“Symphony No 13, subtitled Hallucination City, was first performed in New York in 2001, and has been heard half a dozen times since then across the US and Europe. As with all the performances, the call goes out for recruits for the London show: 100 volunteers, all unpaid, must supply their own guitar and amp, be able to read music, and (to paraphrase) ought to have some idea what they’re getting themselves into.”
Tag: 10.17.07
The Kids’ New Glamour Instrument…
No, not the guitar. Or the keyboard. Ukeleles are sweeping British schools. “The four-stringed instrument beloved by vaudeville acts and Hawaiians is also enjoying a renaissance outside the classroom, even becoming a must-have accessory for some teenagers.”
Norman Mailer Hospitalized
Writer Norman Mailer “has been hospitalized for the second time in as many months for severe respiratory problems, and his children are now holding daily vigils at his bedside in the critical-care unit at Mount Sinai Hospital in Manhattan.”
A Portent For The Art Market?
“A buyers’ revolt against escalating Damien Hirst and Andy Warhol values, and rising demand for Chinese and lower-priced Western art at London’s five-day auctions may be a guide to New York’s November sales.”
Controversy Over San Antonio Arts Funding Plan
The San Antonio city council is proposing to take about $315,000 from the approximately $5 million it allocates for arts funding and give it to the Museo Alameda to pay for free admissions. The rest of the arts community? Well, they’re not thrilled…
The Innkeeper And The Van Gogh
A French innkeeper has a dream of hanging a real Van Gogh painting in his inn in the room where the artist died. He knows the painting; now he’s trying to find a way to buy it. “As Sotheby’s estimates the painting’s value from $28 million to $35 million, and bidders may drive the price higher, Mr. Janssens is now trying to raise money through private donations and from an appeal to van Gogh lovers through a Web site (vangoghsdream.org).”
Why Is Multiculturalism Controversial In France?
“Multiculturalism, which by its very existence the museum takes for granted, is an alien and incendiary concept here. Unlike much of Europe, France is an immigrant nation, the number of immigrants having risen from one million in 1881 to 2 million by 1962 to 3.7 million by 1982. (It has dropped a bit since then.) It is estimated that 20 percent to 25 percent of the present population has an immigrant background. But being a French citizen means you’re not categorized as African French or Southeast Asian French or West Indian French; you’re just plain French.”
O’Keeffe Museum Files New Suit Over Fisk Collection
“Lawyers for the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum filed a legal challenge late Monday that seeks to prevent Fisk University from selling a stake in the collection that O’Keeffe donated to the historically black university. The cash-strapped school wants to sell a 50 percent share of the collection to the Crystal Bridges Museum of American Art for $30 million. The museum was founded by Alice Walton, daughter of late Wal-Mart founder Sam Walton.”
Seattle Opera names A Principal Guest Conductor
Seattle Opera has named Asher Fisch, an Israeli conductor who has appeared with the company since 2003, as principal guest conductor. Fisch, who is based in Israel and the music director of the Israeli Opera, is a 2006-07 winner of the Seattle Opera Artist of the Year award. He made his company debut in 2003 with Parsifal.”
Is Serious Fiction Dying?
“Whether fiction really has lost authority in our culture is a difficult question to answer. The situation is different in Canada and the United States, for one thing. The events of Sept. 11, 2001, dealt a blow to the New York publishing industry from which it has not yet completely recovered. Literacy is also declining in that country. Owners of independent bookstores in Toronto, specializing more in high-end products, do not agree that literary fiction is on the downswing.”