: sbergman
New Deal In Denver
The musicians of the Colorado Symphony have ratified a new 3-year contract, and all sides seem quite pleased with the deal. The contract “calls for pay increases of 6 percent, 3 percent and 3 percent respectively during the three-year period.” It’s Colorado’s first multi-year contract since 2003.
Popular Operatic Composer Menotti Dies
“Gian Carlo Menotti, who wrote his first opera before he was 11 and went on to become perhaps the most popular and prolific opera composer of his time, winning two Pulitzer Prizes, died Thursday in Monaco, where he had a home. He was 95.”
Fight Over Derrida Legacy Explodes Into View
“The University of California has sued the family of Jacques Derrida, a pioneer in contemporary philosophy and literary theory who died in 2004. The lawsuit is the first public eruption of a bitter, behind-the-scenes battle that involves both the papers and, perhaps, the legacy of the thinker… What is at stake in the battle may be the remainder of Derrida’s papers, which are held by his estate or in other repositories.”
What Will A Western Art Influx Do For Abu Dhabi?
Abu Dhabi’s breathtakingly ambitious plans for a major new cultural district make for great visuals, but there are serious issues to be considered as an Arab country attempts to embrace Western-style art and culture. The first question, writes Kate Taylor, ought to be who expects gto benefit from this massive cultural push. “Will the Guggenheim Abu Dhabi be a tool of cultural imperialism, or of diplomacy? Or will it be neither?”
NEC Hires New Prez Away From MN Orch
New England Conservatory has named Minnesota Orchestra CEO Tony Woodcock as the school’s new president. Woodcock was credited with reducing deficits in Minneapolis, but leaves after less than four years on the job, with the orchestra musicians’ contract scheduled to expire in the fall. Woodcock says that his top priority at Boston-based NEC will be increased fundraising.
NACO Offers Side-By-Side Training
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is launching a unique “orchestral academy” program for student musicians hoping to make a career in the orchestra world. “The Institute will see four Canadian students and one American sitting side by side with NACO musicians, who will act as mentors to the students, offering feedback and advice. The students will also have individual coaching sessions, orchestral repertoire study sessions and chamber music coaching with NAC musicians.”
Terrorism? Nah, Just Another Dumb Marketing Gimmick
The city of Boston was turned upside down Wednesday when a guerrilla marketing campaign for a Cartoon Network program was mistaken for a terrorist attack. Obviously, it’s no laughing matter, but Lisa de Moraes says that the Boston debacle doesn’t even come close to the top of the list of bizarre and terrifying marketing gimmicks that TV writers have to deal with regularly.
Pittsburgh Back In The Recording Game
The Pittsburgh Symphony, without a recording contract for the past decade, has signed a deal with PentaTone to record all four Brahms symphonies later this year. The deal was done under the new national agreement allowing orchestras to make live concert recordings without large upfront payments to the musicians.
No End In Sight For Canadian Actors’ Strike
“The trade association that works on behalf of Canadian producers said Wednesday it’s ‘astonished’ the union representing artists and performers is appealing an Ontario court’s decision to bring in an arbitrator to end a three-week-old strike… At least three large scale U.S. productions have cancelled plans to bring work to Canada due to the prospect of a long strike.”