“A former executive of the American Federation of Musicians has been charged with embezzling at least $400,000 from the union and spending some of it on clothes, jewelry, a trip to Cuba and a bottle of expensive champagne for Fidel Castro.”
Tag: 07.29.04
Defining The Music Of Ideas
What are today’s Big Ideas in music? Well, before you can start identifying them, you have to first decide whether music needs any Big Ideas. Some of America’s classical music critics struggle over definitions…
FCC Vs. TV Violence
The Federal Communications Commission wants to take on violence on TV. “Hundreds of studies over decades document the harmful impact that exposure to graphic and excessive media violence has on the physical and mental health of our children. Wanton violence on the people’s airwaves has gone unaddressed for too long.”
Jefferson Out As NYT Theatre Critic
Margo Jefferson is out as theatre critic at the New York Times. “Earlier this summer, the Times announced that Jefferson—a Pulitzer Prize winner for her book reviews— was “on leave” in order to write a book. Many in the theatre community, however, suspected she would not return to the theatre beat. The Times recently named Patti Cohen to the new position of overall theatre editor. Cohen will oversee the daily and weekend coverage of the theatre. Cohen confirmed that Jefferson had stepped down.”
Khouri Defends Verity Of Her Book
Norma Khouri is continuing to deny that her poignant book Forbidden Love was fabricated. Her publisher defended her, saying “we spoke with her today and impressed upon her that it was imperative to provide evidence. She said she is working on it.” Meanwhile, the government of Australia is “investigating her for making false declarations in her application for an Australian residence visa.”
The Carlos Kleiber Aura
The mythologies aabout conductor are only getting bigger since his death. But Norman Lebrecht suggests that Kleiber failed to live up to his gifts. “Kleiber was a magnificently gifted conductor who chose, for reasons known only to himself, to deny himself to music. He gave very little, and then he took it away. He was the greatest non-conductor we have ever seen.”
Kurtz Wants His Property Returned
Artist Steve Kurtz, who has been under investigation by the FBI for bio-terrorism, wants the government to return property confiscated during the investigation. He is being charged with “improperly obtaining biological materials for his artwork.” “Although the majority of cases in U.S. District Court end with plea agreements, Kurtz is not interested in such an outcome. ‘There’s no discussion of that. There’s been no hint of that. We’re not interested’.”
They Don’t Teach Elvish at Juilliard
This weekend, the Pittsburgh Symphony and its resident chorus will put on a special performance of a symphony based on the Lord of the Rings film scores by Howard Shore. The show is sure to draw a crowd, but has presented some interesting challenges for the choral director, who has never before had to instruct his singers in proper Elvish and Dwarvish diction…
Philly Theater Gets A Cash Infusion
“The Philadelphia Theatre Initiative, an annual program funded by the Pew Charitable Trusts, has awarded $530,000 in grants to 12 Philadelphia-area theaters and three theater artists… The largest sums, $80,000, will go to three major Philadelphia theaters: the Arden Theatre Company, the Philadelphia Theatre Company, and the Wilma Theater.”
Toronto Film Fest Up, Montreal In Trouble
A study commissioned to review Canada’s four largest film festivals offered up some sharp criticism to Montreal’s sagging offering. “The report, which surveyed film professionals from around the world, is a preliminary step as Telefilm and SODEC review their festival funding priorities. It could lead to Montreal getting a smaller portion of the millions of dollars in government grants given each year to film festivals. The study also praised festivals in Vancouver and Atlantic Canada, which rank third and fourth after Toronto and Montreal and which also continue to grow. The most significant findings highlighted the rise of Toronto and the decline of Montreal.”