Melissa Smey, who had been general manager at what may be American classical music’s hippest venue, has been appointed Miller Theatre’s director. She had been filling the job on an acting basis ever since George Steel departed for his famously brief stint at The Dallas Opera and his new job running the troubled New York City Opera.
Tag: 03.31.09
Cloris Leachman’s ‘Master Plan’: Become ‘Everybody’s Favorite Nutty Grandma’
Her “unlikely seven-week stint as the oldest contestant ever on [Dancing with the Stars] is just part of what the veteran actress calls her ‘master plan’ for an octogenarian career comeback … [T]he rollout also includes a one-woman show that Leachman has been performing in theaters across the country and on cruise ships, and a new autobiography.”
From The Queen To Mexico’s President, A Copy Of 1984
“Pandora very much doubts that the Queen harbours many an anti-establishment tendency – though the prospect is, rather delightfully, raised by news of her gift to the Mexican President: a copy of the classic dystopian novel, 1984.”
Rufus Wainwright’s Opera To Premiere In Toronto
“Luminato, Toronto’s annual arts festival, is going where the Metropolitan Opera does not dare to tread. Upshot: in June 2010, Toronto will scoop New York with the North American premiere of Prima Donna, a much-anticipated first opera by singer/songwriter and cult favourite Rufus Wainwright.”
Field Hard Hit, AIA Convention Crowd Will Be Much Smaller
“One month from now in San Francisco, a national architecture convention will be in full swing – but not nearly as full as the organizers had hoped. It’s the annual gathering of the American Institute of Architects, which in rosier times anticipated upward of 27,000 attendees touching down in, all rise, Everybody’s Favorite City. … Now the estimate is a crowd of 20,000 to 22,000….”
Opera Company of Philadelphia Names Executive Director
“Opera Company of Philadelphia is closing a five-year void left by the late Jack Mulroney, who died in the fall of 2004, with the appointment of David B. Devan to fill Mulroney’s post as executive director of the company. Since 2004, the executive director title has been held by Robert B. Driver, who was artistic director before Mulroney’s death, and who will reassume that position now.”
On The Big Screen, A Chamber Ensemble’s Ballet Classics
“A series of New York Theatre Ballet performances will screen exclusively in select movie theaters nationwide beginning in August, under a deal that NCM Fathom, the alternative entertainment division of National CineMedia, has struck with MarQe Entertainment.”
New Britannica Online: Wikipedia With Editors?
“The new version of Britannica Online, set to debut this summer, will emulate the Wikipedia concept by letting subscribers make changes to any article, ranging from minor edits to near-total rewrites. But Britannica president Jorge Cauz scoffs at the idea that he’s merely imitating his giant online rival. … While Wikipedia is written and edited by amateurs who often work anonymously, Britannica Online articles will be overseen by professional editors.”
Homeless Man’s Harvard Square Bookstall Closes Up Shop
“Almost Banned in Harvard Square Booksellers, a sidewalk bookstall run by a homeless man … is closing today, and with it goes one more quirky piece of Harvard Square. Ken O’Brien, who has sold or given away tens of thousands of books since opening nearly three years ago, is giving away the last of his stash. O’Brien, the first and only homeless person to belong to the Harvard Square Business Association, said he is tired of fighting City Hall.”
Ethnomusicology Informed Jarre’s Film Scores
“[U]nlike so many of today’s thundering but essentially interchangeable big-orchestra-plus-electronics scores, the voice of a Maurice Jarre film was always uniquely his own. Jarre, who died Saturday at age 84, suggested exotic locales with instruments unique to the region being portrayed. He subtly conveyed changes in tone, depending on the story being told — and, yes, he often came up with a memorable melody that kept people humming as they left the theater. “