“DiCapo Opera Theater said it had been hit by a small storm of cancellations for its Puccini 150th anniversary gala concert, a fundraiser, scheduled for Monday night. On its Web site, of the five singers singled out as taking part only one, Fabio Armiliato, was expected to appear….”
Tag: 12.22.08
Funding Freeze May Mean No More Artists In LA Schools
“Los Angeles schoolchildren learning drama from a professional actor or ballet from a skilled dancer might lose their teachers next semester if the Los Angeles Unified School District continues to freeze funding for programs employing outside contractors. District officials say the freeze will hold at least until the California Legislature reconvenes in mid-January.”
In A New Atmosphere, Chanel Mobile Art Is Asphyxiated
“Ahead of its scheduled visit to London, Chanel has cancelled its travelling Mobile Art tour, the fashion house announced over the weekend. Karl Lagerfeld’s ambitious art-meets-luxury project sees twenty artworks based on Chanel’s iconic 2.55 quilted handbag … displayed in a Space Age-inspired structure created by Zaha Hadid, which is currently in situ in New York’s Central Park.”
Dallas Opera’s Steel: ‘I’m Not Interested’ In City Opera Gig
“George Steel, the general manager of the Dallas Opera, said he isn’t interested in the top job at New York City Opera — the 65-year-old company that’s homeless, leaderless and short of money. Steel said while he’s had discussions with board member Mary Sharp Cronson about the opera, they weren’t formal negotiations.”
E-Book Sales Have Soared At Simon & Schuster
“Simon & Schuster expects to have nearly quadrupled e-book sales by the end of 2008, according to its c.e.o. Carolyn Reidy. In her end-of-year letter to staff, Reidy said that in response to the growing demand the publisher was making an additional 5,000 titles available.”
Politics Off The Conductor’s Podium, Please
Music critic Jay Nordlinger, a conservative in Manhattan, is accustomed to being outnumbered by liberals. But he objects when a conductor rallies the audience with a partisan comment from the podium. “Politics aside, where are manners? Where is consideration for a minority of audience members? Where is a sense of public space, and what is appropriate and not?”
Where Are The Poets Who Define Our Age?
“Oh sure, there are lots of poets around, writing lots of poems; but none of them seems to encapsulate our times.”
An Optimistic Future For Books?
“Of course we can’t stop reading. Of course there’ll be a market for books. But what kind of books? That’s the question.”
The Newspaper As Dinosaur
“For a while now, readers have had the best of both worlds: all the benefits of the old, high-profit regime–intensive reporting, experienced editors, and so on–and the low costs of the new one. But that situation can’t last. Soon enough, we’re going to start getting what we pay for, and we may find out just how little that is.”