Two months ago, Paul Meecham abuptly resigned as CEO of the Seattle Symphony amid a firestorm of controversy concerning the orchestra’s music director, Gerard Schwarz. He wasn’t out of work long: this week, the Baltimore Symphony tapped him to be their next top executive. The BSO has had a few controversies of his own over the past couple of seasons, and the hope is that Meecham can bring badly needed stability to an organization that has seen little of it recently.
Tag: 09.06.06
Theatre-Goers Vote For Cellphone Jammers
“Following an online poll of more than 1,000 people, made up of cast, crew and theatregoers, The Stage can reveal that a huge majority – 90% of respondents – have had shows that they were either watching or performing in disturbed by a mobile phone going off. Alarmingly, around 10% claimed phones went off every time they visit the theatre.”
Is Culture Still A Part Of WTC Building Plans?
“Five years after the attacks of September 11, 2001, the planned performing arts center at ground zero is without either institutional leadership or a fund-raising campaign. While the city has indicated that it will play a role in overseeing construction of the center, it hasn’t specified what that role will be. This leaves the arts groups chosen to occupy the center — the Joyce and the Signature Theatre Company — in the dark about when it will actually be built.”
Coke And Mentos – When Consumers Hijack Brands
“Thanks to widely circulated Web videos of the stunt, the soft drink and candy were joined at the hip this summer. In the aftermath, the companies took divergent paths: Perfetti Van Melle, maker of Mentos, quickly moved to align itself with the consumer phenomenon, while Coke kept a studied distance. The reactions are illustrative of the uncertainties advertisers face in the new world of consumer-generated media, where they need to define what, if any, role they should play when consumers assert control of their brands.”
The Celebrity Gene
Are celebrities narcissistic because they’re celebrities or were they born that way? A new study reaches conclusions: “Our research also shows that many celebrities exhibit narcissistic behaviour prior to becoming famous, which could indicate a self-selection bias for the entertainment industry by certain personality types,”
This Year’s Kennedy Center Honorees
“The annual awards, announced today, will go to country music legend Dolly Parton, rhythm and blues balladeer William “Smokey” Robinson, musical theater innovator Andrew Lloyd Webber and classical conductor Zubin Mehta. In addition, the center is saluting Steven Spielberg, perhaps the most influential commercial filmmaker of his generation.”
The Numbers On Art Thefts
“Experts have a tally of 170,000 pieces of missing art — many stolen from private homes, others taken from museum walls or pilfered from storerooms. Only a small fraction are ever found: Interpol puts the figure at around 10 percent.”
Shafer Out At Washington Chorus
Robert Shafer, who has led the Washington Chorus since 1971, is stepping down as music director. “I had requested a sabbatical. And then I was called in at the end of July and told that the sabbatical had been granted, but that they had also decided to begin searching for a new music director.”
Shafer Out At Washington Chorus
Robert Shafer, who has led the Washington Chorus since 1971, is stepping down as music director. “I had requested a sabbatical. And then I was called in at the end of July and told that the sabbatical had been granted, but that they had also decided to begin searching for a new music director.”
Universal Makes Deal To Buy BMG
“If approved by the EU competition authorities, the deal would make Universal, already the world’s largest record company, the industry’s biggest music publisher as well, ahead of EMI and Warner Music.”