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TKTS To Open Discount Ticket Booth In Philadelphia

The outlet, near Independence Hall, will offer 30% to 50% discounts, up to three days before curtain, to select music and dance performances (including the Philadelphia Orchestra and Philadelphia Ballet) as well as theater. This is the first TKTS booth in the US outside New York City. - The Philadelphia Inquirer (MSN)

Comcast Will Spin Off Its NBCUniversal Cable Channels Into Separate Corporation

"The company, which last month said it was studying the idea, will separate off entertainment and news channels including MSNBC, CNBC, USA, Oxygen, E!, Syfy and Golf Channel. Those assets generated about $7 billion in revenue in the 12 months ended Sept. 30." - The Wall Street Journal (MSN)

Utah Symphony’s Next Music Director Will Be Markus Poschner

The German maestro is currently chief conductor of the Orchestra della Svizzera Italiana and the Bruckner Orchestra Linz in Austria; he begins his term in Utah in 2027, when he departs Linz. Beginning next season, he will also be chief conductor of the Sinfonieorchester Basel. - The Salt Lake Tribune

For The First Time, A Magritte Painting Sells For Nine Figures

One of several versions of René Magritte's "L’Empire des lumières” sold for $121 million at auction at Christie's New York. - CNN

Boston University Puts Hold On Admissions To PhD Programs In Humanities

The university's College of Arts and Sciences has suspended admissions to doctoral programs in a dozen humanities and social science departments, including English, philosophy, history, political science, and sociology. Though officials deny it, evidence indicates that the suspension is in response to the unionization of graduate students. - Inside Higher Ed

This Composer Created An Entire Week-Long Piece Specifically For People’s Living Rooms

"Drawing from a bank of over 7,000 'musical shapes, textures and gestures,' as (Michael) Schumacher describes the mix of sampled audio, field recordings and musical fragments, Living Room Pieces assembles the sounds into 301 'modules' and algorithmically arranges their playback through seven 'modes,' one for each day." - The Washington Post (MSN)

London’s Royal Opera Explores What It Means To Have A Voice (And Lose It)

“When you lose your voice, it takes away more than just your ability to communicate. You also lose part of your identity, personality and persona.” - The Guardian

The ABC Sports Producer Who Pioneered Real-Time Livestreaming Of A Calamity — In 1972

Geoffrey Mason, aged only 30, was a producer helping run coverage of the Munich Olympics when terrorists from the Black September group took hostage, and eventually murdered, 11 Israeli athletes. - The Hollywood Reporter

Yo-Yo Ma And Kathryn Stott: A 40-Year Musical Partnership Comes To An End

Friends before they started playing together, Ma and Stott met in 1978 in rather unusual circumstances. - The New York Times

African Musicians Sound Off About Using AI In Music

"My problem with AI is the ownership. Once you have taken some music from Ghana or Nigeria, who owns that music? How would you find out where the original creators are and ensure they are credited? It’s theft for me through the backroom." - BBC

Airbnb Wants To Stage Gladiator Battles In The Actual Colosseum. Romans Are Appalled.

Airbnb and the Colosseum Archaeological Park have signed a $1.5 million deal to offer 16 tourists a chance to "unleash their inner gladiator." Colosseum officials say it will pay for site maintenance; many Romans object to both the bad taste of the idea and the company's contributions to overtourism. - CNN

How Technology Has Reshaped The Ways We Talk To One Another

The kinds of speech that strike us as authentic, satisfying, and desirable change with time, and depend on our position in the world and on the conversations happening around us. - The New Yorker

Let’s Get Real: What AI Does Is Not Speaking Language

To invoke language when talking about LLMs is to misunderstand the nature of language and miss its fundamentally lived and embodied character. LLMs may get better and better at sourcing certain kinds of information or completing certain kinds of tasks, but they are finders, not creators. - The Dial

Bay Area Museums Are Struggling To Survive

More than half a dozen nonprofit arts and cultural institutions reviewed by the Chronicle have experienced significant revenue decreases, most say attendance remains below pre-pandemic levels and some have had issues with fundraising in recent years. - San Francisco Chronicle (MSN)

What You Get When You Train AI On Werner Herzog Movies

You get a film titled About a Hero, interspersing an AI-written narrative starring Herzog (as a character) investigating a mysterious death with interviews with artists, philosophers, and scientists on AI issues. Yes, Herzog is (in a way) involved, and no, he doesn't like the film. - The Hollywood Reporter

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