Tag: 05.03.05

Art Chicago Bests Its Two Rivals

“The Art Fair Wars have come and gone, and though there was something for everyone to enjoy this past weekend, the consensus in the art community is that the winner is: Art Chicago in the Park, hands down… perhaps the near-death of Art Chicago was exactly what it needed to come back to itself. Painting and drawing dominated the show, and about two dozen international galleries showed up. There were especially strong showings from Spain and Korea; one of the better booths was Spanish Galeria de Arte la Ribera, with big paintings of moody interiors by Rosa Martinez-Artero. Less space seemed to make for a friendlier neighborhood feeling.”

Rock Band Blasts Pared-Down Warner Music Ahead Of IPO

“Days before an expected public stock offering from the Warner Music Group, the rap-rock band Linkin Park demanded yesterday to be released from its recording contract with the company, saying internal cost cuts may have left the music giant ‘unable to compete in today’s global music marketplace’… The spat comes as a team of private investors, who purchased Warner Music from Time Warner last year for $2.6 billion, is preparing for an initial offering of shares that is expected to raise $750 million and is expected to take place in mid-May. Since taking charge last year, the investment team has restructured the company and cut about $250 million in costs through layoffs, cuts to the artist roster and consolidation of its international operations.”

Milwaukee Ticket Sales Jump

It’s been a while since the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra got any good news about its ticket sales, but this week, the orchestra announced that single ticket sales have jumped 20% in the current season, and credited the MSO’s newly customer-driven marketing focus for the gain. The orchestra has also been playing a new series of “scaled-down performances of that weekend’s concert programming combined with a video presentation designed to introduce the music and composers to a new audience,” which have attracted large numbers of new ticket-buyers.

Opera Embraces A Multi-ethnic Future

Opera has enjoyed a distinct resurgence in the past decade, and for the first time in American musical history, operatic casting has begun to reflect the racial diversity of the country. But despite the visible strides in casting, “opera company executives say there is still plenty of room for improvement in diversifying casts. And, they add, there is even more room for improvement, when it comes to opera audiences, which are an average of 4 percent minority nationwide, though 31 percent of Americans are of an ethnic minority.”

Who Knew Stuffy Old Rich People Had Radios?

In an effort to draw in new audiences, the Toronto Symphony Orchestra recently started running a tongue-in-cheek series of radio ads with the tagline “You’d be surprised who goes to the TSO.” Each ad featured a humorous description of a supposed subscriber with decidedly offbeat personal habits meant to demonstrate that orchestra concerts are “not only for stuffy old rich people.” As it turns out, though, the stuffy old rich people who listen to the city’s classical music station were unamused, and the ads have been pulled from the air.

Birmingham Council To Audit City Arts Groups

Arts organizations in Birmingham (UK) are being ordered to submit to a “funding review” by the city council, and have been told that their government grants could be cut or revoked if they refuse. “Birmingham Royal Ballet, the City of Birmingham Symphony Orchestra, the Midlands Art Centre and the Birmingham Repertory Theatre are among 12 companies that have been told they must open their books for inspection. The review will look at the impact of the council’s investment, the contribution of arts organisations to the life of the city and how the council works with each company… The move follows the council’s recent announcement that it plans to provide £5 million for the 12 organisations in 2005/6.”

WTC Project Manager Resigns

The man in charge of the troubled World Trade Center project has resigned. “Kevin Rampe’s departure comes at a particularly sensitive moment for a rebuilding effort that has recently been plagued by bad news. The construction of the Freedom Tower, the site’s most prominent structure, is months behind schedule, and faces even greater delays after the New York Police Department last month delivered a disturbing assessment of its security shortcomings. Larry Silverstein, the lead developer of the site, has signaled that he may need hundreds of millions of dollars from the government to address the security concerns.”

Study: Asian Actors Underrepresented on American TV

“A study of Asian Americans in prime-time television, released Monday, shows that Asians, who make up 5 percent of the U.S. population, play 2.7 percent of regular characters. It also shows virtually no Asian actors are on situation comedies, and the characters they play in dramas tend to have less depth than most regulars, with minimal on-screen time and few romantic roles.”