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COMMENTARY: Should our theater leaders be homegrown?
By Chris Jones
• Theater Loop (Chicago Tribune) • Friday, July 30, 2010
When it comes to fruits, meats and vegetables, we're increasingly believing it's better not to truck in superstar carrots or overachieving fruit from far away, but to munch happily upon that which is locally raised or grown.
So should this rule apply to the arts? Should cultural institutions — organic and homegrown as so many of them are — strive to hire local for their creative leadership?
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National Opera Considers Merger
By Erica Orden
• The Wall Street Journal • Friday, July 30, 2010
The Washington National Opera, facing financial challenges and questions about its future, is exploring a merger with the John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts, according to a person familiar with the matter. The arrangement under consideration would mimic the Kennedy Center's relationship with the National Symphony Orchestra, the person said. The center would assume the opera's assets and liabilities, and the opera would cede to the center approval on artistic and budgetary matters. Merger discussions began around March, the person said.
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Another major orchestra feels the pain; deep cuts proposed for Detroit Symphony
By Tim Smith
• Clef Notes (The Baltimore Sun) • Thursday, July 29, 2010
Not that there really is much comfort in knowing that other people are suffering the same fate, but news from the musicians of the Detroit Symphony speaks to the continuing stress of the economic downturn and its effect here in Baltimore. Of course, the city of Detroit has been in trouble for a long time, so a lot of folks have wondered how the resident orchestra could maintain its position for the long haul.
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Mysterious Tampa Bay area arts benefactor dies
By Andrew Meacham
• St. Petersburg Times • Thursday, July 29, 2010
When a well-known philanthropist dies, accolades tend to flow in quickly. Former colleagues and beneficiaries bring tales of humility and timely generosity. It is almost a staple of death when a person has reached the upper rungs of charitable giving. But reaction was more subdued after last week's death of retired businessman Doyle McClendon, whose lavish — and usually anonymous — contributions underwrote concerts and helped keep art museums afloat.
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Beyond Fur And Pearls: Opera For The People
By Jessica Alpert
• wbur.org • Thursday, July 29, 2010
The gilded performance halls, the tuxedos, the mink coats — for many people, images of opera remain stuck in the 1950s. While that world may stay intact in some parts of the arts world, Boston’s Lyric Opera is trying to change the way we interact with their performances. Our guests discuss about accessibility, performance in HD and the future of opera in Boston.
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Fund for Arts drive for 2010 comes up short
By Andrew Adler
• Louisville Courier-Journal • Thursday, July 29, 2010
The Fund for the Arts raised a shade more than $8million in its 2010 campaign — almost $900,000 less than last year and its weakest overall showing since 2006. But officials said they regard it as a success considering the weak economy. And leaders of local arts organizations said they were cautiously optimistic that their own cost-cutting and belt-tightening would make program cuts unnecessary. Overall, the 2010 campaign took in $8,009,246. The 2009 effort raised $8.86 million, although it included about $500,000 in bequests that officials considered unlikely to be repeated. That leaves about a $350,000 drop from last year, which organizers said isn't a surprise.
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Federal Funding to Opera Companies Drops 16.8% Over 10-Year Period; State Funding Rises 38%
Larry Bomback, Director of Finance & Operations, OA
Original Content• 7/7/2010
Opera companies in the U.S. receive about seven percent of their contributed income from government sources; the average Canadian company, on the other hand, receives over 40 percent of its contributed income from various levels of government. Despite this disparity, there is some good news for U.S. companies: Among a constant sample group of U.S. opera companies, contributions at the state and local levels have increased considerably since the start of the new millennium.
Among the 46 companies that comprise the 10-year U.S. Constant Sample Group, support from the local community has risen 16 percent from 1999 to 2008. Furthermore, after a six-year decline, local funding has risen by more than 27 percent from 2005 to 2008.
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