Off to Africa!

May 16th, 2012

by Sedgwick Clark
I’m off for a two-and-a-half-week safari vacation in South Africa with PK and our favorite traveling buddies. From Cape Town and the wine lands to Kruger National Park to Victoria Falls in Zimbabwe, it will undoubtedly be a far cry from the MGM back lot and grainy second-unit location images impressed upon me [...]

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How Do I Draft An Engagement Agreement For My Trio?

May 16th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein
Dear FTM Arts Law,
I am a manager who will be writing contracts on behalf of a trio. They don’t have a corporation and there is no “leader.” They just get together and perform together. How do I handle their engagement fees so that I do not look like their employer? None of [...]

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The Fortress of Being: John Jasperse’s “Fort Blossom revisited”

May 12th, 2012

In the women’s bathroom of New York Live Arts, each stall sported a small bottle of lower anatomy cleansing solution. Its odd presence must have been care of choreographer John Jasperse whose erogenous zone oriented “Fort Blossom revisited (2000/2012)” held its New York premiere on May 9 in the Chelsea theater.

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Angela Meade makes Berlin Debut; Peaches takes Opera Underground

May 11th, 2012

The Deutsche Oper maintains a dedicated West Berlin following not only for its provocative stagings but sober concert operas showcasing star singers. Of nine “premieres” this season, four are in concert, and in the best scenario feature works known for their dramaturgical weaknesses. The house claimed in a press conference last season that it turned [...]

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Job Hopping

May 10th, 2012

By: Edna Landau
To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.
Dear Edna:
Although my question is more of a general workplace question than a musical one, I am writing in recognition of the many years you spent at the helm of an artist management agency in hopes that you will give me an honest reaction based on your [...]

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Death in the Concert Hall

May 9th, 2012

by Sedgwick Clark
Mahler Meets Shostakovich
German baritone Matthias Goerne and Norwegian pianist Leif Ove Andsnes performed a fascinating recital of songs by Mahler and Shostakovich at Carnegie Hall on 5/1, all to do with death. Neither composer is Mr. Rogers, but Mahler has been in such vogue for the last 40 years and is such a [...]

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If We Paid For It, Don’t We Own It?

May 9th, 2012

By Brian Taylor Goldstein
Dear FTM Arts Law:
I am writing on behalf of our non-profit theater group. Several years ago, one of our volunteers designed a new logo for our theater. We paid her $500. At the time, she was friends with our Artistic Director, but they had a falling out. She recently sent us a [...]

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Lifting Ballerinas

May 7th, 2012

Have you ever wondered what it would take to partner a female ballet dancer? The May 6 matinee at New York City Ballet was an excellent primer for any one considering that question. In each of the four works from the All (Jerome) Robbins program, at the former New York State Theater, the male lead rarely left the side of his female partner.

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Korngold replaces Golijov; Double-Portrait of Nancarrow and Vivier

May 4th, 2012

While Berlin can boast its share of world premieres, the cancellation of Oswaldo Golijov’s Violin Concerto with Leonidas Kavakos and the Philharmonic last month dealt a blow to what would have been one of the most exciting events of the season. Even though the announcement came as little surprise given that he failed to finish [...]

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Soloist, Collaborator or Both?

May 3rd, 2012

By: Edna Landau
To ask a question, please write Ask Edna.
Dear Edna:
I am a pianist finishing my first of two years in a graduate program at an American conservatory. I received my undergraduate degree at the same conservatory. Over the years, I was fortunate to have been frequently sought out as a collaborative artist for recitals with [...]

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