“Musicians of the Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra have agreed to a one-year extension of their contract, although with an asterisk: They’ll get a small raise, but generally sit tight while the board of the cash-strapped symphony tries to raise money.”
Tag: 01.30.07
Hungarian Orchestra: We’re Folding
The Hungarian Symphony is on tour in Florida. But after a concert over the weekend, “conductor András Ligeti raised his hands to silence the applause and said that due to a loss of funding, the 100-year-old Budapest-based orchestra would be folding. He thanked the audience for their attention, asked them to retain the memory of this fine orchestra, then turned and led the ensemble in a final encore, the famous Brahms Hungarian Dance No. 5.” Well, maybe not ‘folding’, but…
Christie’s Jacks Up Commission Charges
The auction house says it needs to “stay competitive.” “Buyers at Christie’s will pay 20 percent on the first 250,000 pounds ($500,000) of the hammer price and 12 percent on the rest, the London-based auction house said in an e-mailed statement. Currently, Christie’s charges 20 percent on the first 100,000 pounds and 12 percent on the rest.”
Sony Must Pay…
For damaging computers with its draconian anti-piracy software scheme last year. “The FTC said the software ‘exposed consumers to significant security risks and was unreasonably difficult to uninstall’. Under the settlement, Sony BMG must allow consumers to exchange affected CDs bought before 31 December 2006, and reimburse them up to $150 (£76) to repair damage to their computers.”
Atlanta Ballet Gets A New Leader
Mired in a labor dispute with its former orchestral musicians and hampered by a $2.75 million debt, the Atlanta Ballet has hired Barry Hughson as its executive director. The company hasn’t had an exec director to handle the business side of things since 2003.
When Readers Get Vocal, What Happens To Writing?
“The Internet has turned what was once primarily a one-way communication into a dialogue — or maybe a melee. From a cultural perspective, the new democracy of voices online is a wonderful thing. But writers have an odd and ambiguous relationship with their readers, and the reader revolution is having massive consequences we can’t even foresee.”
The Wright Vision: Beautiful Middle-Class Homes
“One of the three Frank Lloyd Wright houses in the Puget Sound area is on the market, a perfect time to wander through it and wonder why its ideas are being neglected in this century’s thirst for reasonably priced, modestly scaled homes. … Wright remains conspicuously alone among A-list architects who actually have tried to improve the state of middle-class single-family homes.”
2006 A Year Of Record Attendance In West End
“A packed bill of hit musicals such as The Sound of Music and Spamalot made 2006 a record year for London’s West End as theatre takings bounced back after terrorist threats. … By the end of 2006, central London’s 53 theatres had clocked up an unprecedented 12.36m attendances, according to trade association the Society of London Theatre.”
For Jazz At Lincoln Center, Philanthropy’s A Hurdle
“Jazz at Lincoln Center faces a major challenge as it turns 20 this year: how to lure deep-pocketed donors who don’t embrace an art rooted in the blues and folk music of African-American slaves. … Jazz, born in New Orleans at the turn of the 20th century, hasn’t had a philanthropic base, jazz historians say.”
Altering Our Skyline? Keep City’s Needs In Mind
As world-class architects vie to design San Francisco’s Transbay Terminal tower, John King urges them to remember that “San Francisco doesn’t need an exclamation point. It needs a supple and subtle vision — on the ground as well as the sky — that stands as a symbol of what sustainable, elegant urbanity can be.”