“The compensation packages of museum directors continue to rise at an extraordinary rate. Whereas ten years ago the $200,000 salary level was hardly ever breached, the era of the $1 million annual compensation is soon upon the field. Mid-size museums in regional cities in the Midwest or South, for example, are luring directors with compensation packages in the $350,000 to $600,000 range.”
Tag: 04.28.08
Artists Host Lice For Art
The seven German artists are living in an Israeli museum for three weeks. “The idea is that we live in the museum as their guests, and at the same time we are hosting lice on our heads,”
Last Of The Movie Critics?
“Because new generations of filmgoers seem to be looking less and less to publications like The New Yorker, The New York Times, Time, Newsweek and many others to find out about upcoming films and are turning to Web sites like rottentomatoes.com — which provides an approval rating based on a collection of reviews by critics — newspapers and magazines are shucking their ranks of critics in alarming numbers.”
It’s Official: CBC Radio Orchestra Is Done
“The CBC Radio Orchestra was founded by John Avison in 1938 and has had an illustrious history. It originally consisted of 25 musicians and was increased to 35 in 1952. Its conductors have included John Eliot Gardiner and Mario Bernardi.”
Golden Oldie TV Hits The Web
Within the last few months, television distributors have opened up their libraries of classic content online, making thousands of episodes of programs like “The Twilight Zone” and “The Mary Tyler Moore Show” available free.
“Free” Music, Ad Supported
Sony BMG has made its complete back catalogue of songs available free over the internet for the first time in a deal with the music website We7. “Users can listen to 250,000 songs for free but have to wait for a 10-second advert between each track.”
Everybody’s Writing Opera – Now It’s Rufus Wainwright’s Turn
“Wainwright is writing a full-blown opera, his first, replete with libretto, sheet music and a cast of belters. While certain operatic subject matter isn’t far-off from Wainwright’s own songs – lust, loss, betrayal, death – he’s not in the habit of writing tunes about giants, gods or Valkyries.”
London’s St. Martin’s In The Fields Gets A Major Overhaul
“This is an abstract and modern addition to the church, which not everyone will like. But St. Martin-in-the-Fields is an important space that deserves an artistically rich addition. Handel once played there, and the venue is still one of the best in Britain for early Baroque and early classical music. The church hosts 350 free concerts a year, in addition to a wide range of events and programs.”
Second Second City Opera
Chicago Opera Theater is carving out a niche for itself. “Can the city’s second opera company seduce more potential customers with innovative, ensemble-oriented productions that promise an intimate alternative to the big, star-laden shows Lyric Opera of Chicago presents during the fall and winter?”
Dreaming Of An Art Market Crash
There are many stories in the press these days speculating on a crash in the art market. The evidence, at the moment, seems a bit thin. So why all the interest in predicting a crash?