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The Enduring Influence Of Midori

What might sound like general pep-talk fodder for the averagely scheduled person is actually just pragmatic paraphrase for Midori, whose prodigious musical talent was merely the first movement in a career that has extended into music education, community outreach and arts advocacy. - Washington Post

Debora Chase-Hicks, Pioneering Dancer With Ailey And Philadanco, Dead At 63

" was a part of the generation of Black dancers, many trained in classical ballet as children, who were instrumental in bringing top-flight modern dance to international audiences." Chase-Hicks became a full member of Philadanco at age 17; after seven years there, she spent 11 seasons with Alvin Ailey American Dance Theater, then returned to Philadanco as rehearsal director,...

Dr. Aaron Stern, Psychiatrist Who Headed Hollywood’s Ratings Board, Dead At 96

From 1971 to 1974, he led the Motion Picture Association of America's Classification and Rating Administration, which gave films G, PG, R, and X ratings to films as a replacement for the old Hays Code of censorship. In 1981, longtime MPAA head Jack Valenti said that he had "made a mistake of putting a psychiatrist in charge." - The...

Art Gensler, Who Founded World’s Largest Architectural Firm, Dead At 85

"Over the decades, Gensler's firm has designed universities, hotels, sports stadia and universities, touching almost every part of the built environment. It has created corporate headquarters for the likes of Facebook, Burberry and Hyundai, and airports from Detroit, Michigan, to Incheon, South Korea. In the process, the company has grown into giant of global architecture, employing thousands of people...

Actor Charles Grodin, 86

" made his mark in both comedy and drama, onstage and on screen and as a writer and director. He often adopted a quirky style that could be simultaneously self-effacing and self-important. He was a master of the cringeworthy moment, when it wasn't clear if he was being funny, naive or insulting — or a little of all three."...

Dick Van Dyke Is 95, And He Really Wants To Get Back On Stage

"His last singing gig took place on a Saturday night 15 months ago at the Catalina Jazz Club. He packed the house. They even had to cram in extra tables. … 'Oh, God, I knew I liked it, but I didn't know how much I would miss it,' he says of performing. 'I really miss getting up in front...

Lois Lew, The Woman Who Mastered IBM’s 5400-Character Typewriter

"Spinning continuously at a speed of 60 revolutions per minute, or once per second, the drum measured 7 inches in diameter, and 11 inches in length. Its surface was etched with 5,400 Chinese characters,⁠ letters of the English alphabet, punctuation marks, numerals, and a handful of other symbols. How was the typist in the film able to pull off such a...

Katherine Barber, Founding Editor Of The Canadian English Dictionary, 61

The woman who entered "jambusters" in the (well, her) dictionary read popular novels and listened to parliamentary debates to find the most Canadian English in the country. "To hunt for Canadian entries and the distinct Canadian meanings of words, Ms. Barber partly relied on a technique long used by Oxford. She assembled a small army of freelance 'readers,' who...

Pervis Staples, Who Moved His Family’s Staple Singers From Gospel To Soul, 85

Staples once compared the Staple Singers' "effect on ecstatic church audiences to 'a miracle or the hand of God.'" Pervis Staples "attended grammar school with the future singing stars Sam Cooke and Lou Rawls. After class, Pervis and his friends would practice singing under street lamps and in Cooke’s basement." - The New York Times

Longtime Curtis Institute Dean Robert Fitzpatrick, 75

Mr. Fitzpatrick served as dean at Curtis from 1986 to 2009 and was dean of students and executive assistant to the director from 1980 to 1984. - Philadelphia Inquirer

At 50 Pianist Lars Vogt Was Diagnosed With Cancer. Here’s What He’s Learned

For sure, in classical music, we have internalized particularly strongly an ideal image of ourselves—which we think we need to communicate to others— as the omnipotent magician who makes magic at the piano and whose personal life is going great as well. - Van

Jazz Trombone Great Curtis Fuller Dead At 88

"Mr. Fuller was among the dozens of musicians to emerge from the fertile mid-century jazz scene of Detroit, where he learned to play intricate, fast-paced bebop lines on the unwieldy slide trombone. When arrived in New York in the mid-1950s, he immediately became a major figure in the hard-bop movement." He played with many of the greatest jazz...

Phylicia Rashad Named Dean Of Howard University’s New College Of Fine Arts

The award-winning actor, herself a Howard alumna, will be the first dean of the re-established college. The nation's leading historically Black university folded its fine arts school into its College of Arts and Sciences in 1998 as a cost-cutting measure; Rashad's arrival completes the return of Howard's College of Fine Arts as an independent entity. - The Washington Post

Norman Lloyd, Whose Career Spanned Most Of Hollywood’s History, Dead At 106

He started his working life onstage with Eva Le Gallienne and Orson Welles; acted in films by Welles, Chaplin, Renoir, and Hitchcock (he was the villain in Saboteur); produced and directed episodes of Hitchcock's TV series (which saved him from the blacklist); had a key role in the primetime medical drama St. Elsewhere; and racked up countless other credits...

Balanchine’s Biggest Fan – Nancy Lassalle, 93

“She was the ultimate board member,” said Albert Bellas, chairman emeritus of the S.A.B. “She was financially supportive, knowledgeable and committed.” She was also a daily presence. - The New York Times

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