The Power of Video in College Applications

Harnessing the Power of Video Monday, Feb 22, the New York Times ran a tech-forward article about Tufts University Admissions, now accepting YouTube videos as a “delightful way to get to know the applicants.” High School Seniors made videos as an essay supplement to the application for general undergraduate admission. There is tremendous value in [...]

That Door is Hardcore

The Architectural Review 2009 Emerging Architecture Awards The Architectural Review, a monthly design publication based in the United Kingdom, recently announced the four winners of its annual Emerging Architecture Awards at a ceremony held at the Royal Institute of British Arts in London. The awards are meant to highlight designs produced by young firms across [...]

One on One with Jazz Legend Stanley Clarke

Exploding into the jazz world in 1971, Stanley was a lanky teenager from the Philadelphia Academy of Music. He arrived in New York City and immediately landed jobs with famous bandleaders such as: Horace Silver, Art Blakey, Dexter Gordon, Joe Henderson, Pharaoh Saunders, Gil Evans, Stan Getz, and a budding young pianist composer named Chick [...]

Too Close for Comfort: The Modern Concert Experience

For a variety of reason – some metaphorical, some literal – I find the experiences of air travel and concert going strangely similar. The ticket costs more than you hope to pay, the service is frightful, you are inevitably seated next to the loudest person in attendance, and following the experience, you have been (or [...]

The Role of the Arts Critic: Wading in the Stream of Individualism

Fresh off an opening weekend at the opera, I have been scouring the local media for coverage and reviews of our performance. While I myself am pleased and proud of the show that went up on Friday, I cannot help but feel the need for that validation given out by the oracles of art: the [...]

El Sistema Comes to the U.S.

The now world-famous educational program that has revolutionized music education and brought us super stars like Gustavo Dudamel and the Simón Bolívar Symphony Orchestra has finally arrived in the United States.  The New England Conservatory of Music, located in Boston, has been exploring this partnership for several years. Dr. José Antonio Abreu, the founder of [...]

Visa Regulations: Straining Cultural Exchange in America

As a way to organize my thoughts for an upcoming presentation, and also for the erudition of you, the faithful readership, I’d like to discuss visa restrictions in the U.S., with a primary focus on artists. The current process for acquiring work visas for international artists is unnecessarily long, difficult, costly of time and money, [...]

Fiscal Responsibility and the Arts

Just in the nick of time, and just as has always happened, a new class of arts administrators are coming to the fore with creative solutions to their organization’s financial woes. This is not a new concept, as arts leaders have been constant observers of the duel bottom line (finances vs. artistic integrity). If they [...]

The Fine Arts of Introduction and Audition

Each year as yet another class of conservatory students are unleashed upon the cultural organizations of the world, a terrifying conclusion is struck upon – there simply aren’t enough gigs. Never mind your wunderkind, mind-blowing, haven’t-seen-anything-like-this-since-Mozart talent. There are thousands more where you came from, and you and your student loans will just have to [...]

The 2009-2010 Concert Season: Weathering the Storm

by Erik Johnson With Labor Day now past and the autumn winds returning, another season of performances and exhibitions is almost within reach. We’re all thinking a little harder about how we spend our money, but one could certainly be forgiven for thinking that this may finally be the year when the arts keep their [...]