The 1966 discovery of ancient Thai artifacts by a Harvard student living in northeast Thailand still ranks as one of the great artifact finds of the era. “Now Ban Chiang is in the news again as a result of a five-year undercover investigation by three federal agencies… In the affidavits filed to obtain search warrants, the agents laid the groundwork for a legal argument that virtually all Ban Chiang material in the United States is stolen property.”
Tag: 02.13.08
New Home For Pittsburgh Opera
Pittsburgh Opera will be moving into a new rehearsal and office space this spring, which will allow the company more flexibility in scheduling, as well as giving it much-needed storage space for sets. Other plans are in the works as well, all part of an $8m improvement project.
St. Paul Taps Zacharias For Partner Role
“German conductor and pianist Christian Zacharias is coming to perform with the St. Paul Chamber Orchestra this weekend … and he’s decided to stay for a while. On Tuesday, Zacharias was named the newest artistic partner of the SPCO.” The orchestra works without a single music director, and instead has a rotating stable of “artistic partners,” each of whom programs and leads a portion of the season. Zacharias will take on the role beginning in fall 2009.
TV Producer Who Brought The Arts To The Air Dies
“Kirk Browning, whose unusual career path took him from chicken farmer to television director of Live From Lincoln Center, died on Sunday in Manhattan. He was 86.”
CBC Records Dropping Classical?
Canada’s CBC Records is apparently dropping its commitment to classical recordings in favor of music it hopes will attract younger listeners. And “even the non-classical outlook is cloudy… CBC Records has nothing “in the can” — industry jargon for a completed recording pending release — in any genre.”
A Successful Opera Composer Who Can’t Break The Big Time
Jonathan Dove has never had a flop, and Pinocchio is his 21st opera. So why has he never been commissioned for a main-house piece by the big London companies?
Violinist Trips On Stage and Wrecks His Stradivarius
Leaving the stage at London’s Barbican, violinist David Garrett, 26, one of the UK’s foremost young concert performers, had an accident that every world-class musician must dread: he tripped and landed on his violin.