Local and Industry News
Broadway has had another record-breaking season. Led by Hamilton and The Lion King, Broadway had over 13 million visitors and grossed $1.373 billion. Attendance was up 1.6 percent, and revenue was up 0.6 percent.
The Boston Globe has cut pages from its arts section and will no longer hire freelance critics to write art, music, theater, or dance reviews. The Boston Globe is now one of many newspapers across the country that have reduced or eliminated arts coverage.
Len Blavatnik has donated $25 million to Carnegie Hall. In recognition, the first tier of box seats will be renamed in his honor. Blavatnik is the founder and chairman of Access industries and a trustee of Carnegie Hall.
The Miami Music Project has had 23 of its students accepted to the National Take A Stand Festival. The festival, which strives to create a unified platform for El Sistema-inspired programs, is a joint initiative of the Los Angeles Philharmonic, the Aspen Music Festival, and the Longy School of Music.
The Directors Guild of America and IATSE are hailing the passage of the Oversee Visa Integrity with Stakeholders Advisories bill. The bill would require notification to unions and producers of approvals and denials of O visas for foreign directors and crew members. The unions have complained that they are not adequately involved in the visa approval process, and as a result, unqualified directors and crew members are granted visas.
recording
Finding Dory has broke box office records by earning a record-breaking $55 million on opening day and $140 million during opening weekend. The previous record holder for domestic animated features was Shrek the Third, in 2007 with $121.6 million.
The Grammys will now allow nominations for recordings released only on streaming services. Previously, a recording had to be available on a CD or as a download to be eligible.
The U.S. Court of Appeals for the District of Columbia Circuit has upheld the FCC net neutrality rules. U.S. telecom had challenged the regulations. Under the rules, all content on the Internet must be treated equally.
symphonic
The Omaha Symphony has set new records. Attendance increased 9.8 percent to over 75,000 patrons and ticket revenue increased 15.9 percent, to $2.16 million.
The Gulf Coast Symphony (Fort Myers) has had its nonprofit status revoked. The IRS revoked the status after the Symphony failed to submit tax returns for three consecutive years. The Symphony claims that there was a mix-up and that returns were filed. Until the situation is resolved, donations to the Symphony will not be considered tax-deductible.
Musicians of the Kansas Symphony have a new four-year agreement, negotiated a year before the current contract expires. The musicians will see wage increases of nearly 20 percent over the life of the contract, with wages rising to $63,315 in 2020. The new contract also addresses scheduling and workload issues and health and disability insurance.
The Houston Grand Opera predicts that annual operating support will exceed last year's total by $600,000. The Opera had nine sold-out performances this season.
Vero Beach Opera has named Deborah Voigt as artistic advisor. Voigt, a Metropolitan Opera soprano, will be involved in programming, productions, and long-term planning.
The Buffalo Philharmonic has received $500,000 from M&T Bank aspart of the Crescendo Campaign. The Campaign has received $23 million of its $25 million goal to increase the orchestra's endowment to over $50 million.
The Orlando Ballet and the Orlando Philharmonic have named new executive directors. Caroline Miller will take the helm of the Ballet. She has led Britain's Dance UK and will be the Ballet's seventh director in five years. Chris Barton will succeed David Schillhammer as the orchestra's second-ever director. He was formerly director of the Flagstaff (AZ) Symphony.
Write reply
Comments must be approved before being published.
