“Nicholas Edwards has provided acoustic design for some of the most loved music and theatrical venues in the world. In this video, Nick shares what makes concert hall acoustics vary widely – even when they are of similar shape – and the key to making a hall loved by audiences.” (video)
Music Teacher: The Way We Teach Music In Schools Is Wrong. Here’s A Better Way
“I would like to suggest here that perhaps the perfect example of the skill set required of a reenvisioned music teacher can be seen in the life of a music producer. These professionals are part musician, part technician, part guidance counselor and part magician for the artists that they work with.”
James Conlon Diagnoses The Orchestra World
“We have a great paradox in America. I would say we have more great orchestras, certainly among the greatest opera companies and we have conservatories where we’re producing an extraordinary level of students. A far higher level than when I was in conservatory. We have an extraordinary supply. What has atrophied is the demand. I’m not talking about music education for professionals. I’m talking about music as a part of everybody’s education.”
A Comedian Faces Down Her Hardest Critics – Fellow Muslims
“Iranian American comic Negin Farsad doesn’t always feel the love when she’s doing her stand-up routine. And some of the toughest reactions to her comedy have come from fellow Muslims.”
All The Coins People Toss Into Fountains – Where Do They End Up?
Turns out the answer is different in different places – and, with one famous exception, less change gets collected than you might think.
Women Cinematographers Of The World, Unite!
“Cinematographers XX, whose website went up in February, is one of several new efforts among professionals in the industry to correct its gender inequity. The International Collective of Female Cinematographers, a networking and resource site that went live in April, is another. It was formed, a spokeswoman said, ‘out of the desire to get rid of the singular excuse we hear so often: ‘There just aren’t enough female D.P.s.””
Using Astronomy To Date A Sappho Poem
In one of her rare surviving works, “Sappho describes a night when the moon, and the star cluster Pleiades, set before midnight on the island of Lesbos. Now, in the tradition of trying to paint a biographical portrait of Sappho from her work, a group of astronomers and a physicist at the University of Texas, Arlington have attempted to seasonally date ‘Midnight Poem’ using these bits of data.”
Ten Of The World’s Absolutely Coolest Elevators
“Whether it’s the gothic ironwork of Brazil’s Santa Justa Lift or the futuristic pods of the Mercedes-Benz Museum or the Aquadom lift that carries riders straight through a massive aquarium, some elevators are so amazing, they become destinations in and of themselves.” (Not to mention the elevator that’s a moving cocktail bar.)
Art Is Doomed (Says The Guardian’s Art Critic)
“The selfie age is a tragedy for art. … We now want paintings to deliver the same cheap and instant illusion of connection selfies do. To fit into this age of rampant populism, all art has to do is descend into this vacuum of deluded sociability.”
Are Sung-Through Musicals (Yes, Like Hamilton) Just Concerts With Benefits?
“Maybe we’re supposed to understand it as a theatrical depiction of a concert, although it’s hard to figure out the difference.”
Dear British Architect: Even The King Of Sweden Is Against Your Nobel Building Plan
“The project’s many critics, including local residents’ groups, political parties and heritage organisations, have lodged multiple appeals, angry that the centre, to be built next to the National Museum on Blasieholmen peninsula, will replace a 140-year-old customs house and other historic harbourside buildings.”
The Years When Promoters Could Just Pluck Musicians From Anywhere And Pretend They Were A Famous Music Group
“The Zombies, unaware of their stateside success — this was possible in 1969 — had already moved on to new musical projects or day jobs. This vacuum meant anyone could tour the United States pretending to be the Zombies, even a four-piece blues band from Dallas.”
Voice Interfaces Are Starting To Take Over Our Lives
“Mumbling ‘buy more paper towels’ into the air in your kitchen is about as frictionless as a user experience can get—compared to opening up Amazon on your computer or phone, searching for paper towels, adding them to your cart, and checking out. That makes Alexa—the machine-borne personality that lives inside Echo devices—the ultimate salesperson, and she’s just getting started.”
New Research: Maybe Background Music In Stores Doesn’t Make You Buy More
Background music in shops – disparagingly referred to as “muzak” – has been shown to have an effect on our buying habits, but Marks and Spencer has decided to ditch it completely. The company is removing it from all its UK stores, following “extensive research and feedback” from staff and customers.
