One of the defining characteristics of today’s classical music is the ways in which it’s breaking the usual rules. Genre-less, as some call it. So you’re not shunned if you’re writing tunes when those around you stay atonal. Allan Kozinn listens and makes some recommendations. – San Francisco Classical Voice
Tag: 01.08.19
What Your Access To Fitness Centers Says About Who You Are
America’s fitness-center availability tracks closely with key markers of socioeconomic class: income, education, and occupation. – CityLab
Memories Of One Of ‘The Old Gang’ At Judson Dance Theater
Aileen Passloff, now 87 and still working as a choreographer, talks to Gia Kourlas about the 1950s and ’60s, when a new generation was transforming what dance could be; her studies with a Diaghilev alumna; and climbing up a fire escape in heels and sneaking into City Center. — The New York Times
Art Dealer/Tax Fraudster Mary Boone Tries The Officer Krupke Defense
“New York art dealer Mary Boone pleaded guilty in September to filing false tax returns. Now, as she awaits sentencing — which could be up to six years in jail — her lawyers have filed a massive memo calling for leniency from the judge, citing a history of childhood trauma that has left Boone to battle mental illness and addiction.” (Gee, Officer Krupke …) — Artnet
New York’s Beloved Drama Book Shop Was About To Close , So Lin-Manuel Miranda Bought It
The store, known for its wide selection of play scripts and books on theater, had announced that it was going to close after one rent hike too many for its 84-year-old owner. So Miranda, who says he wrote much of In the Heights in the Drama Book Shop basement, got three of his Hamilton producing partners to join with him to buy the business. — NPR
When The DNA Test Challenges Your Cultural Identity
Dani Shapiro is a writer who spent years exploring her life and identity. Then she took a home DNA test and discovered what she thought she knew about her heritage was wrong… – Washington Post
What’s The Difference Between A Dialect And A Language?
Okay, so maybe you haven’t spent a lot of time pondering this. But Sam Dresser’s discussion here illuminates something in how we construct systems for communicating. Are the differences mainly in overlap of common words? – Aeon
The Future Of Publishing? This Should Depress You
Mieke Chew recalls a conversation she had with a Croatian publisher about the decrease in book criticism in the four years she has been doing publicity. “He was like, ‘Yeah, that happened in Croatia ages ago,’ and I said, ‘Well, what happened to all the critics?’ and he said, ‘They have blogs now, which barely fucking anyone reads.’ ” That leaves listicles and best-of roundups in place of a robust conversation around books, Chew says, and, as a result, she’s watched many of her colleagues in the industry run to any internet celebrity they could find to help get their books some attention. “Pandering to influencers is just, like—I’d rather fling myself off a cliff,” she says. – Publishers Weekly
Mission Commitment
No mission statement should be the template for another organization (that’s very nearly a truism for us in the nonprofit world), but being able to see commitment to engagement in the mission is a pre-requisite for effectiveness. Is it obvious in yours? — Doug Borwick
Smithsonian Pandemonium: Skorton Leaves, Museums Shuttered
It’s been a bad-news month for the Smithsonian: On Dec. 20, Secretary David Skorton — arguably the most successful, least embattled Smithsonian leader in recent memory — announced he’d be leaving his Smithsonian post in June. Just two days after this bombshell, the federal government shutdown began. — Lee Rosenbaum