He has been a consistent and articulate proponent of the arts at a time in which the field is under siege. His free-wheeling and improvisational approach belies a coherent underlying strategy that is both forward-looking and impactful. And in an almost uniformly risk-adverse philanthropic climate, Alpert has shown a refreshing tendency to boldly go where other funders are unwilling to tread. – Inside Philanthropy
Tag: 04.21.19
Transporting The Instruments For A Touring Orchestra Is An Even Bigger Production Than You Think
A reporter talks with a logistics expert at DHL who’s worked with touring orchestras for 15 years about everything it takes to pull a successful tour off. – WQXR (New York City)
Bringing The Music Back To Ancient Greek Drama
“Greek tragedy survives today as words on a page, but ancient performances were distinguished as much for music and dance as for speeches and dialogue. … The musical dimension of ancient tragedy was long given up for lost, but a [recent] performance of Euripides’s Herakles at Barnard College showed how much is being recovered, thanks to recent archeological finds and painstaking research.” – The New York Review of Books
Monir Shahroudy Farmanfarmaian, Extraordinary Female Iranian Artist, Dead At 96
Fifty Years Of History: The Kennedy Center Ponders How To Connect Its Past
“It takes a substantial walking tour to get a sense of the holdings, which amount to 9,000 cubic feet of files, images and who knows what else, according to Eileen Andrews, vice president for public relations, who has been tasked with shepherding the archives out of darkness.” – Washington Post
Artificial Intelligence And The Music Industrial Complex
AI could easily compose a Vivaldi-like (Italian Baroque) piece that, if used as transitional music in a documentary or under dialogue and sound effects, would more than do the job. Could a lifelong, professional musician tell that piece was written by AI? Maybe. It depends on too many factors to go into here. Could a discerning audience? Highly doubtful. – Shelley Palmer
Hudson Yards’ Shed: A Big Experiment In Mixing Audiences
It cost $500 million. It’s in the most expensive real estate development in America. But what it really is, says director Alex Poots, is a big experiment in trying to mix audiences that don’t typically interact. How? Presenting new work not seen anywhere else, and getting tickets into the hands of people who might not typically think about coming. – Washington Post
A Polemic Against Podcasts
Chris Richards: “I think they’re tedious and samey and sedative, and when I’m feeling especially cranky, I consider them an enemy of music. Most podcasts are conversations for people to eavesdrop on — recorded talk that precludes real-life talk about real life with zombie talk about podcasts. Also, I like music. With all of the world’s unheard songs beckoning us with their endless mystery, why would anyone choose to waste their precious listening hours on a podcast?” – Washington Post
Yale Students Ask, ‘You Want To Do What With Our Library Books?!’
This happened: “At a forum in January, Yale’s top librarian outlined a seemingly uncontroversial proposal: to relocate tens of thousands of books from the heart of the undergraduate library to make space for additional seating.” And then this happened: “Nearly 1,000 students signed up on social media to participate in a ‘browse-in,’ vowing to check out everything from Shakespeare’s Julius Caesar to Dr. Seuss’s The Sneetches to show university administrators that young people still value the printed word.” – The Washington Post
The Band That Sang End Credits To This Week’s ‘Game Of Thrones’ Turned Down The Same Opportunity In Season Two
Florence and the Machine sang a haunting song over the end credits of the second episode of the final season of Game of Thrones, and they’re one of a very few groups who have gotten that opportunity. The band’s singer and leader wasn’t a fan when the showrunners first asked the band to sing, eons ago in Season 2, but now she is – and that helped win the band over. – The New York Times