FEATURE Reinventing the American Orchestra NY Times: Anthony Tommasini Flexible programming, broader racial representation and welcoming spaces would go a long way in recovering from pandemic closures. Major institutions have been grappling not just with survival, but also with questions of mission, relevance and inclusion, issues that became even more acute when nationwide demonstrations for… Read more »
FEATURE Music Gives the Brain a Crucial Connective Advantage Inverse: Ali Pattillo Even if children abandon their music lessons when they hit their angsty teen years, cognitive neuroscientists say cultivating musical ability early on has lifelong benefits. Playing music can help children read better, store memories, and pronounce different languages. RESEARCH AND OPINION For These… Read more »
FEATURE Prompted by the Pandemic, Opera Philadelphia Innovates Online NY Times: Seth Colter Walls Opera Philadelphia pluckily spent 2020 commissioning new work and launching its own streaming service. OperaPhila.tv, which debuted in October and is available as an app for major streaming devices, so far features just one vintage broadcast: an engaging 2015 production of… Read more »
FEATURE Biden to celebrate diversity at inauguration Aldianews: Natalia Puretas Cavero With the participation of famous artists such as Lady Gaga, Jennifer Lopez, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Eva Longoria, Foo Fighters and Demi Lovato, the organization seeks to have a line-up that represents the cultural plurality that is part of the country and contributes to its… Read more »
FEATURE – 2020 In Review The New Yorker takes a look at the most extraordinary year Click on this link to see the full list! Notable Performances and Recordings of 2020 Alex Ross Although I saw only three in-person events after mid-March, this COVID-19 year still brought music that was beautiful and melancholy, scrappily joyous, and everything in… Read more »
FEATURE By Every Measure, COVID-19 Continues Its Devastation of the Arts ArtsBlog: Randy Cohen A recent Brookings Institution report shows America’s arts and creative industries lost $150 billion in sales and 2.7 million jobs through July. The “fine and performing arts” alone (commercial and nonprofit) incurred losses of $42.5 billion and a whopping 50%… Read more »
FEATURE Rhiannon Giddens Aims at 1800s America in Her Silkroad Plans NY Times: Brian Seibert Under its new artistic director, the cross-cultural music organization pioneered by Yo-Yo Ma will start a multiyear project called “The American Silkroad” that focuses on the construction of the transcontinental railroad in the 19th century. RESEARCH AND OPINION Why Opera Will Never Die LitHub: Paul Morley… Read more »
FEATURE After Election 2020: How can Artists Help Mend our Cultural Divide? LA Times: Charles McNulty After Nov. 3 election, difficult repair work lies ahead. The work of mending the torn fabric of American society. The work of restoring the values that form the foundation of our institutions. Can we bridge our cultural divide? Times critics weigh in on how artists… Read more »
FEATURE 27 Artists and Executives on the Importance of Voting in the 2020 Election Billboard Billboard asked artists and executives about the importance of voting this year. From Halsey to DJ Khaled, Nelly, Phillipa Soo, Mary Chapin Carpenter and more, here’s what everyone had to say. Rock the Vote: How the Music Industry Built a Youth Voting… Read more »
FEATURE Think Outside the Opera House, and Inside the Parking Garage NY Times: Joshua Barone In Detroit, “Twilight: Gods” joins other recent performances that offer a path forward for the arts amid the pandemic. The performance radiated an inventiveness that, even in a normal year, would have made it one of the most inspired American opera productions… Read more »