It has been a privilege to serve as an Artistic Advisor at Large to the The Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts. David Rubenstein’s leadership as Chairman is just one of the many ways he has contributed to America’s cultural and historic heritage. He is the greatest patriot I know. As President of the Kennedy Center, Deborah Rutter has been a tireless, creative leader, successfully expanding our National Center for the Arts in visionary ways. They have both been an inspiration to me; and out of respect, I think it right to depart as well. I’ve treasured the bi-partisan support for this institution as a beacon of America at our best. I hope the Kennedy Center continues to flourish and serve the passionate and diverse audience in our nation’s capital and across the country. -Renée

Renée Fleming departs The Kennedy Center

Reporter: Why do you want to be chairman of Kennedy Center board?

Trump: Some of the shows were terrible. They were a disgrace.

Reporter: Have you seen any shows there?

Trump: No, I didn’t go.

Given developments at the Kennedy Center, effective today I am resigning as artistic advisor to the NSO.
Not for me.
It’s been a wonderful 8 years working with Kennedy Center President Deb Rutter, fellow artistic advisor Renee Fleming, NSO artistic administrator Justin Ellis, and the entire NSO

Andrew Mellor: “The Royal Danish Opera has snagged one of the world’s most in-demand conductors. Who is she, and what has she got planned for Copenhagen?”

Read the full interview (now in English) at thenorthernsilence.net/game-set-mat...

AI: The New Aesthetics of Fascism It's embarrassing, destructive, and looks like shit: AI-generated art is the perfect aesthetic form for the far right.

"AI is a cruel technology. It replaces workers, devours millions of gallons of water, vomits CO2 into the atmosphere, propagandises exclusively for the worst ideologies, and fills the world with more ugliness and stupidity."

Festen, Royal Opera review - firing on every front So the Royal Opera had assembled a dream cast, conductor (Edward Gardner) and director (Richard Jones). The only question until last night was whether composer Mark-Anthony Turnage would be at his rem...

Still trying to marshal the inner turmoil after this extraordinary success. Perfect cast, conductor, director - and composer: this time Turnage has pulled it off. theartsdesk.com/opera/festen...

Mark-Anthony Turnage: ‘Some people will be offended by my Festen’ The Royal Opera’s adaptation of the shocking Danish film comes with trigger warnings — ‘but the arts are supposed to confront difficult things’, its composer says

"Horrendous things are going on and nobody speaks up. That encapsulates what seems to be happening today." As the curtain goes up on Festen tonight at the Royal Opera House, its composer Mark-Anthony Turnage talks to Richard Morrison.

www.thetimes.com/article/4287...

In ‘Festen,’ a Nightmare Birthday Becomes an Opera The composer who put Anna Nicole Smith’s life onstage has a new piece: an adaptation of a cult movie about child abuse.

Brutal subject for brutal times. Would definitely go see this if I lived across the pond.

In ‘Festen,’ a Nightmare Birthday Becomes an Opera www.nytimes.com/2025/02/10/a...

All ready for a 60th birthday party 🥳
What could go wrong?
World premiere of Festen at The Royal Opera

Thanks so much for this wonderful recommendation. It’s been the soundtrack to my trip to Berlin today ✨

“Let’s start viewing opera as an engine for empathy and awe, and decide to attend a performance with an explorer’s mindset. … What would happen if we approached opera on those terms, actively developing our curiosity about things we can’t fathom but long to know?”
- Yuval Sharon

Trump says he will appoint himself chair of Kennedy Center President vows to fire board members and chair from national cultural center to bring about ‘golden age’

I couldn’t think of a worse visionary of the arts. Terrifying times. #kennedycenter

“Det er vanskeligt at skrive om musik. Det kan være svært nok at komponere musikken og spille den eller bare at opleve den, men at skrive om den fører os let på vildspor.”

Peter Bastian beskriver ret godt, hvad der er musikkritikerens problem:

“De endeløse diskussioner om godt og skidt viser hvor magert og uudviklet sproget er, når vi forsøger at anvende det på musikken. Selve musikkens væsen smutter os af hænde som et stykke vådt håndsæbe, når vi klemmer for hårdt.”

Speaking of the French referencing Parsifal, have you ever listened to Faust et Hélène by Lili Boulanger? A pretty epic, hilarious, sexy little cantata full of quotes from both Parsifal and Tannhäuser.

Operaen skal dø, for at operaen kan leve Den rebelske amerikanske operainstruktør Yuval Sharon kalder i ny bog til kamp imod at tækkes et elitært publikum, der kun går i operaen for at blive bekræftet. Kunstarten kan så meget mere.

Sune Anderberg har anmeldt “A New Philosophy of Opera” af Yuval Sharon i Seismograf. Utrolig spændende læsning.

“For ham handler opera ikke om at iscenesætte en libretto så forståeligt som muligt, men om at aktivere en reel lytning – et mere ægte ritual – i salen.”

seismograf.org/artikel/oper...

ELGAR CELLO CONCERTO, JACQUELINE DU PRE YouTube video by Allan Marshall

Jacqueline du Pré was born on this day 80 years ago.

Here she is performing Elgar's Cello Concerto in 1967 together with Daniel Barenboim and the London Philharmonic: youtu.be/UUgdbqt2ON0?...

“Yesterday we witnessed the inauguration of a man whose ideology embodies everything the EU was founded to reject.”

Powerful speech by Aodhán Ó Ríordáin 🙏

Satie also took one of Debussy and Stravinsky.

I know!! Can you imagine? It was in 1925 in Debussy’s Paris apartment.

This is really wonderful! Thanks for sharing.

Thought my first post here should be the most popular one on my late X account.

It’s Claude Debussy and Erik Satie hanging out by a Buddha. Photographed by Igor Stravinsky. What a house party.

Bishop at inaugural prayer service urges Trump to 'have mercy' on LGBTQ children, immigrants Donald Trump signed a slew of executive orders on LGBTQ issues and immigration within hours of being sworn in as president.

Right Rev. Mariann Edgar Budde doing God's work and showing more strength and courage than billionaires.

Bishop at inaugural prayer service urges Trump to 'have mercy' on LGBTQ children, immigrants nbcnews.com/nbc-out/out-...

Wow. Bishop Mariann Edgar Budde fearlessly calls out Trump and Vance to their faces. This is heroic.

(posting in 3 parts due to Bluesky's 1 minute limit)