Daniel Barenboim, Fanatic

“Barenboim still boils over with plans. He wants to tackle the gulf between a class of musicians who are technically skilled but ignorant of their society, and a wider society that can’t understand classical music. This autumn his Barenboim-Said Academy in Berlin begins teaching a degree course in music, coupled with twice-weekly philosophy lessons. He is also looking for a primary school in Germany to follow a programme of music education set by him and the Berlin Staatskapelle.”

We’ve All Been Misunderstanding Robert Frost’s Most Famous Poem

Even the first person to read “The Road Not Taken” first understood it the way generations of schoolteachers have explained it; Frost himself had to explain (several times) what he meant. Other readers have taken the poem to be a parody of the lofty individualistic sentiments of the interpretation we learned in grade school. David Orr takes apart both those readings, and provides alternative versions of the poem that would actually fit them, to highlight what Frost actually did write.

Whistleblowing Website Collects Accounts Of ‘Exploitation And Abuse’ At Edinburgh Fringe

“Called Fringe Whistleblower, the site states it has become ‘dismayed at the state of the Edinburgh Fringe’ and claims many artists do not get paid. It adds that many venue staff ‘work in very difficult working, and sometimes unlawful, conditions’. It is now calling on people performing and working at the event to share their ‘stories of abuse’, which can be published anonymously on the site.”

Guerrilla Artists Erect Nude Donald Trump Sculptures In Five Cities

“Members of the anarchist collective INDECLINE … unveiled life-size statues of Trump in the nude Thursday morning in public spaces in New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, Cleveland and Seattle.” (The New York City Parks Dept. removed the statue in Union Square, saying in a statement, “NYC Parks stands firmly against any unpermitted erection in city parks, no matter how small.”)

Toronto Symphony Brings In Cleveland’s Retired Chief To Steady The Ship

“The TSO have announced Gary Hanson, former Executive Director of the Cleveland Orchestra, as the incoming Interim CEO effective September 26, 2016. A native of Toronto and trained as a double bass player, Hanson is a bit of welcome news for the TSO, who have been struggling to regain their stride after a surprisingly salacious year to date.”

Saratoga Performing Arts Center Names New CEO

“Elizabeth Sobol, formerly president and CEO of Universal Music Classics and managing director of IMG Artists in North/South America, has been named the new president and CEO of the Saratoga Performing Arts Center … [which] has been the summer home of the New York City Ballet and Philadelphia Orchestra since it opened in 1966.”

Top Posts From AJBlogs 08.18.16

Ystad Followup: Kathrine Windfeld
The Rifftides wrapup report on the Ystad Sweden Jazz Festival included a brief, enthusiastic comment about a performance by the Kathrine Windfeld Big Band of her piece “Aircraft.” This young Danish composer, arranger and pianist … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-08-18

MCA-Chicago’s Terrace concerts, acing outdoor presentation
Chicago’s Museum of Contemporary Art has aced outdoor music presentations with its Tuesdays on the Terrace series, most recently featuring the string trio Hear In Now performing strong yet sensitive chamber jazz. … read more
AJBlog: Jazz Beyond Jazz Published 2016-08-18

Twerking the Berkshires: Storify & Video from My Workation
If you’ve been following my @CultureGrrl Twitter feed, you know that I made the rounds of Berkshire museums this week. It was meant to be a mini-vacation. But then I kept seeing things that … read more
AJBlog: CultureGrrl Published 2016-08-18

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