I had read earlier about Connecticut Opera canceling the remainder of their season. On the opera link you can see their November 29 notice about that. Now it is reported that they are closing down permanently. It’s been all over my google news alerts. Sad.
The nonprofit group Americans for the Arts estimates 10,000 arts organizations could disappear in 2009.
I read it here.
I guess what I want to know is who cares? I really do. I mean, I know I care. I know my colleagues care. But of those who aren’t working in the arts, who cares?
Do tell.
When I mention to anyone that I’m crazy about opera, they usually ask me if I’ve been to Phantom,” he says. ‘But that’s not what I mean at all. Although I like a lot of modern opera – John Adams and Birtwistle, for instance – I think it’s become rather one-dimensional. I’m more interested in relating to that period in opera history when someone like Massenet could write the Romantic crowd-pleasers. And I think that because of my position in the pop world, I’m the only person around at the moment who can do that.
-Rufus Wainwright
I read it here.
Yesterday I shaped cane and wound some reeds. Carving on these, the cane felt “just right”. I don’t know how to explain this to you, but I like to say the can is “like butter” in that the knife just seems to take cane off in a smooth way. It doesn’t feel too hard. But it also doesn’t feel squishy soft.
I played a couple of them during lessons, and while they weren’t great, they showed potential. (I rarely play my good reeds during my students’ lessons; it’s a great time to start up new reeds, my students get to hear me at my “new reed state” which I think might help them understand that we all go through the reed issues. And, mostly, I’m too worried about wearing out the reeds I like the most which I prefer to save for performances. Of course this probably means my students think I’m quite a hack!) So after lessons they get to sit on my shelf and think about life. Do they really want to live? Do they want to please me? Only time will tell.
Today I’ll sit down, shape more cane, wind a few more reeds, and see what yesterday’s reeds are thinking as of today. I do know that this wet weather makes reed making a bit more pleasant. The extremely cold dry weather we were having isn’t my cuppa … nor is it my reeds’.
Meanwhile I’m having my latté and listening to the “album” that Brandon is on. (Isn’t it odd that this is called an album? We need a new word, don’t you think? It’s not an album. It’s not a disk. Hmm.) Some folks are grumping because you have to purchase the entire “album”. Whatever. My kid is on it, so I purchased it. (But I won’t leave a comment … wouldn’t want to get labeled a “shill” … a word I just learned, believe it or not.) If you aren’t on emusic, or if you aren’t into downloading an entire album, but are curious about what an oboe player’s son might do musically (nothing at all like what I do, btw), you can always check out his free tracks at Altair Nouveau. (And yeah, that’s a sketch he drew of himself.)
Yeah, I’m a proud mama. Deal.
And just one more thing…
Yes, I watched Top Chef last night. Maybe I like it partly because it’s sort of like auditions; each week the chefs are (supposed to be) judged purely on that particular meal/assignment. (I actually think they do take other things into consideration, but I’m only guessing.) Even while some of the chefs annoy me, I hate seeing them get dismissed, for the most part. I’ve not done a whole lot of auditions, but I’ve been hired to do jobs and, a few years later, get taken off the list. I know how it is to put one’s self out there and give it all you’ve got and later be told, “Not good enough.” Kinda hurts. Big time.
