“The median income of arts workers in Ontario is $10,000 a year… Several other provinces spend more on protecting and encouraging artists than does the self-appointed centre of the Canadian cultural universe, Ontario.” A new report by the Ministry of Culture “recommends 27 radical reforms, from unemployment benefits to parental leave.”
Author: sbergman
And A Gang Of Violinists Shall Lead Them
Finding your niche on the web can be tricky for first-timers, but the key to success seems to be to do one thing, and do it exceptionally well. Tom Regan says that after scouring the web for a textbook case of how to do everything right online, he found no better example than the thriving community of obsessive, compulsive, and devoted musicians who hang around Violinist.com.
Perhaps He Has A Cold?
Famed tenor Placido Domingo has announced that he will take on a prominent baritone role in a new production of Verdi’s Simon Boccanegra to be mounted in Berlin, London, and Milan. Domingo last performed as a baritone in 1959, and says that he may retire after his next attempt.
Opus Dei Can’t Get No Respect
Catholic sect Opus Dei, which mounted a campaign against The DaVinci Code claiming that the plot portrayed the group unfairly, is in the news again, this time complaining about a BBC drama in which two members of Opus Dei are depicted as being involved in a double murder.
Clinton Wants To Be The Privacy Candidate
As part of the process of shaping her days-old presidential campaign, Senator Hillary Clinton has staked out a surprisingly detailed position advocating a return to personal privacy in the digital age. “But some observers are doubtful of Clinton’s ability — whether as senator, or commander-in-chief — to garner widespread support for what would amount to a complete reversal of a decade of privacy-hostile laws and policies spewing from Washington.”
Moses Of New York
Speak the name Robert Moses in New York, and you’ll likely get an angry rant about the damage done to the city and its residents in the name of “urban renewal.” But there was far more to Moses’ legacy: he gave the city Lincoln Center and Jones Beach, and changed the landscape in several important ways. “With the city on the brink of a building boom unparalleled since Moses’ heyday, [some] scholars argue that his legacy is more relevant than ever.”
“Requiem For Darfur” Draws A Small Crowd
A major benefit for the war-torn Darfur region of Sudan was held at New York’s Carnegie Hall this week, bringing together high-profile classical musicians from around the country with students from Juilliard and orchestral players from at least two continents. Organizers pronounced the event a success, but “unfortunately, the hall seemed to be about half full.”
And We All Know How Kids Love Rules
15-year-old composing prodigy Jay Greenberg has been getting plenty of attention lately, and no less an orchestra than the London Symphony has just released a recording of his 5th (yes, 5th!) symphony. But Philip Hensher says that there’s little chance of Greenberg or any other child prodigy truly rocking the music world, simply because of what composing has become…
Pittsburgh’s New Man On The Podum (Yes, Just One)
The Pittsburgh Symphony is abandoning its three-headed leadership model with the just-announced appointment of Austrian conductor Manfred Honeck as its next music director. “His three-year contract begins in fall 2008, when the contracts of conductors Andrew Davis, Yan Pascal Tortelier and Marek Janowski expire.”
Merger Hasn’t Solved Opera’s Problems In Cleveland
“The news last week that Leon Major will step down as artistic director of Opera Cleveland after the 2007 inaugural season sends what might be construed as distress signals. The new company, which merges Cleveland Opera and Lyric Opera Cleveland, has yet to raise a single curtain – its debut production is Richard Strauss’ Salome in April – and already we’re witness to a series of backstage minidramas. Are we really surprised?”