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News from the Field
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Of Interest
Fricke steps down at Washington National Opera
The Classical Beat (The Washington Post)Wednesday, September 01, 2010
Fricke steps down at Washington National Opera
By Anne MidgetteThe Classical Beat (The Washington Post)Wednesday, September 01, 2010
After 18 years and a recent bout of ill-health that kept him off the Washington National Opera podium for more than a year, Heinz Fricke, the music director of WNO and the Kennedy Center Opera House Orchestra, has announced his retirement. Henceforth, he will bear the title of Music Director Emeritus.
The San Francisco Opera: Making opera elitist no more?
East Bay ExpressWednesday, September 01, 2010
The San Francisco Opera: Making opera elitist no more?
By Ellen CushingEast Bay ExpressWednesday, September 01, 2010
With ticket prices topping out at hundreds of dollars, opera isn't exactly known for putting a premium on mass appeal. So as the average opera fan's age creeps toward seventy, and as fine arts organizations of all kinds continue to be hit hard by the recession and its aftershocks, opera companies are faced with a choice: diversify their audience or die out. But while the San Francisco Opera, one of the country's oldest and most well-regarded companies, prepares to mount its impressive and ambitious 88th fall season, it's finding ways to stay relevant — and afloat — without sacrificing its commitment to high-quality and artistically authentic opera.
Artists tell our truths
CBC NewsWednesday, September 01, 2010
Artists tell our truths
By David Adams RichardsCBC NewsWednesday, September 01, 2010
"One doesn't care if Shakespeare is great when they are frightened or in pain," says George Orwell — true and defining, about our idea of culture. Culture is a word that is often thought of as being once removed from our real world, that the world we live in is somehow independent of the culture we seek. This is as true in New Brunswick as anywhere else. I've known writers and artists who've gone years close to starving — or at least living on a subsistent level. Some in Fredericton, some on the Miramichi. And the very word culture becomes something of a problem when we try to relate how necessary those artists and musicians are.
Met opera adds 300 theaters to its HD broadcasts
The Associated PressWednesday, September 01, 2010
Met opera adds 300 theaters to its HD broadcasts
By Verena DobnikThe Associated PressWednesday, September 01, 2010
The close-ups were so tight you could see a tear slowly trickling down the tenor's face — and that the soprano's fingernail polish didn't match the color on her toes, though she did nail the high C.
Is music going back to its roots?
BBC NewsTuesday, August 31, 2010
Is music going back to its roots?
By Zoe KleinmanBBC NewsTuesday, August 31, 2010
There is no doubt that technology has transformed the world of music makers, but has it taken away the craft? Tod Machover, a respected musician and technologist at the Massachusetts Institute of Technology (MIT) in Boston, believes a balance has to be struck between accessibility and developing real skill.
Varis gives struggling Opera Orchestra $250K
Crain's New York BusinessTuesday, August 31, 2010
Varis gives struggling Opera Orchestra $250K
By Miriam Kreinin SouccarCrain's New York BusinessTuesday, August 31, 2010
The struggling Opera Orchestra of New York just got a major boost with a $250,000 donation by Agnes Varis, a prominent opera and jazz patron and a Metropolitan Opera trustee. Ms. Varis, the founder and president of Agvar Chemicals and Modavar Pharmaceuticals, gave the money to the organization to pay for its opera-in-concert performance of Meyerbeer's L'Africaine, which will play at Avery Fisher Hall on March 2. It will be conducted by the orchestra's music director, Eve Queler, who founded the company 40 years ago.
Diane Paulus and Karole Armitage Collaborating on Death and the Powers Opera
By Adam HetrickPlaybillTuesday, August 31, 2010
Tony Award-nominated choreographer Karole Armitage will reunite with director Diane Paulus for Death and the Powers: The Robots' Opera at the American Repertory Theater in 2011.
With new director, ballet seeks financial stability
The Denver PostTuesday, August 31, 2010
With new director, ballet seeks financial stability
By Kyle MacMillanThe Denver PostTuesday, August 31, 2010
In the midst of a comprehensive restructuring that could determine the company's very survival, the Colorado Ballet's board of trustees wanted a new executive director with proven success at fund-raising and financial turnarounds. To that end, it tapped Marie Belew Wheatley, who brings 22 years of nonprofit experience in Denver. Most recently, she served six years as president and chief executive officer of the American Humane Association, completing a financial overhaul of the national organization.
Bridging the Generational Gap
Emily Heard, Senior Staff Consultant and David Styers, Senior Governance Consultant, BoardSource

Original Content• 9/2/2010

Reprinted with permission from the July/August 2010 edition of Board Member, Volume 19, Issue 4. For more information, call 1-877-892-6273 or e-mail BoardSource. BoardSource © 2010. Text may not be reproduced without written permission from BoardSource.

Where does your board stand regarding generational diversity and competence? Where would you like to be? And how are you going to get there?

What has been a major experience in your life? World War II, the Cold War, man setting foot on the moon, MTV or reality TV?

What motivates you? Stability and security; recognition, respect and success; options and flexibility; or impactful work?

Summer 2010 Magazine Issue
  • Letter from the President/CEO
  • OPERA America News
  • National Opera Week
  • Looking Back, Looking Forward: Career Service Awards
  • Opera Conference 2011
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