non divisi – Page 4 – Frank Almond writes a column instead of practicing

$100k Reward Offered For Stolen Lipinski Strad

January 31, 2014 by Frank Almond

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE January 31, 2014 Reward to be offered for Stolen Lipinski Stradivarius $100,000 reward offered for information leading to the safe return of the violin MILWAUKEE (January 31, 2014) – The Milwaukee Police Department continues to investigate the theft of the 1715 Stradivarius violin, which occurred on Monday, January 27, 2014, around 10:20 PM during an armed robbery of Frank Almond following a concert at the Wisconsin Lutheran College. A $100,000 reward will be offered to anyone who can provide information which results in the safe return of the stolen Lipinski … Continue Reading

ALERT

January 29, 2014 by Frank Almond

Anyone with information about the whereabouts of the “Lipinski” Stradivarius violin following the robbery on 1/27/2014 should call Milwaukee police at 414-935-7360 or the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra at 414-226-7838. A reward offer is pending and information will be made available once confirmed.

Santa Tracker

December 24, 2013 by Frank Almond

Wishing everyone a happy holiday (whichever one), and a special personal thanks to everyone who’s responded to the MSO’s recent campaign to save the orchestra. The response has been tremendous, about $1.5 million in a few weeks, so hopefully that sends a somewhat different message than usual. If you’re tired of all that, click on the Santa Tracker, courtesy of NORAD. Always fun to see where he is, and which color. All the best for a happy and healthy 2014!

Orchestra Obscura

December 14, 2013December 14, 2013 by Frank Almond

In 2001 the artist David Hockney startled the art world by theorizing that advances in realism and accuracy in paintings of many Old Masters such as Ingres, Jan van Eyck, Caravaggio, and Vermeer were not just the result of the artists’ technique and creativity, but also involved the common use of optical devices such as camera obscura, camera lucida, and curved mirrors to enhance their perspective. I immediately thought of the slippery slope of cognitive perception after reading the latest post from the noted blogger Emily Hogstad, who has been deservedly acclaimed for her detailed and comprehensive revelations relating to the Minnesota Orchestra debacle. Suffice to say her latest article created a different kind of buzz.

Maestrogen

November 6, 2013 by Frank Almond

Every few months or so there seems to be yet another article discussing various perspectives regarding women on the podium. I noticed a distinct uptick after the finale of the Proms, at which the eminent Marin Alsop appeared (finally). From the ridiculous to the well-reasoned, female conductors are a hot topic these days.

Calling the questions.

September 2, 2013 by Frank Almond

I’ll go ahead and say it- I almost feel bad for Michael Henson and Jon Campbell (CEO and Board Chair of the Minnesota Orchestral Association, respectively). Yes, they’ve presided over one of the biggest cultural disasters in recent memory, ripped off their own musicians and ignored the patrons (and of course any and all blogs), and altered the musical landscape in Minnesota for years to come. True, they are in many ways directly responsible for the immense emotional and financial hardship experienced by the musicians of the Minnesota Orchestra for the past year, and most likely for some time to come. And after all those millions raised (and spent), now they’re stuck with no orchestra and a concert hall no one will use and that will probably get picketed. Yet I still find myself sympathizing in some unusual way, probably because I don’t think either of them (or the MOA Board) could’ve possibly envisioned the travesty they unleashed.