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Weston Sprott Talks About Racism In American Orchestras

“At the end of the day, whether you’re working in an orchestra or a hospital or a government institution, people are people. The various dynamics you see in the world also exist in those places. We’re not immune from that because we’re classical musicians.” - San Francisco Classical Voice

The Endangered Puppetry Program At Troubled West Virginia University

In August, the state's flagship university made headlines by deciding to eliminate all foreign language instruction. The puppetry major in the theater and dance department has been targeted as well but got a reprieve. Reporter Emma Pettit watches the students and professor at work. - The Chronicle of Higher Education

Acropolis Is The Latest To Restrict Visitors Because Of Over-Touristing

The new “Visitor Zones” program requires visitors to book a time slot through its online platform. On arrival, visitors will scan a QR code on their ticket and be allowed to enter during their scheduled window. - Washington Post

A New Director Is Expanding Lyon’s Already Busy Maison De La Danse

Tiago Guedes says that Lyon "is known as a dance city, but it was designed for touring rather than creation: The Maison de la Danse only has one stage, with 1,000 seats to fill and no space for residencies." That is soon going to change. - Dance Magazine

Great Puzzle: Why Did Brandeis University Cut Its Highly-Regarded Music Ph.D Program?

Of 15 PhD-granting departments in Brandeis Graduate School of Arts and Sciences, the music department ranked as one of the best. It had the lowest rate of attrition and the best record of placing PhDs in academic jobs. In all other major performance measures, it placed among the top three or four. - Boston Globe

A Complete Neolithic Monument Is Discovered In Scotland’s Western Isles

"In August, archaeologists working alongside local volunteers began their excavation at Drumadoon (on the Isle of Arran) of what is almost certainly the only complete Neolithic cursus monument found in Britain." - The Guardian

Woman Buys $4 Painting Because She Liked The Frame. Turns Out The Painting Is A Valuable N.C. Wyeth

It quickly became clear that the simple frame was of much lesser value than the striking scene within, which was revealed to be by the renowned painter and illustrator N.C. Wyeth. - Artnet

Three Ex-Musicians, Fired For Resisting Vaccine Mandate, Sue North Carolina Symphony

"The suit," brought on religious discrimination grounds, "says all musicians ... were told in the summer of 2021 that they must get vaccinated against COVID-19 to continue performing. Violinist Dovid Friedlander is Jewish, and horn players Chris Caudill and Rachel Niketopoulos, a married couple, are Buddhists." - The News and Observer (Raleigh, NC)

Red-State Governments Are Withdrawing Their Public Libraries From The American Library Association

"This summer, the state libraries in Montana, Missouri and Texas and the local library in Midland, Texas, announced they're leaving the ALA, with possibly more to come. Right-wing lawmakers in at least nine other states — Arizona, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Mississippi, Pennsylvania, South Carolina, South Dakota and Wyoming — demand similar action." - AP

Baltimore’s Flagship Theater Company Finds Its Next Artistic Director

"Stevie Walker-Webb, a theater director and rising star who at the age of 36 has already been nominated for a Tony Award, was appointed Thursday as Baltimore Center Stage's artistic director. … He succeeds Stephanie Ybarra, who stepped down March 17 to accept a position with the Mellon Foundation." - The Baltimore Sun

Roku To Lay Off 10% Of Its Staff And Write Off $65 Million

"Roku will cut more than 300 staffers … as the streaming-platform company continues its battle to control costs. In addition, Roku will remove certain licensed and owned content from its platform as part of a 'strategic review of its content portfolio,' resulting in an impairment charge of up to $65 million." - Variety

The Doofus Who Broke Off And Stole The Finger Of A 2,000-Year-Old Terra Cotta Warrior Is Sentenced

"Michael Rohana, 29, apologized to his family and the Chinese government, saying he would make no excuses for his drunken prank at the (Franklin Institute's) 2017 ugly sweater Christmas party" in Philadelphia. His punishment will be light. - MSN (The Philadelphia Inquirer)

Another Jackass Tourist Damages Another Historic Italian Artwork

"A 22-year-old German man has been detained in Florence, accused of damaging a statue in the 16th-century Fountain of Neptune in the Piazza della Signoria (while posing for a photo). The city estimates the damage to the statue is around €5,000 ($5,400)." - CNN

Venice Sets Its Entry Fee For Day-Tripping Tourists

"The fee, initially 5 euros ($5.50) per day-tripper, is 'not a tool for making cash,' (but) to improve the quality of life for Venice's dwindling number of full-time residents as well as overnight visitors, who already pay a lodging tax. The (fee begins) in 2024 on spring holiday and summer weekends." - AP

Using Numbers To Unlock Shakespeare’s Words

Corpus linguistics is a branch of linguistics which uses computers to explore the use of words in huge collections of language. It can spot nuances that might be overlooked by linguists working manually, or large patterns that a lifetime of studying may not reveal. - The Conversation

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