Grand Rapids Symphony Gets A New Music Director
The Brazilian-born conductor, who has led the Grand Rapids Symphony twice in the past two seasons, becomes the 14th music director in the 86-year history of the orchestra.
Adverbs Are Cheap? That’s Ridiculously Wrong-Headed
Colin Dickey: “Who will speak on the adverb’s behalf? For once again, it would seem, it is under attack. … We desperately lack a full-throated defense of this runt of the grammatical litter. We need an outright celebration of adverbs, and it is that celebration that I offer – stridently, boisterously, unapologetically.”
Do Movie Box Office Boycotts Work?
What extent do these buzzy boycotts actually affect the spending habits of the general moviegoer? Users of Twitter, where protest hashtags are predominant, reflect only 23 percent of all Internet users, many of them young, affluent, and living in urban areas, according to the Pew Research Center. Moviegoers, meanwhile, are a very diverse bunch, spanning all ages, geographic locations, and household incomes.
The Painting That Put An End To Picasso’s Cubism
“Picasso’s Fall of Icarus, done in 1958, is a defining and appalling statement of [Hannah] Arendt’s post-epic perspective. It aims to put the era of Guernica behind it.” T.J. Clark looks at both how Picasso created the mural and the contention surrounding its commission for the new UNESCO headquarters in Paris.
Voice-Recognition Technology Will Kill ‘All Things Considered’, Says Ex-NPR Exec
Steve Lickteig: “Here’s what I think the future sounds like: You will get in your car and say, ‘Play my news briefing, plus all of last night’s baseball scores, including highlights from the Yankees game. Oh, and give me last week’s Vows column from the New York Times.’ Then, like magic, your audio system will assemble this playlist. That news briefing you asked for? It will come from sources you pre-selected, places like NPR and news organizations yet to be created.”
Why Yannick’s New Job At The Met Is Good For Philadelphia (And Not Just For The Orchestra)
“The orchestra was able to retain Nézet-Séguin even as he was wooed by the Met – which is being seen as something of a feather in the cap of the city.” Said one local arts executive, “He could have so easily just walked away. Everyone is talking about attracting and retaining talent, and the fact that we’ve kept the talent is beyond brilliant. This is such a good story for Philadelphia.”
Stop Workshopping New Plays To Death, Says Famous Playwright
Christopher Hampton (Les Liaisons Dangereuses, Sunset Boulevard,The Talking Cure): “The world is full of people telling you how to rewrite your play. Generally that has a homogenising effect because the advice people give you is based on their experience of other plays. … it all takes away those jagged edges that really cut into the audience.”
Guillaume Côté Choreographs His First-Full-Length Ballet – $2 Million’s Worth
“Although Côté has staged short dance pieces before, Le Petit Prince‘s world premiere on Saturday marks his full-length ballet debut as a choreographer. Carrying a hefty $2-million price tag (covered by a single private donor), it’s also the first new full-length production by a Canadian choreographer that the National Ballet has staged in a decade.” (includes video clips)
Top Posts From AJBlogs 06.02.16
So simple to fix
In my recent posts, I’ve noted a lack of real physicality in most opera stagings, which — to cite just one problem it causes — can lead to violent moments not looking violent. Which then … read more
AJBlog: Sandow Published 2016-06-02
Review: Meet Rob Clearfield
Rob Clearfield, Islands (ears & eyes records) Pianist and composer Rob Clearfield is a member of Chicago’s under-30 jazz community, admired for work as a sideman with bassist Matt Ulery and pianist-singer Patricia Barber, among … read more
AJBlog: RiffTides Published 2016-06-02
So you want to see a show?
Here’s my list of recommended Broadway, off-Broadway, and out-of-town shows, updated weekly. In all cases, I gave these shows favorable reviews (if sometimes qualifiedly so) in The Wall Street Journal when they opened. … read more
AJBlog: About Last Night Published 2016-06-02
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Is The Internet Making You Dumb? So Says This Study
“This study suggests it may not be the screen time that’s at fault for lessened abilities—it’s the low quality of most online content. The IJBA study suggests that people who read more low-quality content had lower sophistication, syntax, cadence, and rhythm in their own writing.”
Louvre Shuts And Evacuates Art As Seine Floods
“The Louvre will remain closed on Friday to allow staff to evacuate tens of thousands of “reserve” paintings and sculptures in its underground store rooms. Fears had been growing all day of serious flooding in Paris as the European football championship approaches – despite official assurances that all should be well.”