Local and Industry News
New York City has adopted the country's first law protecting freelancers.
The Freelance Isn't Free Act requires that freelancers receive a written contract for projects that pay $800 or more, requires them to be paid within 30 days, and protects them from retailiation for seeking to enforce their labor rights. Employers that break the law will be required to pay double damages and attorneys' fees.
A newly reformatted version of the print edition of the Wall Street Journal will devote fewer pages to the arts and culture. Newspapers have reported drops in advertising revenue of 12-19 percent and many are reducing arts coverage to reduce expenses.
A survey commissioned by Charity Help Musicians UK and conducted by the University of Westminister found that more than 70 percent of musicians have experienced anxiety and panic attacks and that musicians are three times more likely to suffer from depression. A similar study was conducted last year and found that nearly 60 percent of musicians suffered from depression.
Actors Equity Association and the League of Off-Broadway Theaters have reached agreement on a new five-year contract. Wages will rise from 32 to 81 percent over the life of the contract. In most cases, off-Broadway actors had been paid under $600 a week, which is less than one third of what on Broadway actors are paid.
The South Florida Youth Symphony has been invited to perform at the Heritage Music Festival. The Festival will take place in January in Washington D.C. The students plan on attending the presidential inauguration while they are there.
Former Miami City Ballet dancers Jennifer Kronenberg and Carlos Guerra have formed their own dance company. Dimensions Dance Theater of Miami gave its first performance last month, entitled "Between Havana and Heaven."
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The Philadelphia Orchestra has launched "Orchestra on Demand," a streaming music service featuring recordings from the Orchestra's archives. The service is available as a perk to patrons who have donated or purchased tickets totaling $50 or more on an annual basis.
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Delta Airlines has donated $2.5 million to the Atlanta Symphony Orchestra Musicians Endowment Fund. The donation enabled the Symphony to reach its $25 million goal two years early. The endowment fund will be used to restore eleven positions to the orchestra.
Florida Grand Opera has hired three new staff members. Chorus Master Katherine Kozak has been promoted to Head Coach of the Young Artist Program. Howard Lubin, formerly head of the music staff at Cologne Opera and a teacher at University of Oklahoma and Oberlin College, has been named Senior Coach. And Paul Schwartz and Paul Kovacovic have been hired as staff accompanists.
The Woodruff Arts Center in Atlanta has completed is Transformation Campaign, raising $110 million of its $100 million goal in just two years. $65 million of the money raised will go towards endowing the Alliance, the Atlanta Symphony, and the High Museum. The Coca-Cola Company was a major donor to the campaign, and the Alliance main theater will be renamed the Coca-Cola Stage in their honor.
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