Boston’s Berklee College of Music has long reigned as America’s preeminent conservatory for non-classical musicians. Jazzers and rockers alike have emerged from Berklee, which has always cultivated an image that falls somewhere between the sophistication of Wynton Marsalis and the populist appeal of Sting. Now, the school is branching out to include a genre it has long disdained – bluegrass. “Berklee administrators credit interest in bluegrass to a growing appetite among students for a range of musical styles, spurred by the Internet. It also parallels the growing popularity of the style nationally.” Appointing a new president with a Deep South upbringing didn’t hurt, either.
Tag: 01.04.06
Has iPod Killed The Stereo Star?
“In a surprisingly short period of time, the hi-fi as we know it has been rendered obsolete, tossed into the dustbin of history. According to the U.S.-based Consumer Electronics Association, sales in 1999 for individual audio components — CD players, tuners, etc. — exceeded 270,000 units. By 2003, that number had shrunk to roughly 20,000 pieces, barely enough to sustain a niche market. Where once the mark of musical sophistication was huge speakers and a stack of components, now it’s an iPod and bookmarked file-sharing sites on a PC.”
Can Hitler Be Funny… In Israel?
The Producers may be a global box-office smash, but there are still certain places you just wouldn’t expect a musical centered around a fictional work of theatre called “Springtime for Hitler” to show up. Israel, for instance. But there it is on the marquee: The Producers will be making its Tel Aviv debut this month – in Hebrew, no less. “In a nation created out of the Holocaust, where at least a quarter-million survivors of the catastrophe still live, it is — to say the least — a bold artistic and commercial move.” The artistic director of the theatre where the show will be staged says that Israelis are a “mature” audience with a good sense of humor, and doesn’t expect any problems.
Mapping The Strange World of American English
“Imagine looking at a map of the United States that is divided not into states but into dialects — a map that doesn’t tell you what a state’s capital is, but how a region’s residents pronounce their vowels.” That’s the aim of the newly released Atlas of North American English, a hefty tome that also comes with a multimedia CD-ROM and retails for over $600. “The atlas identifies about 16 dialects across the U.S. and southern Canada. Not all of them are unique, but each has distinguishing characteristics. The atlas is a monumental achievement in the already distinguished career of co-author William Labov, who is considered the founder of sociolinguistics, or the study of social influences on language use.”
Bright Sheng To Take Up Residence With NYC Ballet
For the first time in its history, New York City Ballet has named a composer-in-residence. Bright Sheng, the Chinese-American composer who has collaborated with cellist Yo-Yo Ma on the wildly successful Silk Road Project, will compose two new works for the ballet over the next three seasons, and several of his existing works will also be choreographed. The appointment is part of NYC Ballet’s artist-in-residence program, which has previously focused on conductors, choreographers, and costume designers.
Back To The 60s
Are the 1960s back in dance? “It was 40 years from the 1920’s, the previous great liberating decade, to the 60’s, and 40 years from the 60’s to now. Maybe the societal shifts that provided so fertile a climate for the 60’s are about to burst forth again; you can’t repress youthful energy and optimism forever.”
An Underlying Malaise In British Theatre?
“On the surface, British theatre is in its healthiest state in years. But is this buzz of activity hiding a creative slump, in which celebrity and ‘ticking boxes’ are prized over innovation?”
Mozart’s Skull? (We’ll Know Sunday)
Scientists have been testing a skull found in an Austrian basement to see whether it belonged to Mozart. “Researchers said yesterday they would broadcast their findings on Sunday as part of a year of celebratory events marking the composer’s 250th birthday.”