Elbowing postmodern architecture aside, modernism has come back in vogue. As Caltrans’ hulking new district headquarters in downtown Los Angeles suggests, this may mean a return to the days when architects and officials pretty much ignored city residents’ vigorous opposition to the unfriendly designs they would have to live with.
Tag: 09.30.04
Applause Founder Departs
Applause Theatre and Cinema Books has filled a unique niche in the publishing world for two decades, boasting a catalog of 400 titles and releasing an average of 20 new books per year. For its entire existence, Applause has been under the care of one man – Glenn Young – for whom the business was always more about love of theatre than making a profit. But it’s tough staying afloat in today’s publishing world, and Young was forced to sell out to the Hal Leonard Corporation a couple of years back. Now, the only boss Applause has ever had is exiting stage left.
Classical Music’s New Ambassador
If she wanted to, Rachel Barton Pine could be the very definition of a struggling musician. Raised in a tough Chicago neighborhood, she became her family’s primary income-earner at 14, while striving towards her dream of becoming a professional musician. At age 20, her violin strap caught in the closing doors of a subway train, and she was dragged under, where her legs were crushed. Nearly a decade later, Barton Pine isn’t looking for pity: instead, she’s dedicated her life and career to spreading classical music to audiences that don’t ordinarily give a rip. To get people interested, she’ll happily whip out a few heavy metal tunes on her Strad, before launching into Paganini.
Suing A Bunch of Numbers
The Recording Industry Association of America has filed another 762 lawsuits against individuals suspected of illegal file-swapping. “Among those sued were students at 26 different colleges and universities, where the prevalence of high-speed networks and cash-poor music fans has led to an explosion of peer-to-peer traffic.” As usual, the RIAA doesn’t actually know the identities of the people they are suing, just their computers’ IP addresses – typically, the industry compels internet service providers to reveal the names behind the codes during legal proceedings.
Barnes Offered $100,000 To Stay Put
A foundation based in suburban Philadelphia has offered a $100,000 contribution to the Barnes Foundation, conditional on the organization dropping its attempt to move to the city. The move will be seen as a largely sentimental move, since three major foundations have offered to raise $150 million if the Barnes goes ahead with its move.
Back In Black
“The Winnipeg Symphony Orchestra has undergone a remarkable turnaround from its recent financial troubles, as its board announced this week a balanced budget and an operating surplus following the 2003-2004 season. Last year, at the end of the 2002-2003 season, the symphony had a debt of more than $3 million. It has now retired that debt and recorded an operating surplus of $111,538… The symphony board also announced a commitment to restoring lost income to its staff and musicians, who took a pay cut last year to help the company regain its financial footing.”
Sacramento Symphony Bounces Checks To Musicians
The newly formed Sacramento Symphony played its season premiere this past weekend, and issued paychecks to its musicians. Monday morning, the checks bounced. “Although the checks cleared on Wednesday, the situation raised questions about the financial position of the symphony and its parent organization, the Metropolitan Music Center.” The MMC is reportedly operating in the red, and still owes money to a Los Angeles-based chamber orchestra from a concert in 2001. Still, the orchestra is insisting that the rubber checks were merely a banking error.
Cleveland Inching Towards A Contract
Despite all the fireworks coming from Philadelphia and Montreal, there are a number of major orchestras making a real effort to negotiate a new musicians’ contract without a lot of public sniping. In Cleveland, where the musicians and management recently agreed to extend their current deal in order to keep negotiating without a work stoppage, both sides say that progress, while slow, is definitely being made.
Museum To Buy Winslow Homer’s Home
“The Portland Museum of Art expects to buy the Prouts Neck home and studio of Winslow Homer, the 19th century American painter known for his dramatic images of Maine’s coast.”
Rushdie To Congress: Leave Readers Alone
Objecting to the government “noseying into what should be personal creative space,” author Salman Rushdie presented the U.S. Congress with a petition signed by 180,000 people, calling for the repeal of provisions of the Patriot Act that give investigators access to individuals’ book-buying and library records.