“St. Paul Chamber Orchestra management delivered a ‘voting offer’ to its musicians Wednesday, Oct. 17, saying that if the union members do not accept the offer by late Sunday, management will cancel concerts through Nov. 4 and lock out the musicians. The musicians quickly shot down the proposal.”
Category: today’s top story
Picasso, Monets, More Stolen From Rotterdam’s Kunsthal
“With impeccable timing and taste, thieves in the wee hours of Tuesday morning plundered an art museum in the Netherlands that was celebrating its 20th birthday and made away with seven borrowed paintings, including valuable works by Picasso, Monet, Gauguin, Matisse and Lucian Freud.”
Seattle Symphony, Opera Musicians Authorize Strike
“After months of contract negotiations with the managements of the Seattle Symphony and Seattle Opera, the vote is in response to a contract offer Wednesday that called for musicians to take a 15 percent reduction in compensation in the 2012-13 season.”
Broadway Has Gone Crazy For Classics – Again
Is the revival-filled season a sign of decreasing creativity, or simply a return to seriousness? (And does it really matter?)
Bruce Ridge: A Crisis Of Orchestras? How About A Crisis Of Orchestra Management?
“The tendency of orchestra managers to present a negative view of the future is not unprecedented, but it is bewildering, and it is a poor fund raising message. People will donate to organizations that inspire them and that serve their communities, but they will not invest in organizations that question their own sustainability.”
How Our Intellectual Property Laws Are Killing Innovation
“The marketplace for new ideas has been corrupted by software patents used as destructive weapons.”
Free Online Arts Platform The Space Gets Semi-Permanent Funding
“When The Space launched, somewhat gingerly, in May this year, it was intended as a six-month pilot. Over the summer, Arts Council England’s free digital platform, run with the BBC, has carried film and other content tied to [Cultural Olympiad] events around the UK.” Now the Council “is setting aside £8m from a digital fund to support the platform over the next two to three years.”
Orange Prize For Female Writers Saved By Private Donors
“High-profile private donors have stepped in to save the UK’s only prize for female writers after a scramble for a sponsor failed to come up with a long-term backer to replace Orange for 2013.”
Minnesota Musicians’ Opening Night To Be Led By Conductor Laureate
“Minnesota Orchestra clarinetist Tim Zavadil dropped a bomb on Friday … announcing that the musicians will hold a concert on Oct. 18 at the Convention Center – and that Stanislaw Skrowaczewski will conduct.”
Google And Publishers Settle Book-Scanning Lawsuit
“Google and major publishers have formally called a truce in a seven-year copyright dispute over book scanning. The two sides had already been working closely since a major settlement fell apart in 2011.”