Americans are most likely to encounter it among the (guilty-feeling) children of immigrants or near the borders with Mexico or Quebec — it’s when someone can understand a language but not speak it. It occurs in many polyglot cities as well as along linguistic borders; it can also be observed on islands with multiple native ethnic groups. On one island, off the north coast of Australia, whose 500 people speak a total of nine languages, receptive multilingualism is basically mandatory, grounded in deep social conventions.
Tag: 11.26.18
The DC Museum And Its Exploration Of Gentrification
Last month, at a day-long symposium sponsored by the museum, the rise of Chocolate City was contrasted with the city’s more recent gentrification. In 2011, the percentage of Black residents in Washington fell below 50 percent for the first time in over half a century. Howard Gillette, professor of history emeritus at Rutgers University, observed that in many respects the District of Columbia has become “ground zero for gentrification and social justice issues that are going on nationally.”
Rethinking Plagiarism (Or At Least How We Think About It)
“I recognize that when students plagiarize they often do so not because they have some nefarious agenda but because they feel enormous pressure to succeed or are confused, uncertain, forgetful, exhausted, or pressed for time. But I am optimistic that at least some students walked away from the class feeling empowered as scholars and thinkers, that they began to see citation as a means of bringing different voices to bear on critical conversations from which they’ve been consciously or unconsciously excluded, and that they carried this knowledge to other classes and spaces where the representation of voices is not always equitable or even. Most simply, I wanted them to leave as active participants in an ongoing conversation about plagiarism and citation rather than as passive onlookers.”
Arnold Schoenberg survived Nazi Germany, Vienna and Hollywood. But Boston?
Opera thrives on iconic figures, whether from mythology or history. But maybe composer Arnold Schoenberg (1874-1951) hasn’t been gone long enough – or was never outwardly heroic enough – to fill Tod Machover’s new opera Schoenberg in Hollywood.
How South Dakota Shows What Orchestras Are For
The American orchestra that most shows the culture of the community can only be the South Dakota Symphony. The SDSO subscription audience is by far the most diversified in age I have ever encountered at a professional symphonic concert (and I have been around). And yet the programing is bold.
Čači Vorba Delivers a Mystery Song
Čači Vorba was one of the more cohesive and likable bands at this years Crossroads Festival, which takes place immediately preceding the huge Colours of Ostrava festival in Czech Republic. Violinist, singer and songwriter Maria Natanson definitely struts her stuff, and has a great grasp of Roma music.
“I have cap and bells”
After a prospective student played Maurice Ravel’s “Alborada del gracioso,” I asked the not-so-simple question: “What’s the melody?”
Recent Listening: Two Superb Pianists
Sam Leak, Dan Tepfer, Adrift (Jellymould)
Pianists from opposite sides of the Atlantic met in a New York studio to collaborate in an engrossing performance of Sam Leak compositions as a suite called “Adrift.”
Alex Ross: The LA Phil’s Mission To Expand An Orchestra
The L.A. Phil’s offbeat ventures are well and good, you sometimes hear people in the classical world mutter, but how’s its Beethoven? Isn’t the programming better than the playing? That put-down is unconvincing: an organization that can bring “Sustain” into the world is more valuable than one that executes yet another hyper-polished Beethoven Seventh. Still, the L.A. Phil has sometimes come up short in mainstream repertory, lagging behind the Cleveland Orchestra, the Chicago Symphony, or the best European groups.
Paul Lightfoot To Step Down From Netherlands Dance Theatre
‘When I accepted this high position in 2011’, Lightfoot explains, ‘I decided to do this for ten years. That seemed to me enough for the company – the group is built on change and adventure. So there will be nine. Longer becomes unhealthy for me. Choreographing and managing are two full-time jobs that can counteract each other. ‘