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Archive for June, 2013

Jun 29

El Sistema and Pittsburgh, Part IV of a Series

Poco a Poco

Poco a Poco

Annie Gordon continues her series on El Sistema in this week’s article from The Muse Dialogue. In this fourth installment, she looks at several programs in the Pittsburgh area, programs that are directly inspired by El Sistema or that share El Sistema goals of using music to make an impact on young people. The work of the featured programs — Ozanam, the Poco a Poco intitiative of the Pittsburgh Chamber Music Society, the East Liberty Community Engagement Orchestra, Assemble PGH — have inspiring stories to tell, and we are grateful for the opportunity to share them.

Read and learn about the impact that music can make for young people in often difficult circumstances. Join us for “El Sistema and Pittsburgh” (click here to read the full article).

 

Jun 18

Aesthetic Darwinism

Leonardo, gone but not forgotten

Leonardo, gone but not forgotten

We love the arts, and want to preserve them all…or so we think until we realize that we also need to make space for the new. In the process, forms come and go, and some ultimately die out. The process is natural and not necessarily a bad thing unto itself. However, it comes with some difficult questions. Andrew Swensen takes up some of those challenges — the need to cultivate the new, to preserve the old, and to make sure that everyone has a place in the rich world of the arts.

Read on in our latest article, “Aesthetic Darwinism” (click here to read full article).

Jun 7

The Art of Administering

Apart from his artistic success as a brilliant composer and conductor, Gustav Mahler was a well known and effective arts administrator in his day. His tenure as the director of the Vienna Hofoper was tumultuous but largely seen as a success after he settled various labor disputes and brought the organization out of long-term debt.

Gustav Mahler, artist and administrator

Marc Giosi is both an artist and an arts administrator. This talented and well-educated pianist holds the position of Executive Director for the chamber ensemble Chatham Baroque, and formerly worked with Chamber Music America. Consequently, he has seen both “sides” of the equation when it comes to presenting an art form. He understands the management dynamics of development, audience growth, and good financial management. At the same time, he recognizes the challenges to being a working artist and presenting great art. Ultimately the two aspects of his nature combine organically, and so he writes, “The ability to speak genuinely about Bach, Chopin, or Shostakovich reflects commitment to the art form, and the fact that presenting concerts is not simply a day job for me.”

For a fascinating look into the world of art and arts management, read Marc Giosi’s “The Art of Administering” (click here to read full article).

Jun 3

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The Penny University: Tazza D’Oro Mixes Art and Business

Amy Enrico, Owner of Tazza D'Oro

Amy Enrico, Owner of Tazza D’Oro

As we reflect on the connection between art and business, we should consider the natural connection between them in the fact that both depend on innovation and creativity. They also flourish when we create an environment that feeds thought and imagination, that fuels dialogue and social exchange. The coffee house, once known as the “penny university,” is a microcosm for how to get it right. We trade ideas and learn. We meet new people and grow from fortunate encounters with others. We build community.

Tazza D’Oro, a coffee house in Pittsburgh, exemplifies all the good that comes when a business embraces the spirit of the arts. The result is an environment of creative ferment that feeds both the arts and the “learning organization” that businesses should strive to be. The Muse Dialogue takes a trip to Tazza D’Oro, to understand just how much comes of the intersection between arts and business in “The Penny University: Tazza D’Oro Mixes Art and Business” (click here to read full article).

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