Performing without sheet music is the hallmark of the Aurora Orchestra, a British ensemble directed by Nicholas Collon. "People used to say to me, jokingly: 'What next from memory? The Rite of Spring?' And here I am writing this at the end of our final day of rehearsals." - The Guardian
The museum is now deluged with renewed calls for the restitution of contested objects, and raising a huge sum for an impending refurbishment looks even more difficult. At a time when it needs leadership most, the museum is rudderless, after its director, Hartwig Fischer, resigned on Aug. 25. - The New York Times
A host and producer of a Norwegian true-crime documentary series write about how and why, instead of the customary practice of using actors to recreate events, they used generative AI software to create animated video. - International News Media Association
By Tuesday, tickets for Hayao Miyazaki’s film “The Boy and the Heron” had topped $527 — more than a $200 increase. Meanwhile, tickets for “Dumb Money” were going for nearly $900. - The Wrap
"There's a common misconception that experience on the ice is a prerequisite for working with skaters. But for many dancers who have transitioned into coaching and choreographing for skaters, the skills they bring to the rink are exactly those they've honed in the studio and on the stage." - Dance Magazine
"Wolf serves as Klein's entry into what she calls the 'mirror world' — where the anti-establishment critiques of the far left become co-opted by the far right, and where what once seemed like a yawning gulf between ostensible opposites has narrowed into a tenuous line." - The New York Times Magazine
Six weeks after the UK government gave final approval for the $2.3 billion project, a group arguing that the tunnel could irreparably harm the ancient monument has filed a new lawsuit to block it. - Smithsonian Magazine
"Although the festivals won't be as deprived of stars as feared, the agreements mean there will be a patchwork of talent: Who is and isn't attending depends on the project, the person's role in it and even their own calculation about the optics of appearing (or not)." - Yahoo! (Los Angeles Times)
"During a brief online status conference on August 31, federal judge Alan D. Albright said he will issue a preliminary injunction blocking enforcement of HB 900, Texas's controversial new book rating law. The highly anticipated decision comes ... just a day before the law was set to take effect." - Publishers Weekly
"A headless bronze statue believed to depict the Roman emperor and philosopher Marcus Aurelius was ordered seized from the Cleveland Museum of Art by New York authorities investigating antiquities looted from Turkey." - AP
"Steppenwolf Theatre Company, one of Chicago's most storied arts institutions and long a crucial part of the city's identity, said Thursday that it was laying off 12% of its staff, effective immediately." - MSN (Chicago Tribune)
Zachary Noah Piser, a Chinese-American actor, was to play the lead in Tiananmen: A New Musical when it debuts in Phoenix in October. The cast announcement was made last Thursday, when Piser happened to be performing in Shanghai; on Friday he made a brief statement announcing his withdrawal. - CNN
A survey of the past shows that genius is not randomly scattered about, like the seeds of a dandelion, but concentrates: ancient Athens, Renaissance Florence, Silicon Valley, among other examples. Why these fertile eras and places appear, peak, and then decline is understudied as a historical phenomenon. - City Journal
