If a performance is going well, those in the audience rarely think about all that must go right backstage in order to put on a major theatrical work. But stand in the shoes of the cast and crew for a night, and you’ll gain a whole new respect for the organized chaos that is theatre. “For every apparent breach in decorum, there is an underlying plan, and in many cases a backup plan as well.”
Tag: 06.14.07
Buffalo Phil Discrimination Suit Settled
The Buffalo Philharmonic has reached a settlement with a former oboist who had been claiming that anti-gay discrimination was involved in his dismissal from the orchestra. A hearing of the dispute, scheduled for next week before the New York State Division of Human Rights, has been canceled.
Celebrating The Second Tier
Major orchestras are a fine thing for a community to have in its midst, but David Patrick Stearns says that, sometimes, it’s the smaller, scrappier bands that turn out crackling performances, largely because they still feel as though they have something to prove. But do audiences in such cities really appreciate what they have?
Schaferpalooza Coming To Ottawa
Canada’s National Arts Centre Orchestra is planning a slate of events to celebrate the 75th birthday of Canadian composer R. Murray Schafer. Besides the premiere of a new orchestral work from Schafer, the celebrations “will include choral music workshops, a two-day teachers’ symposium and talks by the composer about music education, in addition to four free concerts of Schafer’s music.”
Dutch Painting Stolen In Australia
A 17th-century painting by the Dutch master Frans van Mieris was stolen from the Art Gallery of New South Wakes in Australia last weekend. Police say that the theft appears to be a professional job, and given that some 6,000 people visited the gallery that day (and also that there were no security cameras in the room that housed the van Mieris,) it will be a tough crime to solve.
Russians Driving High End Art Higher
An auction of Russian art at Christie’s of London has set a sales record as Russian collectors continue to put their stamp on the art market. “When Russian collectors want something of top quality, money is meaningless for them: They will pay crazy prices.”
Basel Good And Bad
“In the lexicon of modern and contemporary art fairs, collectors recognize Art Basel as the biggest and the best. By the time the fair ends on Sunday some 60,000 visitors will have flocked here to see an international array of some 300 galleries showing more than 2,000 artists. Many will also peruse art in the coinciding smaller art fairs and institutional exhibitions here. But not everyone is upbeat. Dealers are complaining that it has become difficult to sell great works. Collectors are grumbling about the scarcity of top-quality art.”