In Houston, news of the Dallas Symphony’s newfound endowment largesse has further exacerbated the tensions between the Houston Symphony musicians and management. Within hours of the Dallas announcement, Houston musicians had issued a press release demanding, for the umpteenth time, that the management embark immediately on an endowment drive. (Houston has the smallest standing endowment of any year-round American orchestra.) The Houston Symphony Society responded that such a drive would be impossible until the contract situation with the musicians is resolved.
Tag: 02.21.03
Smart Economics Or The Americanization Of Canada?
Canada has always made a point of keeping its culture distinct from its neighbor to the south, and even has laws to ensure that it stays that way. So it’s no surprise that this week’s federal budget, which appears to allow greater American incursion into the Canadian TV marketplace, is taking no small amount of flak from producers, critics, and the public. The government insists that the new plan will bring great economic benefit to Canada’s entire cultural community, but John Doyle disagrees: “If you, the viewer, think that the federal government’s new screw-you tactic on Canadian TV production will matter little in terms of content or culture, you’re dead wrong.”
The Ax Falls In Detroit
“Facing a revenue shortfall and a bleak economy, the Detroit Institute of Arts will eliminate 55 jobs – 13 percent of its 416-member workforce – and close both its satellite mall shops in moves designed to cut costs and restructure operations. The layoffs, which will go into effect in the next two weeks, will result in an immediate saving of $1 million.”
Bellesiles Back In Business
Less than a month after the Alfred Knopf pubishing house took Michael Bellesiles’s controversial book on guns in America off the market, the volume has found a new, albeit somewhat less prestigious, publisher. “Soft Skull Press of Brooklyn, N.Y., which calls itself ‘a small, radical, independent publisher,’ will republish a revised edition in October. The book will have a new introduction and what a Soft Skull statement called ‘several clarifications concerning research.'” Bellesiles lost his job at Emory University last year when claims surfaced that much of his research for the book was falsified.
Yet Another Frickin’ Napster Lawsuit
Just when you thought you’d never have to hear the word Napster again, another lawsuit has been filed over the now-defunct song-swapping service which led the record industry on a merry chase through the courts over the past couple of years. Of course, Napster isn’t around to be sued anymore, so this time, a coalition of songwriters, composers, and publishers are suing German media giant Bertelsmann for ‘prolonging’ the existence of Napster by investing $100 million in the company as it fought for survival. The suit is in US court, and the plaintiffs are asking for a whopping $17 billion in damages.
Collision Course – Two Shows Square Off On Same Night
“Two high-profile, upcoming Broadway productions – the musical ‘Urban Cowboy’ and Yasmina Reza’s play ‘Life x 3’ – are scheduled to premiere March 27, and both say they won’t change their plans. It is unusual for two Broadway shows to open on the same day, thus going head to head for newspaper space, television coverage and opening-night party publicity.”
Sydney Opera House Closure Requires Intricate Dance
The Sydney Opera House Theatre will have to close for a big renovation – probably in 2005. Opera Australia, the Australian Ballet and the Sydney Dance Company will all be affected. So “what will happen in the Sydney performing arts scene when the Opera Theatre of the Sydney Opera House closes for renovation?”
A Cello’s Tale
Several cellists in the New York Philharmonic could have solo careers. Some have. But there’s something special about being a member of an elite orchestra. “Ask cellists to define the part the cello plays in an orchestra, and they describe it as subtle but essential. ‘It’s a foundation role. It provides stability and structure.”
A Book A Day…Creating The Instant Book
Forty German authors are hoping to set a new world record by conceiving, writing and printing a book in 12 hours. The team of writers will get their topic at 7.45 a.m. on April 23, World Book and Copyright Day. “They aim to have the finished book on shop shelves in 10 German cities by the evening of that day.”
Dresden Cathedral Decides On Modern Organ, Purists Protest
Music purists are protesting the decision at Dresden’s famed Frauenkirche to replace the organ there with a more modern instrument. “The board of trustees of the foundation in charge of reconstructing the cathedral, which was destroyed at the end of World War II and left as a ruin during more than four decades of communist rule, decided on Monday to give the contract to an organ builder in Strasbourg. In doing so, they rejected a competing proposal for an exact reproduction of the original organ was described by a number of prominent supporters as ‘historically correct’.”