FEATURE
Opera Has a Sustainability Problem. One Company Wants to Fix It.
NY Times: Joshua Barone
The Dutch National Opera in Amsterdam has made dramatic moves to go green, from the materials it uses in productions to the food it serves.
RESEARCH AND OPINION
Technology has shaped human knowledge for centuries. Generative AI is set to transform it yet again
The Conversation: Sarah Vivienne Bentley
From clay tablets to electronic tablets, technology has played an influential role in shaping human knowledge. Today we stand on the brink of the next knowledge revolution. It is one as big as — if not more so — the invention of the printing press, or the dawning of the digital age.
Yuval Sharon talks about the role of the arts in a rapidly changing world
Arts Engines: Aaron Dworkin
Yuval Sharon, Artistic Director of Detroit Opera, talks about their historic upcoming productions and the role of the arts within a rapidly changing society.
Steve Reich: ‘We all wish art could counter the direction of US politics. But it can’t’
The Guardian: Dave Simpson
Now 88, the minimalist composer has reissued his life’s work. He answers your questions about Bowie, the Grateful Dead, spirituality – and his complicated friendship with Philip Glass.
The Price of a Show
NY Times: Michael Paulson
Tickets for the hottest Broadway plays are now out of reach for many. And the same is true for other sought-after live events, such as pop concerts (which now cost hundreds, sometimes thousands, of dollars per ticket) and big sports games.
NATIONAL
Trump targets Smithsonian funding for programs with “improper ideology”
Axios: Sareen Habeshian
President Trump signed an executive order Thursday aimed at reshaping the Smithsonian Institution and removing what he deems “improper ideology” from its museums, education and research centers and the National Zoo.
Under Trump, Kennedy Center’s Classical Offerings Will (Mostly) Go On
NY Times: Javier C. Hernández
The center’s opera company and orchestra are planning typical seasons. But one opera was withdrawn from the lineup by the artists who created it, who objected to the president’s takeover.
Kennedy Center lays off Social Impact employees
NPR: Chloe Veltman
The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts in Washington, D.C., is dismantling its Social Impact initiative, which focused on providing outreach programs to local underserved communities.
Members of British punk rock band UK Subs denied entry into the US
The Guardian: Marina Dunbar
Bassist Alvin Gibbs shared details of the incident in a Facebook post on Wednesday, which comes amid widespread reports of people being denied entry to the US, including a French scientist who said he was barred because of anti-Donald Trump comments he had made.
Opera Theatre of St. Louis inks deal to buy Caleres headquarters in Clayton
St. Louis Magazine: Sarah Fenske
Opera Theatre of Saint Louis announced today it’s under contract to purchase what’s been described as “the most valuable real estate in the St. Louis area”—6.7 acres of the Caleres company headquarters in downtown Clayton. The opera nonprofit aims to raze the main building and construct in its place a new performing arts center.
INTERNATIONAL
Wigmore Hall says it no longer requires public funding
The Guardian:
The classical music venue in London has raised £10m to become financially self-sufficient and will voluntarily withdraw from Arts Council England’s portfolio.
ENTREPRENEURSHIP AND MUSIC BUSINESS
Apple Music integrates with DJ apps to let subscribers mix their entire music library
Music Business Worldwide: Mandy Dalugdug
The new feature, ‘DJ with Apple,’ connects Apple Music with DJ software and hardware providers including AlphaTheta, Serato, and inMusic’s Engine DJ, Denon DJ, Numark, and RANE DJ to create an ecosystem for music mixing and discovery.
Crisis averted – for now: AI-generated music has, once again, been deemed public domain and impossible to copyright
Music Radar: Daniel Griffiths
The ruling backs up a decision from earlier this year, and adearance to the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976. But AI platforms won’t be happy…
YouTube Music hits 125 million subscribers, adding 2m subs per month on average over the past year
Music Business Worldwide: Murray Stassen
The platform, which also operates the TikTok rival Shorts, has surpassed the significant milestone of 125 million paid YouTube Music and Premium subscribers worldwide, including trials.
China’s $6B-valued Kunlun Tech debuts ‘world’s first’ music reasoning model, claims it can outperform Suno
Music Business News: Mandy Dalugdug
The platform outperforms competing models like Suno V4 across multiple metrics, with strong results in mixing quality, vocal textures, and background instrumentation. The company says its AI models’ ability to carry out subjective assessments places them “among the top-tier” in the category.
OFF THE BEATEN PATH
One man’s viral airport dance inspires routines around the world
Washington Post: Hannah Sampson
Blake McGrath has danced all over: in his living room, lawn, local grocery stores, concert stages, television sets, in the movies. And, perhaps most visibly of late, the airport.
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