Local and Industry News
Trumpeter Pauly Cohen has passed away at age 98.
Cohen joined the AFM in 1940 and had been a member of Local 655 from 1964 to 2007. during his long career he had performed with Charlie Parker, Billie holiday, Frank Sinatra, Jackie Gleason, Judy Garland, and many others. For five years he was the lead trumpeter for the Count Basie Orchestra. Even into his 90's he continued to perform and also lead rehearsals of the Pauly Cohen Big Band at the Northwest Focal Point Senior Center
New York city and state have announced plans to support the cultural arts. The state will sponsor NY PopsUp, which will produce 300 free events across the state over 100 days, with 1,000 planned by Labor Day. The city has launched Open Culture NYC, which will allow venues and institutions to apply for permits to hold socially-distanced performances in over 100 city street locations
A study by TRG Arts points to a fall reopening for in-person performances. TRG surveyed 104 organizations and found that most in the south are planning to reopen in the summer, while the rest of the country is looking at reopening in the third or fourth quarter of the year. However, 67 percent plan on returning to alternate venues, including outdoor venues, before returning to their normal venues
Another study by TRG Arts and Purple Seven reports a 13 percent decrease in philanthropic donations in North America in 2020. However, they also report that 74 percent of organizations reported an increase in donations from 2019
Miami New Drama has gotten creative during the pandemic. Six of this season's plays were staged in glassed-in storefronts, with audiences led by guides from store to store and listening to actors over iPods attached to chairs
Germany will provide another billion euros to help the cultural industry. Germany already provided a billion euro bailout for the industry last July.
recording
symphonic
Opera Philadelphia has launched its own streaming service, OperaPhila.tv. While the $99 a season service includes a 2015 performance of La Traviata, the majority of its content has been produced since the pandemic began. New content includes five digital commissions, such as David T. Little's Soldier Songs, which were conceived as 20-minute films featuring a singer and a few instrumentalists
San Francisco Ballet musicians have ratified a two-year extension to their agreement. Wages through 2022 will be 77 percent of their 2019-20 salary, but with disaster relief payments included they will receive about 83 percent of what they earned in 2019-20. The Ballet has also agreed not to invoke force majeure during the term of the agreement
The Colorado Symphony has received an anonymous gift of $2 million to cover salaries and benefits through June. The Symphony hopes that this will carry them over until they can begin performing outdoor concerts this summer and resume indoor concerts in the fall
The New York Philharmonic has launched a streaming service, NYPhil+. The service will cost $50 a year or $4.99 per month, and content will include five decades of Live from Lincoln Center performances, as well as newer content featuring music director Japp van Zweden and conductor David Robertson
The San Francisco Opera plans to return to live performances in April. The Barber of Seville will be performed in a drive-in setting, slimmed down to 90 minutes without intermission. The Opera is also streaming its 2018 production of Wagner's Ring Cycle for free.
