Conductor Gemma New 12th recipient
of largest U.S. grant currently given to young American
conductors
The
Solti Foundation U.S. revealed today the twelfth recipient
of the organization’s major grant,
The Sir Georg Solti
Conducting Award. Given annually to a single promising
American conductor 38 years of age or younger,
The Sir
Georg Solti Fellow, as it is also called, provides
career guidance, industry connections, and a cash purse of
$30,000 to allow grant recipients to further hone their
skills.
Announced by Foundation Board Chair
Penny Van Horn and
Elizabeth
Buccheri, Artistic and Awards Committee Chair from
their respective homes, the grant continues to help
Print
Eight years ago, as President Obama was about to be sworn in for his second term, I noted that in the crush of inauguration activities he had forgotten something. Obama inadvertently omitted naming a new Cabinet member to be sent to the Senate for confirmation. Where was his secretary of Culture?
You might question whether I was the one who had forgotten something. Oh, right, we don’t have a Cabinet-level post for culture like they do in England, France, Germany, Albania (yes, Albania) and more than 50 other countries that count themselves civilized.
My proposal for creating such a post was not new: The arts were of enormous economic benefit, and the country was still recovering from the Great Recession of four years earlier. A shared culture is supposed to be what unites us as Americans, but we were increasingly divided. The National Endowment for the Arts and the National Endowment for the Humanities, through which the U.S. government supports arts and culture, have piti
By Geoffrey Huchel
Beloved Broadway veteran and Tony Award nominee Rebecca Luker, died on December 23, 2020, in Manhattan, New York City, just 10 months after being diagnosed with ALS. She was 59. Known for her mesmerizing soprano, Luker has been captivating audiences for decades.
Luker was born on April 17, 1961 in Birmingham, Alabama. She attended the University of Montevallo, earning a BA in music. In 1984 she performed in Sweeney Todd as Johanna Barker at the Michigan Opera House.
Luker made her Broadway debut in “The Phantom of the Opera”, in the role of Christine. She portrayed the role from 1988-1991. Her other stage credits include “The Secret Garden” (1991-1993), “Show Boat” (1994-1997), “The Sound of Music” (1998-1999), “The Music Man” (2000-2001), “Nine” (2003), “Mary Poppins” (2006-2010), “Rodgers and Hammerstein’s Cinderella” (2013-2014), and “Fun Home” (2016. Luker also performed her solo cabaret act “Rebecca Luker Sings Jerom
Shauna Ryder Diggs reflects on 8 years with University of Michigan Board of Regents
Updated Dec 17, 2020;
ANN ARBOR, MI After eight successful years, Shauna Ryder Diggs’ time on the University of Michigan Board of Regents is coming to an end.
It was a whirlwind eight years, starting with a presidential search and ending during the coronavirus pandemic, but when Ryder Diggs’ term on the board started in 2012, she felt she could help make changes on the ground to improve the college experience for students.
“So many of my friends and patients had children who were starting to go to college,” said Ryder Diggs, a cosmetic dermatologist from Grosse Pointe, Michigan. “I was hearing more about what college life was like and some of the challenges and opportunities parents and students were feeling on campus.”