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Lots of links today. I usually don’t spend most of a post sending readers elsewhere, but I’ve been accumulating quite a few worthwhile re-directs – from the sublime to the truly ridiculous. You’ve probably seen this, but just in case: John Cage on I’ve Got a Secret. I used to watch this show with my

Congratulations to Washington Concert Opera for their recent Otello (Rossini’s version). Yesterday’s Post proclaimed the discovery of tenor Kenneth Tarver – a former Wolf Trapper. As were Otello cast members Elizabeth Futral, Bruce Ford and David Langan. And let’s not forget WCO conductor and Artistic Director Antony Walker. “The human race has only one really

New Media A definition for purposes of discussion: anything that’s not “traditional” (print, terrestrial radio, TV) media. So therefore: blogs, web pages, podcasts, YouTube and other streaming media, MySpace… you get the idea. Artists, Unions Our colleagues on the stage are a big part of the equation, for in order to dabble in these new

View at left from my hotel room balcony. It’s a good thing, too, because it’s pretty much the only part of Miami I’m seeing aside from hotel conference rooms… Keynote Thin-Slicing Marc Scorca (Opera America CEO) reminded us that we in the opera business are prone to “thin-slicing” (how many times have you assessed the

We’re in Miami for the Opera America conference! Today, an entire day spent in the company of colleagues from Marketing Departments, in a seminar called “Creating Demand.” Lots of geek-talk about analyzing ticket inventory and price points. Thoughts From Day 1 Demand is not a static variable To someone on the outside of the the

I spent last weekend in an opera-free zone, at a retreat in the Blue Ridge. In addressing the growth of giant mega-churches, a speaker mentioned that the decision to involve oneself in a more traditional worship environment (smaller congregation, no big screens, less reliant on slick production values) is increasingly counter-cultural. Going to the opera

My old VW Bug used to idle fast on occasion. Spinning its rpm wheels for no good purpose. I spent the entirety of my recent time off work slowing down my internal engines so it didn’t feel as it I was spending my life on speed. And it has taken me almost exactly 10 days

I had planned to blog this afternoon but I’m too disoriented by today’s terrible events at Virginia Tech. I spent part of this past weekend on the campus of the University of Virginia (visiting my daughter), and came away with the infusion of energy and adrenaline that I always get from being surrounded by college

If you don’t read The Washington Post, you should devote a few minutes to this piece from last Sunday. Joshua Bell played his Strad in a DC metro station, and pretty much no one cared. Surprising? Well, perhaps not. The Post called it an “experiment in context, perception and priorities — as well as an