Austin, Texas, came in 2nd in the Urban Institute’s ranking of American cities hosting arts festivals. But the same study also found that Austin ranks 51st in public support for the arts. Why the disparity? “The answer may lie in one of Austin’s biggest drawing cards: its youth. Philanthropy is not just a function of wealth but age — the older, the better.”
Author: sbergman
Arts Still Have A Long Way To Go In Detroit
Culture lovers in Detroit have had a number of bright spots to cheer about lately, from construction of a new modern art museum to the refurbished concert hall downtown. So it was a bit of a blow this week when a new study of America’s top arts cities ranked Motown 59th out of 60, behind such specimens as Buffalo and Oklahoma City.
Working Just To Find Work
Freelance classical musicians in huge metropolises like New York or L.A. can expect to earn a decent living without much fear of the work drying up. But for freelancers in many mid-sized cities, like St. Louis, staying employed is a major concern, and earning enough to live on can require a lot of creativity, and quite a bit of luck.
SPAC In Black
Despite a significant drop in attendance for performances by the Philadelphia Orchestra and New York City Ballet, upstate New York’s Saratoga Performing Arts Center will finish 2006 with a $200,000 operating surplus. SPAC, which underwent a major board upheaval two years ago in the wake of a fiscal mismanagement scandal, has run in the black for the past two seasons, and this year retired its accumulated debt by spending down its endowment.
Aussie Gov To Review Role In Theatre
The chairman of the Australia’s national arts council is backing a major review of the country’s struggling theatre industry. “Previous inquiries into the film industry, visual arts and, more recently, the nation’s orchestras [have] brought major changes.”
UK Critic To Alagna: A Real Man Would Have Stayed
Roberto Alagna should have known that you can’t win when you take on the La Scala loggionisti, says Neil Fisher. “If you venture into the lions’ den, prepare to get bitten. For all Alagna’s sad back-pedalling since the explosion — “my throat was closed off . . . I couldn’t even speak a sound” — the overriding impression is that he just couldn’t cope with the criticism. And so he did the unforgivable: he fled.”
Taking A Chance On Tan Dun
“Next week Tan Dun will be the first composer in more than 60 years to conduct his own opera at New York’s Met. Ten years in the making, it’s a hugely ambitious project for all involved,” and will be the most expensive production the Met has ever mounted. Ultimately, Tan “is stretching for a new musical form that is neither oriental, nor western, nor, crucially, a fusion of the two.”
Contemplating A Life After Dance
“Darcey Bussell, regarded by many as the most inspiring dancer of her generation… leaves the Royal Ballet, her mentor and springboard, next June.” At 37, Bussell is already two years past the age when she planned to retire, and her body can no longer tolerate the physical demands of her craft. “The question is what Bussell will do next. She has a packed schedule for the first six months of next year, but after June – nothing.”
Bizet Bust Stolen From Paris Cemetery
“The Père-Lachaise cemetery in Paris, where famous residents such as Molière, Marcel Proust, Edith Piaf and Maria Callas attract 2 million visitors a year, has been the victim of theft. Six bronze busts were stolen last month from its 19th century tombs, including that of Georges Bizet, the composer of Carmen.”
Good Time To Be A Museum In The UK
A new study claims that the UK’s museums contribute £1.5 billion a year to the national economy. The report, by researchers at the London School of Economics, also finds that the arts are one on Britain’s most valuable exports. “Seven of the top 10 visitor attractions in the UK are museums, and 43% of the British population visited a museum in the past year.”