Current Events – Page 21 – Sticks and Drones

More Jacksonville thoughts -Your mediator is already in the house!

December 19, 2007 by Ron Spigelman

It is a path well traveled and it always seems to lead to a dead end. An orchestra hires a shiny new Music Director. He or she is hailed by the staff, the board and the orchestra as the great unifier who will bring all parts of the organization together for the common purpose of bringing great music to a city, developing a unified mission for the community’s cultural and economic goals, the face, the voice, the one….yeah right!

Has anyone seen or heard from Fabio Mechetti?

Let me set one thing straight right off the bat: I am not calling Fabio out, well not exactly. He is not the problem. However, if the now paper thin assertions I mentioned above about the position of Music Director were actually true, he might be the solution because of the fact that a music director is a unified and many times unanimous choice…..

Part 2 of 2: Putting the all in Hall, Audience Connections Final!

December 17, 2007 by Ron Spigelman

Ron_spigelman_3 Welcome to The Underground!

What really surprised me about this concept is something that inadvertently came up during the final presentation. This Hall might actually provide a solution for saving money whilst working in concert with the environment, the community and the audience!…..Here is my summary and grading of Paper # 2:

Part 1 of 2: Putting the all in Hall, Audience Connections Final!

December 14, 2007 by Ron Spigelman

The idea is to build a performing arts center that truly does accommodate the needs of a community. Just saying it does or will, is not enough! For their final, my Audience Connections class of 4 divided into 2 groups and were charged with creating a concept design. If we want to attract the 20 somethings, shouldn’t they have a say too!…….Here is my summary and grading of Paper # 1:

All roads do not lead to Rome!

December 12, 2007 by Ron Spigelman

Book me on the 6am, you never know what will happen in December but it will give me all day to get there if I need to find alternative routes…..

Concert in Rome NY at 8pm, Dec 10, starting point: Springfield MO.

Awake at 4:30am, 4 Airports, a cross-state car dash, an ice storm , snow, rain and semi-naked in the back of the car on the final leg! Concert Impossible!

The Dark Side of my Brain…….

December 11, 2007 by Bill Eddins

I had one of those shocking moments this morning where one realizes that the brain is a fascinating place to inhabit.

Random Acts of Art – Not a smackdown!

December 11, 2007 by Ron Spigelman

This week (and next) I am going to wrap up my Audience Connections Class by grading their papers right here plus showing my gratitude for some recent experiences. Traveling today to Syracuse for concerts though, I couldn’t resist adding to Bill’s Airport Post. I say yes, a phenomenal idea and I think we don’t have to limit it to just airports……

Where Angels fear to tread……..

December 10, 2007 by Bill Eddins

Artists are always amongst the first ones that totalitarian regimes suppress. It is the individuality that makes dictators nervous, and the ability through art to expose fundamental truths. The question arises today about the value of cultural exchanges between (relative) democracies and dictatorships. Is it worth while? The New York Philharmonic is about to find out.

Music in Airports…..

December 9, 2007 by Bill Eddins

Those of you who do not know the genius producer Brian Eno well………. where have you been? A short list of those he has worked with: Peter Gabriel, Devo, Laurie Anderson, Talking Heads, David Byrne, Roxy Music, Depeche Mode, U2……. you get the picture. He is also a regular answer in Will Shortz’s New York Times Crossword puzzles. But he came into my mind for another reason lately: strolling through an airport.