“The Federal Communications Commission has a plan to make cable companies provide apps that could be used on devices made by tech companies like maybe Roku or Apple. It says Americans spend billions each year renting boxes and believes there is a better way.”
Acclaimed Tenor Johan Botha, 51
The tenor Johan Botha, who performed for more than two decades at the world’s major opera houses, including the Metropolitan Opera in New York, the Teatro alla Scala in Milan, the Royal Opera House in London and the Vienna State Opera, died Thursday morning in Vienna.
A New Design For Performing Arts Center At Ground Zero (And Barbra Streisand In Charge)
“Now, just before the 15th anniversary of the attacks, plans for the complex, to be called the Ronald O. Perelman Performing Arts Center at the World Trade Center, are taking new shape. The New York architecture firm REX, selected after a more elaborate plan by Frank Gehry was shelved, has released its conceptual design. Its proposal contains three small theaters that can be combined in various configurations to produce and stage theater, dance, music, opera and experimental works, and can serve as a space for the Tribeca Film Festival each spring.”
The Glass Harmonica – An Instrument For Our Time?
It’s an unusual and quiet sound indeed, as anyone who has ever moved a finger around the ridge of a glass knows. But it’s apparently a sound that appeals to modern ears and composers.
Three Big Fall Movies Address Racism – But Don’t Call Them ‘Black Films’
“The Birth of a Nation, Hidden Figures and Loving are three films with the same theme (racism), the same ambitions (Oscar glory) and the same pathway into theaters (big studio labels). … A closer look at [them] reveals drastically different artistic statements and cinematic approaches.”
Philadelphia Orchestra Musicians Call First Contract Offer ‘Regressive’
“Musicians of the Philadelphia Orchestra are negotiating to regain their place as among the highest-paid members of U.S. orchestras, while management has offered minimal raises in talks over a new contract.”
Lucerne Festival Remakes Itself Under New Leaders
“Behind the scenes, the Lucerne Festival, an increasingly important part of the classical music ecosystem, [has been] forced to reinvent itself. Within the past couple of years, the festival has lost not one, but both of its guiding artistic lights: [Claudio] Abbado died in 2014 at 80, and [Pierre] Boulez this year at 90.”
Nicholas Serota Will Leave As Director Of Tate Galleries, Will Become Chair Of Arts Council England
“Nicholas Serota is stepping down as director of the Tate after 28 years in charge to be the next chairman of Arts Council England. The timing of the move next February, … months after the opening of a new wing of Tate Modern (Switch House) will come as a surprise to many although there has been speculation … that such a move was on the cards.”
Who Could Fill Nicholas Serota’s Shoes At The Tate? Here Are A Few Possibilities
“He doesn’t want the next incumbent to think he or she has an easy ride: there is work to be done. He might be leaving, but he’s setting the agenda before he goes. And who might that person be to come in and realise Tate’s ‘potential’?” BBC arts editor Will Gompertz names some potential candidates.
Tenor Johan Botha Dead At 51
“Uncommonly versatile, Botha shone in roles ranging from Florestan in Beethoven’s Fidelio to main figures in works by Verdi, Wagner, and Richard Strauss. … Over a nearly 30-year career, he appeared on most of the world’s top stages including La Scala, the Royal Opera House Covent Garden, New York’s Metropolitan Opera and the State Opera in Vienna, where he made his home.”