Music first. It’s such a simple idea. Last night I went to a symphony choral event: the Cincinnati May Festival with the symphony, a huge chorus, and some soloists. As we took our seats, the players were already onstage, as usual. We noticed the chorus filing onstage, a few minutes later the soloists wandered on too, then the concertmaster, and finally the … [Read more...] about Deleting the Formal at Classical Concerts
My Mother’s Art of Places
All my life, my mother has been showing me the power of art to create the places where we love to go, the places that stick with us, the places that create memories. She’s an artist, a violinist who played in the National Symphony and Cincinnati Symphony Orchestra and was concertmaster of the Carmel Bach Festival in the summers. Music was part of my life … [Read more...] about My Mother’s Art of Places
Don’t Make People Think About Guns, If You Want to Fund the Arts
Excellent news this week as Congress said ‘NO’ to the President’s request to eliminate funding for the arts. How did that happen? With a lot of heavy lifting. Every time we fight this fight (and it happens every few years) we have to call on advocates from every congressional district to lobby their elected officials. We have to ask our business leaders and celebrities to … [Read more...] about Don’t Make People Think About Guns, If You Want to Fund the Arts
Welcome to the Ride
Waaaaaay back in 2011, as communications and research VP of a newly re-launched arts funding organization old enough to be an antique, I devised (with friends and colleagues) a bike ride that we named The BRIGHT Ride. The idea was to bring people together with a free, fun, flat, slow ride that would create a surprising, moving spectacle of shiny, sparkling people … [Read more...] about Welcome to the Ride