Columbia Artists Management (CAMI) Goes Out of Business

The rumor went around a couple of days ago that Columbia Artists Management, Inc., which has managed classical musicians for 90 years, would be closing its doors today. On Saturday, their rosters were still posted on their web site. Now they're gone.

All that's there now is a graphic with the following text (they could have made this plain text, but no):

After prolonged deliberation and with profound sadness, the owners of Columbia artists announced today that the company will cease operations effective immediately. This painful decision has been made as a result of the impact of the world-wide pandemic's effect on the entire international performing arts community.

For over eight decades Columbia Artists has been at the forefront of the live performing arts. The unfortunate and unavoidable decision to close this storied firm has been arrived at through sober, deliberation and with intense regret.

Columbia Artists extends our deepest gratitude to all of the artists with whom we have been privileged to work, and to our talented staff and friends throughout many extraordinary years of great performances.

For further inquiries please contact Molly Froschauer at Sherwood Partners on behalf of the fiduciary at (contact info).

I have no idea what this means for the artists under contract with CAMI, some of whom are in Europe and able to perform on a limited basis. Maybe they have European representation, and maybe those representatives can work for them in the US as well.

Does CAMI still own the building where CAMI Hall is located, at 165 W. 57th? I do not know; do you?

Museum Mondays

Eleanor of Castile, c. 1300

Victoria & Albert Museum

November, 2019

 

New Award and Some Books to Read

 Received from Ben Aaronovitch via the Rivers of London mailing list; this looks cool:

We are thrilled to announce the winners of the inaugural Gollancz and Rivers of London BAME SFF award. 

1st Place - The Principles of Moments by Esmie Jikiemi-Pearson 
2nd Place - The Reeves’ Guild by Kyla Jardine

The 6 runners up include:
 Blood of the Wolf by Jaya Martin
Kali’s Call by Dolly Garland
Nowhere more Changeable than the Mortal Heart by Ewan Ma
Seeds of Heaven by Victor Organa
The Scent of Cloves by Dan Buchanan
The Shape of the World by Amy Borg

Founded in October 2019, and working with one of my publishers, Gollancz, we are working to change the landscape of science fiction and fantasy and foster British voices of colour and bring their stories to the forefront of the genre.

I have been truly staggered by the range and quality of all the submissions. Choosing a shortlist was not easy and I’m looking forward to what happens to the winners and runners up alike. This was never planned as one off and we are already laying plans for 2021.

You can find out more about the award, the winners and the judges here. 

Friday Photo

Bollards, Allée Verte

Paris, February, 2019

Museum Mondays

 

Versailles Opera

Paris, February, 2019

Friday Photo

Ruins of Battle Abbey

Battle (near Hastings)

May, 2014

Get Out and Vote

 So, we're living in a time when the President admits that he wants to de-fund the Post Office to limit how many people can vote by mail and his Postmaster General (who owns stock in a USPS competitor) orders the destruction of mail sorting machines.  It's important to know how voting is being managed in your state this year, whether and on what grounds you can request an absentee ballot, where your in-person polling place is, and so on.

Here are some places you can consult:

• The web site of your state's highest election official. This is often the secretary of state. For example, here's the Alabama secretary of state's web site. Remember that most of these folks want elections to run well and smoothly, regardless of the party they belong to. The web search to use is something like this:
  
  state of [your_state_name ] voting 
  
  Or:
  
  [your_state_name] secretary of state voting
  
  
• The represent.us web site has a page that tells you everything you need to know about voting by mail on a state-by-state basis.
• The vote.org web site has even more election information.

I'm going to note that the USPS (Post Office) was established in the U.S.Constitution; millions of people, especially in rural areas, depend on it for mail, packages, and medication delivery; and 91% of Americans approve of the Postal Service. The USPS provides jobs to hundreds of thousands of people and provides a vital service. The Republican Party has been trying to sabotage it for decades; the USPS is required to fund pensions 75 years in advance and health care for 50 years in advance, unlike every other organization or business in the country. If you want your mail delivered, support the candidates who support the USPS.

Museum Monday

Art glass

Metropolitan Museum of Art, NYC

November, 2013

Where to Donate to Senate Races (If You're Supporting Democratic Candidates)

My friend Andy Lazarus created a spreadsheet about where to get the most bang for your Democratic buck in competitive Senate races. You can see it here, at Indivisible Elmwood.

The short version includes don't donate to McGrath (KY, vs. McConnell), Gideon (Maine, vs. Collins), or Kelly (AZ, vs. McSally) because they are all rolling in cash and don’t need more. Yeah, even if you hate Moscow Mitch and Susan ("Concerned") Collins. That’s why those three races are in the - (minus) and -- (double minus) area. The + and ++ races are where your money, in whatever amount, will do the most good.

Friday Photo

Flowers on a wall

Town of Battle

May, 2014

Museum Mondays

Greek statuary

Musée du Louvre

Paris, October, 2018

Friday Photo

Westminster Abbey

London, 2014

Recordings of Note: Shapero and Smyth

I've gotten notices about a couple of important new recordings.

1. Today, the Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP) releases a CD of orchestral music by Harold Shapero:

Works: Sinfonia in C Minor (1948), Credo for Orchestra (1955), Partita in C for Piano and Small Orchestra (1960), On Green Mountain for Jazz Ensemble (1957), Serenade in D for String Orchestra (1945)

Performers: Boston Modern Orchestra Project (BMOP), Vivian Choi (piano), led by Gil Rose (conductor)

2. Chandos is releasing Dame Ethel Smyth's The Prison on August 7; James Blachly conducts the Experiential Orchestra and Chorus, with soprano Sarah Brailey and bass-baritone Dashon Burton. This is the world premiere recording. 

Press releases for both are after the jump.

Museum Mondays

Greek statuary: feet, dolphin

Musée du Louvre

October, 2018

Paris, France