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Dubai to build spectacular new opera house
A new multi-purpose concert venue is to be built in the heart of Dubai’s new Opera District, it has been announced. ‘Dubai Opera’ will hold 2,000 people and will stage operas, theatre shows, concerts, exhibitions, performance art and various other cultural highlights.
DW
Bringing classical music back to schools
Despite Germany’s significant public arts funding and the country’s longstanding musical traditions, fears persist that disinterest in classical music has been mounting for years among young people. Organisers of the project “The Dvorak Experiment – An ARD Concert Goes to School” hope to help combat that disinterest this autumn.
Parterre Box
The 2012-13 season at the Metropolitan Opera was a financial disaster, with the company taking in only 69% of potential total box office revenue—a troubling 13 percent decline from the previous season and the lowest box office percentage in over a decade. Dawn Fatale offers an alternate explanation as to what went wrong.
Los Angeles Times
San Diego Opera to call it quits at end of 2014 season
In a surprising move, the company announced Wednesday that it will cease operations at the end of the current season, citing financial reasons including a tough fundraising environment and weak ticket sale.
Global Post
Japan donates musical instruments to Kosovo Philharmonic
A ceremony was held Thursday in the Kosovo capital Pristina to mark the donation of around 100 violins and other musical instruments to the Kosovo Philharmonic as part of the Japanese government’s support for the restoration of the country’s cultural heritage following ethnic clashes there in the late 1990s.
BBC News
Dame Vera Lynn, 97, to release new album
On the day she turns 97, Dame Vera Lynn has announced plans for a new album. Record label Decca said the music had been remastered “from the best available recordings”, with many tracks transferred “from the original un-played source”.
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