Ten members of SAG-AFTRA, including 91-year-old Ed Asner, are suing their union for changes made to the health insurance plan that, they say, discriminate against low earners and individuals over 65. In August, SAG-AFTRA trustees voted to raise … » Read

In a year burdened with far too many deaths, some from Covid-19, many not, one that seems to have escaped notice is that of Jay K. Hoffman, onetime powerhouse impresario and promoter and, later in life, public relations executive. Hoffman died on … » Read

Philadelphia arts groups large and small are the beneficiaries of $8 million in Covid-19 relief from the local William Penn Foundation and the New York based Andrew W. Mellon Foundation, each of which brought $4 million to the table.   The … » Read

Danish National Symphony Orchestra reports that it has received a record number of applications for its triennial Malko Competition for Young Conductors, scheduled to take place June 7 – 12, 2021. In total, 612 young men and women under age … » Read

Randy Cohen, VP of Research and Information for Americans for the Arts, lays out some staggering, if not surprising, pandemic statistics in his latest blog. All but 1 percent of all non-profit producing and presenting organizations, he writes, … » Read

While it may seem that there is nothing new to say about the iconic jazz singer Billie Holiday, a new documentary written and directed by James Erskine suggests otherwise. Billie , which begins streaming on Dec. 4 , interweaves Holiday’s … » Read

On July 1 the Teatro Real in Madrid made news when it broke a coronavirus-imposed silence lasting three months with Verdi’s  La Traviata , the first of several performances of the opera that ran through the month. In the apparent … » Read

During the pandemic, the German government has decided to double down on its cultural spending, committing €2.1bn ($2.5bn) for the upcoming calendar year. The proposed expenditure, which includes an increase of €155mn ($185mn) over the … » Read

Since Germany has more opera houses per capita (80, to be precise) than the U.S. has Starbucks, a win at one of the country’s annual Oper! Awards is an important accomplishment, even—or perhaps especially--in the year of the pandemic. … » Read

At 27-years of age, big things are happening for Samuel Mariño. His debut recording has just been released on the Orfeo label, and he’s recently signed to HarrisonParrott, one of the few agencies to buck the trend in 2020. He’s … » Read