“The impact of arts education on my career is complete, total, and it saved my life. I no longer thought of school in semesters; I thought of it as: we do a play in the fall, we do a musical in the winter, and we had a student run theater group called Brick Prison which we would do in the spring. I was a writer with a deadline because I really wanted to get a play into Brick. That was the focus of my creative efforts for as long as I can remember.”
Tag: 10.07.16
England’s Oldest Cookbook, Commissioned By Richard II In 1387
The Forme of Cury features nearly 200 recipes from a feast Richard and his uncle, John of Gaunt, held in September of that year. (includes 629-year-old dessert recipe)
The Woman Whose Life And Death Could Provide A Sequel To ‘Hamilton’
“Today, if people know anything about Theodosia [Burr Alston], it is because of the lovely lullaby ‘Dear Theodosia,’ sung by the character of Aaron Burr in the sensational musical Hamilton. But the real-life Theodosia grew from a beloved child into a highly intelligent, complex adult, whose fascinating story is largely unknown and worthy of its very own Broadway smash.”
A Daisy Chain Of The 82 Funniest Books
“With the publication this month of Today Will Be Different, Maria Semple’s follow-up to Where’d You Go, Bernadette, we got to wondering: What’s the funniest book by a living writer? Well, who better to ask than Maria Semple? The Seattle-based novelist told us her three favorite funny books, so then we asked those three authors. Then we kept asking.”
We Use Words To Talk To Others, But Why Do We Need Them To Think To Ourselves?
“Rats in experiments solve mazes without the words ‘Remember that left turn.’ So why do human brains so often rely on language in order to reason and remember? [Research psychologist Charles] Fernyhough has an answer in mind.”
Explaining The Philadelphia Orchestra Strike (And Suggesting The Man Who Could Do It Best)
Peter Dobrin: “Anyone who thought the walkout [at the opening gala] was staged simply for effect, or as an act of petulance, should have really studied the musicians’ faces. They looked miserable, and maybe a little surprised themselves. … But there’s one person uniquely capable of explaining to board and donors why the musicians behaved the way they did and to validate, at the very least, some of their most sincere concerns.”
Charles Dutoit, At 80, Says Women Conductors Can Be ‘Even Better’ Than Men, But Young People Today Are ‘Well-Informed But Uncultivated’
“There is no reason why women cannot lead orchestras. Their talent is the same as men’s. Often women are even better. … Today there are no myths and young people can access an excessive amount of information. … Everything is done quickly, and because of this, … people are well informed but uncultivated.”
Philadelphia Museum Of Art Prepares For Major Construction
“The museum’s massive $196 million ‘core project,’ a product of the institution’s master plan first developed by architect Frank Gehry and his firm in 2006, will hit with full force after the new year. While virtually all of the public collection will remain accessible for the duration of the project (expected to wrap in spring 2020), museum officials say, there will be notable obstacles to negotiate during construction.”
L.A. Opera Extends Plácido Domingo’s Contract Again
“Legendary tenor Plácido Domingo has renewed his contract as general director of Los Angeles Opera through the 2021-22 season … Domingo’s positions within the company have included artistic consultant from 1984 to 2000, artistic director from 2000 to 2003 and finally, general director from 2003 until now.”
How Computers Are Learning How To Listen and Write Music
“In July, a team of scientists from Queen Mary University of London reported they had trained a neural network to determine musical genres with 75% accuracy by feeding it with 6,600 songs in three genres: ballad, dance, and hip-hop. Then they tore apart the layers of the computer’s neural network in order to see what the network learned at each layer when the scientists exposed it to songs from Bach and Eminem.”