The Life & Death of Alexander Litvinenko, a work about the poisoning of the former FSB agent and dissident Russian émigré in London in 2008, with music by Anthony Bolton and text by Kit Hesketh-Harvey, will premiere in summer 2020 at England’s Grange Park Opera. – The Times (UK)
Tag: 04.30.19
Venice Is Trying New Ways To Manage The Tourist Tsunami
“A new generation of concerned citizens and entrepreneurs is taking … combining grassroots activism with socially sensitive, sustainable initiatives to save their island home” — from managing the trash and reducing use of plastic to creating a new, more locally oriented alternative to Airbnb. – The Guardian
How The Next Wave Of Wearable Tech Will Amplify Our Intelligence
“The need for an intelligence-amplifying device that is less obtrusive than a smartphone and more discreet than a voice interface is clear. Many technologists and entrepreneurs are working to create the next revolutionary intelligence-amplifying device that will solve the problems of its predecessors while giving users seamless access to advanced AI systems.” – Harvard Business Review
Neuroscience Tries To Figure Out Why Music Gets Hold Of Us
“We’re starting to comprehend how melodies affect our feelings, why certain music makes us want to get up and dance and why some harmonies trigger fear. Some studies have already had direct applications in the field of music therapy, which uses music to treat neurological, emotional and physical disorders.” Pittsburgh Post-Gazette
UK Statistics Authority Blasts Arts Council England Over Bad Methodology
A public letter from Ed Humpherson, head of UKSA’s regulatory arm, castigates ACE for an array of statistical misdemeanours that fail to meet the official Code of Practice, and which led to a “lack of clarity” in the presentation of visitor numbers in the funder’s latest annual report. But ACE still denies that its presentation of the figures was misleading, and says it has no plans to update the report. – Arts Professional
Head Of Met Opera’s National Council Auditions Talks About How Jurors Choose The Winners
New York Times classical critic Anthony Tommasini found he didn’t entirely agree with the choice of winners at this year’s finals. So he called National Council Auditions executive director executive director about what the jury looks and listens for. – The New York Times
Mark Nerenhausen on Curating Outcomes
For a second video interview for my Presenting the Performing Arts class, I talked with Mark Nerenhausen, President/CEO of Hennepin Theatre Trust in Minneapolis, who shared the many moving parts in animating and activating a building and a neighborhood through the live performing arts. – Andrew Taylor
Why “Porgy and Bess” Is More than a “Period Piece”
Is the fundamental topic of Porgy and Bess a black Carolina subculture ca. 1920? If so, does that validate the Gershwin Estate’s insistence that only blacks sing it? – Joe Horowitz
Look alive
As I grow older, I find that my personal definition of what it means to be beautiful is becoming far more encompassing. What no longer catches my eye, however, is youthful prettiness. It is wasted on me, whether in its natural form or in the chemically assisted simulacra that are easy enough to spot. – Terry Teachout
Michael Tilson Thomas At 74: At The Center
“I have a checklist of things I want to get done before I’m outta here,” he says. “What I don’t know is: Just how much applause do I actually need to hear?” – New York Magazine