John McWhorter: "I don't mean ordinary modern pop loud. I mean that in many numbers the volume is turned up so high ... you feel like your hair is growing faster or falling out. ... Of course, most audiences seem to love this auditory mauling." - The New York Times
As a group, arts leaders from all sectors and geographies must now recognize the threats to cultural institutions: potential physical harm to artists; damages and destruction of works of art in their care; censorship from autocratic governments, religious fanatics, and liberal sensitivities. - The Berkshire Eagle
Smaller ensembles are playing with battery-powered lamps, and attendance is capped at the number of people who can fit in the concert hall's bomb shelter, but musicians and audience alike are determined to carry on. - The New York Times
“For me, diversity is always a thing I like to think about as sort of necessary to enhance the vibrancy of an organization. Even in symphony orchestra. We’ll be able to play more music better. We’ll be able to connect with the community better. We’ll be able to educate the people better.” - The Arizona Republic
"Opinion locally is divided about whether the ENO should relocate. But the London-centricity of much outraged reaction to the story has generated irritation. ... Whatever the future holds for ENO, it seems unlikely that anyone would welcome it being dragged kicking and screaming up the M6." - iNews (UK)
This week the company launches ITVX, a free, ad-supported streaming service. The plan is to offer 10,000 hours of content, including new material, in order to attract more viewers (and charge more for ads), but some observers think ITVX could simply cannibalize the network's existing broadcast audience. - The Hollywood Reporter
"Of 1075 announced works for the 2022/2023 season amongst the Largest 150 U.S. ballet and classically influenced companies, 27% are choreographed by women, which is a further reduction compared to the 2021-2022 season (29% choreographed by women)." - Dance Data Project
His books — some nonfiction, some historical novels, several with co-author Larry Collins — sold 50 million copies. Among them are Is Paris Burning? (about the city's WWII liberation), City of Joy (about slum life in Kolkata), and Five Past Midnight in Bhopal (about that city's 1984 chemical leak). - MSN (The Washington Post)
A New York-based nonprofit called the Restitution Study Group is asking a US federal court to undo the ownership transfer of the Smithsonian's 29 Benin Bronzes to Nigeria, arguing that the repatriation "denies the descendants of enslaved people in America the chance to experience their heritage." - ARTnews
Outgoing president Jair Bolsonaro dissolved the Ministry of Culture on his first day in office, slashed arts funding by half or more and politicized much of what remained. President-elect Luiz Inácio da Silva says that he will undo this damage, though he hasn't yet nominated a culture minister. - The Art Newspaper
"Oleksandr Tkachenko argues that such a 'cultural boycott' would not amount to 'cancelling Tchaikovsky', but would be 'pausing the performance of his works until Russia ceases its bloody invasion'." - The Guardian
"Russia isn't just physically attacking Ukraine; it is also trying to destroy our culture and memory. ... The Kremlin (has) made clear that culture was a tool and even a weapon in the hands of the government." - The Guardian
"I’m a scientist myself, but I find it a bit unsettling that a brain scientist or computer might accurately predict whom I’ll fall in love with. At the same time, I admire the spectacular progress of science in understanding human beings and where we fit in the grand scheme of things. - The Atlantic
The condemnation of the history of the American library, by its own gatekeepers, has done more than bring “Drag Queen Story Hour” to every children’s reading room. It has also upended the traditional role of the library as an organization primarily dedicated to the acquisition, preservation, and circulation of books. - New Criterion
