Local and Industry News
The Knight Foundation has awarded another $2.9 million to south Florida arts organizations.Recipients include Florida Grand Opera ($240,000 for presenting opera in unique, intimate spaces), Miami City Ballet ($300,000 for premiering new works), Miami Downtown Development Authority ($100,000 for extending the Downtown Miami Concert Series into the summer), Miami Lyric Opera ($40,000 for a larger venue and additional performances), and Miami-Dade Parks ($100,000 for expanding Noches Tropicales).
Broadway had a record-breaking Thanksgiving weekend. "The Lion King" and Spider-Man: Turn Off the Dark" both set new records by breaking the $2 million mark, while "Wicked" beat both shows by bringing in $2.2 million.
According to Theatre Facts 2010, national theater subscription income has dropped by 15 percent since 2006. Overall attendance has only fallen by 3.6 percent, due to a modest increase in single-ticket sales.
Developer Jorge Perez has donated $20 million, plus $15 million in Latin American Art, to the Miami Art Museum. He will receive naming rights for the museum's new home, scheduled to open in late 2013.
The Broward Center will receive $12 million in tourist taxes from the county to fund its renovations. Part of the funding is contingent on the center raising eight times as much in private funding. The Center will be refurbishing the theaters and building a riverside pavilion and terrace.
recording
Seraphic Fire has received three Grammy nominations. The choir, not yet 10 years old, received nominations for Best Choral Performance of the Year (for its Brahms German Requiem), Best Producer of the Year (Peter Rutenberg, for German Requiem), and Best Small Ensemble Performance (for Seraphic Fire Christmas).
Two Local 655 members have received Grammy nominations. Nominees for Best Tropical Album include Israel Lopez's "The Last Mambo" and Edwin Bonilla's "Homenaje a los Rumberos." Bonilla also received two Latin Grammy nominations for his album (for Best Salsa Album and Best Recording).
symphonic
The St. Louis Symphony continues on the path to financial recovery. Ticket revenue increased 1.5 percent, donations increased 8 percent, and its endowment has risen $10 million to $126 million.
The Dallas Symphony has reached a new two-year agreement. Wages remain frozen for the first year and rise 1 percent in the second year. There were also modest increases in seniority pay and significant changes to language regarding the final round of auditions. Management will also now meet with the Payers Committee quarterly to review the Symphony's finances.
England's Education Secretary and Cultural Minister have unveiled a national music plan that aims to give every child an opportunity to learn to play a musical instrument. Inspired by the Venezuelan El Sistema, the plan will create hubs to provide local music education regardless of a family's financial status or location.
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