Tag: 08.23.15

The Great Divide In Contemporary Opera

David Patrick Stearns: “If music is the universal language it’s often proclaimed to be, why has nothing close to a consensus emerged on the two high-profile opera openings of the summer? … The division is emblematic of a continuing split between composers who draw from such past tonal composers as Samuel Barber and those arising from a more recent modernist past; Cold Mountain belongs to the former and Written on Skin the latter.”

Counterrevolution At The Hugo Awards: The Anti-Diversity Coup Of The ‘Puppies’ Backfires Completely

“At the [science fiction prizes’] presentation each August, the [winners] have been joined by … those of other ethnicities and genders and sexual orientations, many of whom want to tell stories about more than just spaceships. Early this year, that shift sparked a backlash: a campaign, organized by three white, male authors, that resulted in a final Hugo ballot dominated by mostly white, mostly male nominees.” But the final voting didn’t exactly work out as planned …

Billboard’s Annual Survey Of Music Execs Draws Outrage For Its Unorthodox (If That’s The Word) Questions

The survey usually asks things like “What was the most important/ influential/impactful event to happen in the music business [this year], and why?” This year, it’s “Who is the most devious executive in the music industry?” and “Which artist’s private behavior belies his/her sterling public persona?” Most controversially, the questionnaire casually asks readers if they believe singer Kesha’s accusations that her ex-manager sexually abused her.

*Now* She’s Really Arrived: Misty Copeland Gets A ’60 Minutes’ Segment

“If there is such a thing as the wrong side of the tracks, that’s where Misty Copeland grew up. She, her divorced mother and five siblings moved around like nomads. Down on their luck, they ended up here at this motel on a busy street in Gardena, California — the whole family piled into two rooms. She hadn’t been back in almost two decades until she returned with us.” (script plus video extras)

What UK Artists Have Lost Under The Tories

Artist Bob and Roberta Smith: “I want us to re-engage with that postwar consensus that we need to expand creativity and who gets involved in it. The Tories think that silly notion is history now. Politicians don’t seem to even understand the basic importance of something like design and how it underpins production. It’s crazy, and, to be honest, Labour is not much better.”

A Man Who Brought Drumming Into The World’s Spotlight

}Over the years Mr. Rose appeared onstage or on the bill with Miles Davis, Dizzy Gillespie, the Rolling Stones and Peter Gabriel, and he was among those named as ‘living human treasures’ by the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization. He made his American debut in 1988 with a 30-member version of his orchestra at the Beacon Theater in New York, a performance featuring exuberant dancers and vivid costuming as a complement to the orchestra’s pulsing rhythms.”

How Edye Broad Got Eli Interested In Art – And Changed Los Angeles

“Their collaboration, notably in the early years, was marked by Edye’s eclectic inclinations and Eli’s desire to shape one of the world’s leading collections of contemporary art. He could appear passionate, if brusque, sweeping into a gallery, making assessments and departing. Edye was a slower touch, lingering, studying the work, chatting with the artist. She is, as those who know them say, the antidote to his sting.”