You Sang at La Scala?
Better think twice before lying on your résumé. George O’Leary, head football coach at Notre Dame, was forced to resign after it was discovered he had lied on his.
9/11 Still Not Settled
The Center for an Urban Future has published a study, written by Neil Scott Kleiman and Suri Duitch, on the effects of 9/11 upon New York arts organizations and the results are not good!
Fully 100% of the more than 150 arts organizations surveyed have already seen or expect to experience substantial economic losses over the next three months.
More than 90% of all fundraisers held since 9/11 raised significantly less money than originally anticipated.
An estimated 2,000 scheduled school trips to arts organizations were cancelled since 9/11.
The Center estimates that the average arts organization will see losses in revenue of 15% this year.
Fifty percent of organizations surveyed reported that major gifts and donations are being cancelled or postponed.
The vast majority of the city’s 2,000-plus arts organizations reported that less than 10% of their visitor base comes from outside the New York City area.
Initial job-loss projections for the field overestimated the number of immediate layoffs, but layoffs in the arts continue to occur, and more are likely on the way. Every organization surveyed has instituted a hiring freeze and drafted a ‘contingency’ plan for possible work reductions, salary reductions or layoffs.
Reversing the Negative Effects
As arts organizations face some serious issues, many institutions are coming to the rescue, including the Andres W. Mellon Foundation, which is offering $50 million in grants to arts organizations affected by 9/11. Grants are available between the amounts of $250,000 and $2 million and all organizations are encouraged to apply.
New York Not the Only City Affected
The San Francisco Chronicle reports that San Francisco is having its share of problems in the aftermath of 9/11. Because hotels are only at 64% capacity, the 40-year-old Grants for the Arts/San Francisco Hotel Tax program, which supports 220 arts groups, is not nearly at the same level. For example, when the hotels were at 88% capacity last year, the program was able to donate $11.6 million to arts organizations, which generally makes up a good chunk of their yearly budgets.
A Glass Harmonica?
Did you know that this strange instrument, designed to simulate the sound of a ringing wine-glass rim, was devised in 1761 by Benjamin Franklin and has had over 400 compositions written for it? This includes a scene in Lucia di Lammermoor written in 1835, which is usually played on flute, and numerous other compositions by Mozart and Beethoven.
Sometimes the Mistake is Blessing
As Placido Domingo made his farewell performance of Otello on Dec 11 before La Scala goes under the knife, he astonished the audience when, at the end of the second act, he stopped the performance and said, “I can’t go on. I’m sorry.” He then left the stage. Since La Scala is notorious for a critical audience, many were surprised when they welcomed and even cheered Domingo’s return. He made his re-entrance to a chorus of whistling and feet-stomping as a result of his courage to return to the stage.
New Appointments
The Welsh National Opera has appointed 24-year-old Russian conductor Tugan Sokhiev as its new music director, effective Jan 1, 2003. Meanwhile, Paris Opera has announced the appointment of Gerard Mortier as general director, effective in 2004.
Some Find Luck in Tragedy
Daniel Rodriguez, the “singing cop,” has made his first single. This 37–year-old tenor made a name for himself recently and has secured EMI management to help handle his moment of fame. Among other things, he has thus far appeared on David Letterman, and has performed with the Berlin Philharmonic in Carnegie Hall and on Good Morning America. He was given the opportunity to sing at the Yankee Stadium memorial service, where he was able to make the acquaintance of Placido Domingo. He had enough nerve to ask for an audition, to which Domingo obliged.
Giving Oratorio the Axe?
Following a not-so-popular concert of Mendelssohn’s Elijah, a music critic in the Palm Beach Post suggested to the Florida Philharmonic: “Instead of being a classical orchestra that occasionally plays pops, how about being a pops orchestra that occasionally plays classical?” If this becomes the standard for American orchestras, a good deal of oratorio gigs will be lost.
Legion d’Honneur for James Conlon
France’s highest musical distinction, the Legion d’Honneur, has been awarded to the principal conductor of Paris Opera, James Conlon. In the past, only three Americans have received this award: Leopold Stokowski, Leonard Bernstein and Lorin Maazel. Conlon has indicated his intention to delay his acceptance of the award until next year out of respect for the victims of 9/11.
Pierre Boulez, a terrorist?
BBC news reports that on Nov 2, Pierre Boulez was awakened by Swiss police in a 6am raid of his hotel room. He was dragged from his bed, his passport was confiscated and he was detained for questioning, despite his plans to return to Chicago the next day. He was placed under suspicion for an off-hand comment he made in the ‘60s that opera houses should be blown up. This comment apparently placed Boulez on the list of potential security threats.
The Napster Replacement is Here
RealOne Music, a fee-based downloading service similar to Napster, was launched on Dec 4. Membership costs $9.95 per month for 100 streams and 100 downloads. A ‘gold’ membership, costing $19.95, provides access to 125 of each. The RealOne Player is available for free download at real.com.
