The Song Company, a chamber group that has been performing repertoire from the medieval to the brand-new for 35 years, abruptly announced that it is entering (as it’s called in Australia) Voluntary Administration. While the ensemble’s board hopes to stave off liquidation and reorganize, all scheduled concerts after this weekend are cancelled. – The Sydney Morning Herald
Tag: 05.16.19
Architect I. M. Pei, 102
M r. Pei was probably best known for designing the East Building of the National Gallery of Art in Washington and the glass pyramid that serves as an entry for the Louvre in Paris. – The New York Times
Sackler/Kanders: My 1978 ARTnews Exposé on Met’s Sackler Enclave (plus: my takes on opioids, tear gas)
The Met’s now-defunct Sackler Enclave — a 600-square-foot office and storage space on the museum’s premises, named for the oldest brother, Arthur (who died before OxyContin was developed), run by his personal curator, and housing prime examples from his private collection of Far Eastern art — was arguably an infraction of museum ethics. – Lee Rosenbaum
Midweek extra: Freddie Hubbard with Allyn Ferguson’s Band in the ’70s
The exact date is uncertain, but we know who was with Hubbard in this L.A. all-star band. They play “Ride With The Wind.” – Doug Ramsey
Puritans on the verge of a nervous breakdown (and what they have to tell us): Axis Theatre Co. and Romeo Castellucci
Two recent theater pieces take a hard look at one of the cultural rootstocks of the United States. – David Patrick Stearns
Here’s The Latest Theory On The Mysterious, Undeciphered Voynich Manuscript
“In a peer-reviewed paper published in the journal Romance Studies, Gerard Cheshire, a research associate at the University of Bristol, argues the manuscript is … a type of therapeutic reference book composed by nuns for Maria of Castile, queen of Aragon, in a lost language known as proto-Romance.” – The Guardian
After Firing Two Museum Directors, Czech Culture Minister Gets Fired Himself
“A former mayor of Olomouc, [minister Antonín] Staněk made headlines several weeks back when he fired the director of the National Gallery in Prague, Jiří Fajt, and the head of Olomouc’s Museum of Art, Michal Soukup, accusing them of improper management. The domestic arts scene rose up almost in unison against the sackings.” (And then there was a disastrous interview last week.) – Radio Praha