News In Brief 2/25/05
We may be avoiding the heat of the ’90s culture war, but federal support of the arts isn’t improving any, either. According to the American Symphony Orchestra League’s Government Affairs department, “the President has requested level funding for the National Endowment for the Arts, and for the fifth consecutive year has omitted Arts in Education funding from his budget request. In addition to federal funding levels, the U.S. Congress may soon act on major policy areas affecting orchestras, including nonprofit governance and visa reforms.”
The ASOL, a service organization for American orchestras, monitors arts-related federal issues, especially those effecting orchestras, throughout the year and suggests ways the artistic community can impact outcomes. Regular updates are posted here: http://www.symphony.org/govaff/what/index.shtml.
In addition, the League’s 60th National Conference, “Make the Case for Orchestras,” will be held in Washington, D.C., from June 14-18, 2005. The conference agenda includes opportunities for delegates to lobby their members in Congress. The ASOL is further tying its conference to D.C. by presenting their annual Gold Baton Award (for distinguished service to music and the arts) to National Symphony Orchestra Music Director Leonard Slatkin and to the Congressional Arts Caucus. Representative Louise Slaughter (D-NY) and Representative Chris Shays (R-CT) will accept on behalf of the Congressional Arts Caucus.
A composer of work for orchestra, band, chorus, jazz ensemble, and various chamber ensembles, his recent projects include Burning Blue (Fanfare-Overture for Winds, Brass, and Percussion) commission by the United States Air Force Heritage of America Band, and Immigrants Still, based on a text by poet Richard Wilbur. A recording of three of his orchestral works featuring the London Symphony Orchestra and English hornist Thomas Stacy under the baton of JoAnn Falletta will be released on the Naxos American Classics series this fall.
Fuchs received his PhD in 1988 from Juilliard where he studied with Milton Babbitt, Vincent Persichetti, David Diamond, and Stanley Wolfe.
Mostel is the composer/director of Travels of Babar, a take off on the classic book and illustrations by Jean de Brunhoff. He has also created a repertory of compositions for one-of-a-kind instruments as the founder of the Tibetan Singing Bowl Ensemble: New Music for Old Instruments.
The full article is available here: http://www.nyfa.org/level3.asp?id=323&fid=6&sid=17
MAP was formed in 2001 by music students at Stony Brook University to promote peace through music. The first Music for Peace Project in 2004 included 70 concerts in 13 countries in 50 hours.
Of auxiliary interest, the categories “Natural Sounds & More” and ” From the Nation’s Attic” include field recordings of natural and manmade sounds, and audio artifacts including music from old sci-fi films and a lesson from Pete Seeger about how Lead Belly’s guitar music is notated.