zerbinetta

Ms. Millo may not be to everyone's taste but she is an honest & passionate artist & I see no reason to castigate her based on assumptions & a personal dislike.

I'm not sure why Ms. Millo compares her cancellation to that of Ms. Netrebko. According to the letter I got from Carnegie, AN's cancellation was due to her not feeling her recital program was up to snuff for a NY recital debut. There was no crossover situation here. And she plans to re-schedule when she feels ready.

The initial board of directors is generally selected by the founders of the company & usually includes at least one of the founders As the company grows, new directors are appointed to the board by suggestion of founders, other board members or, sometimes, company members. A company raises grants money (as opposed to personal donations) by writing grants applications. This may be done by an employee, generally a Director of Development or similar title, or, in the case of a small company, by a qualified board member or dedicated volunteer. A professional fund raiser may also be an option. The development person then creates a Mission Statement, describing the purpose of the company, reasons it was founded & what differentiates it from other similar groups. The grant application proper proposes the grants giver give X amount of money to the company to be used for Y in period Z. This may be for general company expenses, specific projects, balancing a budget, expanding outreach programs .. whatever. Depending on the type of grant: government (city, state, national), corporate or foundation the grant application boilerplate is then tailored to the particular organization applied to. Then they keep their fingers crossed. It is not uncommon to re-apply several times to the same grantor over a period of years before succeeding. If a grant is received, it needs to be justified, generally within a year's time. This involves a breakdown of the use of the money received. I hope this answers the questions.

The McIntyre is delightful; the Pendleton is a major crowd pleaser (I found it fascinating for about 2/3 of the work but overlong for what it was) & haven't seen the Fonte, who choreographs a piece a year, I think, on the company. They are a joyous & athletic company. Each dancer seems to have a strong interest in another rigor (skiing, rock climbing, yoga) which balances a career in a company which doesn't perform all year round. Too bad they aren't doing the Liaang.

Having seen them often in Santa Fe, I'm quite fond of the company. It's a small company, maybe 12 dancers. & they are all well trained & very much an ensemble. Joyous & energetic. The choreography doesn't always hold up but you may get the Edwaard Liang ballet, which would be worth a viewing. Can you tell us what the program(s) is/are? Perhaps that would help.

I would guess it's safe to assume this is also true of the City Center engagement. You think?

Maybe on their high C's, but not on their portamenti, as Nilsson as a rule didn't sing them. What separates her "Ho jo to ho" from past Wagnerian singers like Frida Leider or Lillian Nordica or Helen Traubel or Kirsten Flagstad was her refusal to sing "Ho jo to ho-oh" with the huge swooping portamento at the end. But anyway, RIP to a great singer and a smart, funny woman. <{POST_SNAPBACK}> I'll have to differ here. Nilsson didn't use portamenti on the hojotoho on the Solti recording but most certainly did live. It's true she did not make excessive use of it but take a listen to the E. Klieber Fidelio, Act III Turandot, Lady Macbeth & even Elsa's Dream in the Lohengrin. She used it sparingly but she used it well.

Ah dear. 87 years is a good length of time on earth but somehow I thought she was immortal. I would imagine she's coaching the angels on their portamenti.

& "Lark Ascending" & "The Combat" Oh my!

I suspect it was Mourkha who trained Mr B rather than the reverse. There was the Great Natasha (no prizes for guessing whom she was named after) who delighted in setting off the burglar alarm. & her brother Fernando (no prizes either) who delighted in setting off the fire alarm. & Buster who thought I would drown in the shower & would fasten his teeth into any available body part to drag me out & save my life. Every day. & Tara who loved pound cake but would only eat it if it was on top of the refrigerator. & Seamus who was always smiling. Cats are definitely one of the proofs of the existence of God, along with Suzanne, Mr. B, Mozart, Vermeer, Dikembe Mutombo ..

Amanda, could you possibly post a link to what you read about the Empire?

Are you certain about the razing of the building? It was my understanding a couple of weeks ago, from one of the long-time tenants, that the interior will be totally renovated & individual units sold as coops or condos.

Gomes Act III Swan??? He must be in good shape!

Perhaps something was lost .. or gained .. in the translation?

Sorry to disagree, walboi, but 18 can be just about an ideal age to begin serious vocal training. Much earlier & damage can be done, especially with the wrong teacher. I would like to add strong emphasis to Dale's comments about the right teacher being paramount. If your friend feels sore & hoarse after a lesson, that teacher is not for her. Tired, yes. Wanting to rest the voice, yes. But not in any great discomfort. It may take visits to several teachers for her to find the one that works best for her. Do let us know how this goes. Best of luck to her.

At the present time only Juilliard, of the 3 local conservatories,has a really decent vocal department. The best nearby conservatories are Curtis & AVA (Academy of Vocal Arts) in Philly. The best local program is the Lindemann Young Artists Program at the Met. To get into this generally requires at least a year at a good music college. I am on the board of a foundation which holds annual auditions for large prizes for promising young opera singers & the bulk of our winners over the last 3 years have come out of the Met program and/or the Philadelphia conservatories.

To my eye, Caroline Kennedy has become very beautiful in her middle age, which she cannot be said to have been in her youth. I saw her at ABT this past summer &, although she photographs well enough, she is even lovelier in person. Does anyone else think the awards ribbon/medallion thing could do with a make-over? It looks like shredded Italian flags held together with closepins. Ugly.

Perhaps your vision of Suzanne was expanded rather than ruined?

Makarova, Maryinsky trained, sounded the clap at the end only .. with a rather wicked grin on her face. Wonderful!

Every ballerina I've ever loved dearly has fallen from time to time. My take on this has always been that a dancer who never falls is a dancer who doesn't take chances.

What is most disturbing is for a self syled high falutin' publication such as the Observer to dig up all this old dirt & regurgitate it as though it has something to do with the subject of the article. I'm surprised they didn't throw Frances Schreuder in there while they were at it.

Ratmansky again? Oh noooooo.......

"Dashing & tempestuous", eh? Grey eyes? Don't think so. Lovely photo of Darci, though.

Isn't Sylve still a member of the Dutch National? She still seems to be dancing with them regularly. These days it is not unusual for a dancer to belong to two or even three companies.

Damian for President !