BBC Staging Cultural Olympiad
London last hosted the Olympics in 1948. In conjunction with the upcoming 2012 Summer Olympic Games to be held in London, the BBC is set to do some cultural heavy lifting by staging a series of concerts across the UK.
Picnic with the Pops Season Begins
The Columbus Symphony's Picnic with the Pops season starts this weekend with a concert featuring the Jazz Messengers (the U.S. Army's premiere touring jazz orchestra) on Saturday at 8:15 p.m. on the lawn of the Chemical Abstracts Service (map).
Shhhh! You're Not in Your Living Room...
It's everywhere...people chatting on their cellphone during the movie, checking out at the grocery while scrolling through their e-mail - maybe while the cashier is also on the phone. Does anyone do one thing at a time any more? Apparently not.
Joffrey Ballet Director Decides Grass is Greener...Right Here
In a world where arts executives and artistic directors seem to be in a constant shuffle, and no self-respecting conductor would be caught dead conducting only one orchestra, Ashley Wheater turns down Britain's Royal Ballet to stay with Joffrey.
X-Rated Musical Arts?
Clothing optional seems to be the order of the day for a performance of Carmen in Valladolid, Spain. Radical director Calixto Bieito was going to require the orchestra to play naked. Norman Lebrecht seemed outraged at first, but now wants to know which ensemble you'd most like to see perform in the nude. Adam Schweigert contributed to this post.