Can classical music be cool?

Sydney audiences are by and large generous in their applause even if they don’t approve of the performer or the production. ‘Boos’ are rarely, if ever heard, sometimes tongue-in-cheek, when the villian of the piece takes his curtain call. The most emphatic expression of audience disapproval is to leave at interval.  Other ‘houses’ are different. A new…

There is a change of leadership at The Australia Council for the Arts, as CEO Kathy Keele steps down at the end of the year. The government’s central arts funding and advisory body distributes more than $160 million each year in funding for arts organisations and individuals, nationally. http://www.theaustralian.com.au/arts/australia-council-chief-kathy-keele-steps-down/story-e6frg8n6-1226519446195