Do Videogames Help Keep The Modern Symphony Alive?

“Having begun its first season three years ago, the videogame oriented content continues to make waves among the more, erm, ‘reserved’ concertgoer crowd. While many programmers and conductors appear to roll their eyes at such a debasement of their art, they still gladly take the money that’s off-setting the orchestra’s annual 2.8% decline in sales. “

What’s Wrong With The Classical Concert Experience In The 21st Century? Maybe The Way We’re Mucking About With It

Philip Clark: “For decades, all the talk has been about how musicians dress; about the timing and duration of concerts; about the historical distance that audiences feel from classical music … Orchestras and ensembles have been experimenting with these strategies for years. … All this stuff – plunging string quartets into the dark, worrying about what shirts to wear or applauding between movements – speaks of a poverty of ideas. If you have nothing to say about content, talk instead about procedure.”

Technology And The Museum Of The Future

“The forces rocking the technology world—cheaper screens, miniaturized mechanics and increased computing power—are prompting a rich period of experimentation in exhibit design. For museums, such advancements could attract diverse visitors, lure young people and change the way audiences learn about art, science and nature.”

Has The Brazilian Audience For Broadway Musicals Disappeared For Good?

“The cast of ‘The Full Monty,’ which opened in Rio last week, rehearsed in a donated room of a barren mall. The producer and director, Tadeu Aguiar, reused sets and costumes from his other shows — although the police uniform stripper costumes were created from scratch. Instead of a salary, the cast was offered a cut of the box office. With no union to protect the actors, and unemployment surpassing 8 percent, ‘there are a lot of people who will do it for nothing,’ said one actor, André Dias.”

We Are All Paparazzi Now

“Little more than a decade ago, stars like Paris Hilton would ‘inadvertently’ leak their plans to the paparazzi — part of the wink-wink symbiotic relationship that fueled their tabloid fame. But what once took an army of clamoring paparazzi can now be tweeted, Instagrammed, Snapchatted, and Vined.”