Miscellaneous
Bollywood Star Aamir Khan Expresses Interest in 'PK' Sequel
The Collegiate Chorale Receives National Endowment for the Arts Grant, Will Go Toward Concert and CD Recording of Kurt Weill and Franz Werfel's 'The Road of Promise'
The Collegiate Chorale has been announced as one of 919 nonprofits nationwide to receive a National Endowment for the Arts grant. The Collegiate Chorale will receive $30,000 in support of its May 2015 concert and CD recording of Kurt Weill and Franz Werfel's musical epic "The Road of Promise."NEA Chairwoman Jane Chu said, "I'm pleased to be able to share the news of our support through Art Works including the award to The Collegiate Chorale. The arts foster value, connection, creativity and innovation for the American people, and these recommended grants demonstrate those attributes and affirm that the arts are part of our everyday lives.""The Road of Promise" is a new concert adaptation of Kurt Weill and Franz Werfel's 1937 epic musical spectacle "The Eternal Road." The performance will feature a dramatic mix of opera, musical theater and pageant play. "The Road of Promise" tells the story of a young boy left in the care of a rabbi and his congregation in the wake of a pogrom. To calm the boy's fears and help him understand his faith and heritage, the rabbi recounts ancient biblical tales, and as he does the stories of Abraham, Sarah, Jacob, Rachel, Moses, Ruth, Saul and David come to life. How Re-Establishing Diplomatic Ties with Cuba Will Change the Arts
The restoration of diplomatic and commercial ties between the United States and Cuba will not only hit us politically but will also have a profound effect on music and the arts.Though battling bureaucratic laws, the cultural exchange between the U.S. and Cuba has not been lost in recent years. Even before this week’s announcement, musicians have been traveling to perform in the previous out-of-bounds nation. Arturo O’Farrill, a New Yorker, was performing at the Havana International Jazz Festival with his Afro Latin Jazz Orchestra, while Cuban flutist Maraca was in New York preparing to play this weekend at Jazz at Lincoln Center.President Barack Obama’s “new approach” to Cuban policy will make it easier for American artists to travel to Cuba to perform and vice versa. Cuba could even plausibly become a profitable tourist destination for the first time in five decades. The new policy can end need for time-consuming security checks that often leave Cubans who want to perform in the United States in limbo. Easing commercial restrictions could allow American presenters to begin paying fees to the Cuban artists they bring to the United States, who by law are now allowed only smaller per diem payments and travel reimbursements.
