What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music? Patrick J. Buchanan 1
Patrick J. Buchanan This is the real quote! “Everyday we see new evidence of the corruption of our popular culture: Filthy art financed with tax dollars. Television steeped in raw sex and romanticized violence. Movies that mock religious faith. Music that extols social chaos.” From Patrick J. Buchanan, “PJB On the Issues: Culture,” Tuesday, March… Read more »
Ravinia Festival Names New President And CEO
Welz Kauffman photo by Dan Rast The Ravinia Festival has named Welz Kauffman its new president and CEO, succeeding Zarin Mehta, who leaves at the end of the current season after ten years to become executive director of the New York Philharmonic. Kauffman starts in his new post Oct. 1. Kauffman served as General Manager… Read more »
What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music? Ralph Nader
Ralph Nader “With hundreds of radio stations owned by a single company, it comes as no surprise that the programming reflects the economic desires of that company, not the greater interests of its listeners. Instead of challenging programming, we get mind-numbing mock analyses of non-stories crafted solely for entertainment value. Thanks to the 1996 Telecommunications… Read more »
South Carolina Arts Commission Announces Artist Fellowships And $1.8 Million In Grants For New Fiscal Year
Mark Kilstofte photo by Joanna E. Morrissey The Board of Commissioners of the South Carolina Arts Commission (SCAC) has awarded Artist Fellowships to four resident, professional artists. Each fellow receives $7,500 in recognition of superior artistic merit. The out-of-state review panels also selected alternates, who do not receive awards, but are considered notable in the… Read more »
What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music? Al Gore
Al Gore “National Public Radio has been indispensable to its local listeners across the country. Each station across America tailors its programming to meet local needs. For example, when school funding for classical music training was cut, it was KUER in Salt Lake City that produced a series introducing elementary school students to classical music.”… Read more »
Amadeus Press Releases First Biography Of Morton Gould
Peter Goodman photo by Stephen M. Goodman Amadeus Press has announced the release of Peter W. Goodmans new book, Morton Gould: American Salute. This is the first complete biography of the multi-talented composer. In an interview, Goodman confessed that at the time he started working on this biography, he wasnt all that fond of Goulds… Read more »
What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music? George W. Bush
George W. Bush “America has always played home to the greatest minds in all professions. Not just in the sciences or in sports or in business, but also in writing, and in music. Our children must be taught take pride in America not only as the home of Tommy Lasorda and Dinesh D’Souza, but also… Read more »
Paula Cooper Gallery Launches New Record Label "Dog w/a Bone"
The Paula Cooper Gallery is pleased to announce the creation of its record label “dog w/o bone.” The label will be launched on October 3, 2000, with the simultaneous release of three recordings by the S.E.M. Ensemble: Music by Marcel Duchamp; For Philip Guston by Morton Feldman; and Many Many Women by Petr Kotik. The… Read more »
What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music? Patrick J. Buchanan
Patrick J. Buchanan “Everyday we see new evidence of the corruption of our popular culture: Filthy art financed with tax dollars. Television steeped in raw sex and romanticized violence. Movies that mock religious faith. Music that extols social chaos.” Real or fake? “There’s the American music that the elitists at the universities want you to… Read more »
Smoke and Mirrors: Mr. Smith Returns to Washington
Photo of Ken Smith in front of “Smoke Free” (1999) {cigarette butts and wood, 45″x67″} by John Salvest (courtesy Rudolph Projects) Photo by Melissa Richard A former political journalist turned music critic offers up a HyperHistory uncovering “smoke and mirrors” politics in the American classical music business. My name is Ken. I’m a recovering addict.… Read more »
Soundtracks: October 2000
Unlike the impending Presidential election, there are tons of musical choices in SoundTracks this month ranging from new recordings of acknowledged American musical masterpieces to rediscoveries of overlooked musical treasures to works from newly-emerging composers never before on CD. In the orchestral music department, there is a new recording of Charles Ives’ Symphony No. 2,… Read more »
Who Represents the Unsilent Minority?
There needs to be a greater musical awareness among the people who hold our elected offices. But there also needs to be a greater political awareness on the part of people who make and shape music in this country.
What Do the Presidential Candidates Think About Music?
A Statement of Purpose Over a month ago, Frank and I set about contacting five Presidential candidates to ask them for thoughts on American music. No one responded. Al Gore’s campaign was the only one to dignify us with a response. Other responses ranged from clueless silence (Nader’s campaign; then again, they don’t even provide… Read more »
Music and the American Presidency: A Virtual Fireside Chat with U.S. Presidents
An aerial view of the South side of the White House Compiled by Frank J. Oteri and Jenny Undercofler Additional research by David Hughes The Role of Music in American Life Personal Attitudes About Music Great American Composers Other Favorite Presidential Musicians Music & Diplomacy: International & Domestic The Chief Executive as Music Critic… Read more »
Microtonality: Off the Grid/Out of the Box
Straight lines and equal increments are rare in nature. And the return of non-tempered tunings has opened exciting new possibilities for moving Western music off the grid and out of the box.
Society For American Music names new Executive Director and establishes new headquarters
Mariana Whitmer Mariana Sonntag Whitmer has been appointed the new Executive Director of the Society for American Music (formerly The Sonneck Society). Whitmer will work with President Rae Linda Brown and the other ten members of the Board to carry out the Society’s mission: “to stimulate the appreciation, performance, creation, and study of American music… Read more »
National Music Theater Conference inaugurates "laboratory"
August 12th marked the end of the 23rd National Music Theatre Conference, run by the Eugene O’Neill Theatre Center in Waterford, CT. This year, the directors inaugurated the “NMTC Laboratory.” Eight writers and composers were invited to create new pieces, while exploring the collaborative process. Each artist worked with four collaborators, writing specifically for a… Read more »
New Music Connoisseur to honor four at September gala
New Music Connoisseur As part of their Gala 2000 concert, New Music Connoisseur will be honoring four advocates of new music. The concert and awards ceremony, which will be held on September 18th at New York University, will dedicated to the memory of Otto Luening, to mark the one hundredth anniversary of his birth. Joel… Read more »
Lou Harrison receives Macdowell medal
Lou Harrison Photo by Dennis Keeley Composer Lou Harrison was awarded the Edward MacDowell Medal in Peterborough, New Hampshire, on Sunday, August 20. Virgil Thomson, himself a recipient of the Medal in 1977, once said, “It was Mozart‘s boast that he could master any musical style within a week and by the end of that… Read more »
Present Music announces commission
Kamran Ince Photo courtesy European-American Present Music and the Milwaukee Art Museum recently announced the commission of a new work by composer Kamran Ince that will be premiered in May of 2001 at the much-anticipated opening of the Museum’s building expansion. The new structure was designed by internationally-renowned Spanish architect Santiago Calatrava. It will provide… Read more »
Millennium Consortium Project means multiple performances of new Zwilich work
Jeffrey Biegel / Ellen Taaffe Zwilich Photo courtesy Jeffrey Biegel Unlike many premieres, the first performance of Ellen Taaffe Zwilich’s Millennium Fantasy for Piano and Orchestra will certainly not be the last. This is thanks to the Millennium Consortium Project, the brainchild of pianist Jeffrey Biegel, for whom the Fantasy was written, and arts consultant… Read more »
